Thread: Debate over razor brand at AoS

Originally Posted by ryanjewell

Solingen is a city in Germany...east of Dusseldorf...just to clarify

You should apply at AOS.

Gentlemen,

We are the shaving "cognoscenti". To expect the poor salespeople at AOS, working for minimum wages, to know more than the bare minimum about their products or the process is optimistic, at best. I agree, they should have more training and knowledge. I feel "caveat emptor" applies here.

Originally Posted by HNSB

You should apply at AOS.

That would work great until my sales numbers come in...

"Ryan, why are you only selling creams and ASB?"

'because I told them to start with a Whipped Dog starter kit first...and since you only sell Merkur DE blades I told them to get a sampler pack...and really not to bother with the Merkur blades because they are kind of crap...and'

Hardly salesman of the year material

Originally Posted by Theseus

AOS doesn't want to push the traditional razors. They are owned by Proctor & Gamble, so they want to push the cartridge razors instead.

They sold their souls.

Reminds me of a story from my old electronics instructor,

Back in the early 90's he got pissed at Radio Shack because they would not hire his students. After much sole searching, he finally figured out why.

R.S. doesn't want their employees knowing anything, they might give helpful but slightly inexperienced advice on something they only kinda know( hello they are probably people working through college or dead beats who can't get a real job) just because they can build a transistor radio from the parts, some customer will always know more.

So radio shack policy was to ask if there applicants had any electronics experience, if they said yes,,,, NO hire

It will be the same thing with AOS, people into it will always know more. They want to hire newbs who care less and know how to talk the jive from the training videos only.

Originally Posted by oldschooltools

Gentlemen,

We are the shaving "cognoscenti". To expect the poor salespeople at AOS, working for minimum wages, to know more than the bare minimum about their products or the process is optimistic, at best.

The problem is that the staff at AOS stores whom I have encountered did not know the bare minimum about their products as a whole. They should know the manufacturer the same way that an assistant in a clothes store would know the brand, in addition to awareness that their straights are not ready to shave with and need to be honed by an expert. That is the bare minimum. Anything more such as information on ancillary products such as hones (which they do not sell) would not be expected.

In terms of customer care, it is essential to be able to advise what a straight is and that it needs to be honed and stopped, without necessarily going in to detail on the processes, rather to inform a customer that such processes are necessary.

Yes, the good old "are AOS razors shave ready?" debate. As we all know by now they are not. But the biggest point of contention in this debate is that the sales staff always proclaim that they are; whether or not this is out of pure ignorance, who knows. What it shouldn't be is surprising. If you think about it, it's a sales feature. Since AOS doesn't offer a honing service (TMK) there is no point in selling a razor to people that can't be used right away, otherwise they wouldn't make a sale. And since these are grooming products I'm pretty sure that they have a No Return policy for used razors, so they can say whatever they want to make a sale and don't have to worry about the consequence of returns & refunds. Why would they tell customers that a razor needs to be honed?

I'm not saying it's a good strategy, but it is a strategy.

I can't really blame the sales staff for the whole "shave ready" thing. Dovo and TI basically consider their razors shave ready from the factory. We know better, but can we truly expect them to take our word when the info from the companies that made them is to the contrary?

Originally Posted by Scipio

I was in Miami over the summer and saw some Dovos and TIs in an AOS shop. Often I have heard that shop assistants do not know what they are selling. The woman told me they were ready to shave with when I knew full well that they were not. The same is true of Taylor of Bond Street in Selfridges, London, however then I was new to the world of straights and purchased a Dovo in reliance on their expert advice. Painful shaves, but I prevailed. I have since then never gone back - to TOBS or disposables!

but the Taylor of Old Bond St.'s Eaton College smeelllllssssssss sssoooo gooooodddddddd!! lol

Originally Posted by Theseus

I can't really blame the sales staff for the whole "shave ready" thing. Dovo and TI basically consider their razors shave ready from the factory. We know better, but can we truly expect them to take our word when the info from the companies that made them is to the contrary?

They'd kow if they used them!!!