Gillette Wants How Much for Blades?

I found myself in Walgreens drug store this weekend looking for replacement blades for my Gillette Mach 3 Turbo. For 5 blades I was being asked to pay $12.50. Come again? Yes - that's $2.50 per blade. Here's the thing - I'm all for new technology in personal care items that can make my life easier, but I found myself telling the clerk at Walgreens to please put the blades back in their locked cabinet in the shaving section - they are locked because they do cost so much.

Instead I have made the choice to switch brands after years of paying ever higher prices for blade technology that seems bent on cramming ever greater numbers of blades into a cartridge - 3 blades in one cartridge for the Mach 3 and I am here to tell you they don't last any longer than 1 blade razors.

For a total of $2.50 I now have in my bathroom 12 Walgreens' private label disposable single blade razors. Yes - that's right 12 blades for a total of $2.50. I have a heavy beard and I got just a good a shave with them and with only a few more strokes using a good quality shaving gel.

Working in marketing I read complaints from national brands all the time about private label brands taking over their market share - well Gillette... in this economy I would recommend you think about a value option because more and more of your consumers are bound for private label blades given this extreme price differential!