Member
Idaho Falls, Idaho
First off, let’s get crystal clear in stating that shaving as a hobby is 10 kinds of weird. All we DFS folk get it but I can guarantee friends and family do not. I’m guessing my family visits about ol Pop losing it when I’m not present. I can tell you that when asked about what I like to do in my free time I don’t volunteer “reading the forums and checking out new shaving stuff”. I like Whitewater Rafting, Bowhunting, Camping, Gardening, or making things on my Jet 1221vs lathe are much safer fodder. I’ll broach the subject if the situation arises but I sure don’t lead with that tidbit of esoteric info. That said, I really don’t care what others think as I have a great time with you whackos. We get it! Besides, the economist and businessman in me gets to watch a free(ish) market unfold in real time. I get to watch innovation with all its successes and failures. I get to watch marketing plans, both good and bad, unfold. I get to second guess and play Monday morning quarterback regularly and I suppose that is what I wanted to share most today. I spend most of my time here on DFS where it’s pretty obvious our mothers were not afraid to correct poor behavior. Most exchanges here are gentlemanly with the occasional zinger. Outside here it’s not often the case. Recently Chris Bradley posted a vid sharing his opinion on a price increase that Fine Accoutrements just released into the market. Boy howdy the fireworks started. I’m sure many of you know of the kerfuffle but long and short, Bailey became very vocal about what he felt was a fair price for soaps, aftershaves, and the like and that to price above what he thought was fair was being unfair to the consumers in the industry. Well some of the makers jumped in the fray and suddenly everyone was/is butt hurt. And frankly it is all ridiculousness.
I’m a manufacturer that just released yet another pricing increase to my customers. Historically increases have been around the rate of inflation and I don’t believe this time is much different. Pricing increases are never easy for anyone ever! It throws a wet blanket over a really good campfire. Continuity, catalogs, marketing efforts, tribal knowledge, and many other factors my customers deal with are all upset when I have to offer a 10 fricking percent increase in pricing. ALL OF US ARE COGNIZANT that at some price too many buyers are no longer buyers. But answer me this? Am I (we) taking additional profits or trying to remain profitable? I’m my case, and in ever other Mfg case I know, we are not taking additional profits but are scrambling to pay for increased costs in raw materials and transportation (stinking transportation). And so I (we) make prognostications for the next one or two or three quarters based on forecasts from experts that have not been too accurate of late and flirting with that ever-present pressure of supply and demand. Each organization makes life and death decisions everyday and now is a really tough time to have to make this decisions due to volatility.
So why would anyone be surprised if our soap, splash, etc makers raise their pricing? I assure you they are facing much of the same supply chain and transportation issues I face except that most of them don’t have decades-long relationships with their vendors nor million dollar POs to offer. Nobody likes to see prices increase. But tell me where in the world prices are stable or trending down? It’s bad, but even worse is the vitriolic tone so present these days. Here’s an idea, if you don’t like the price, don’t buy. If current pricing changes the value proposition for you, then take yourself out of the market. I just don’t understand why it’s common now to feel the need to dump our garbage on someone else’s lawn. My mom tried hard to teach me to play nice. My dad worked hard to teach me that disagreeing doesn’t need to mean disagreeable.
So thank you DFS folks. I’m confident many of you disagree with some of the things I post but none of you have felt it necessary to correct my wrongness. I hope you feel I give you the same latitude. (Because I don’t agree with a lot of your hair-brained opinions.).
I’m a manufacturer that just released yet another pricing increase to my customers. Historically increases have been around the rate of inflation and I don’t believe this time is much different. Pricing increases are never easy for anyone ever! It throws a wet blanket over a really good campfire. Continuity, catalogs, marketing efforts, tribal knowledge, and many other factors my customers deal with are all upset when I have to offer a 10 fricking percent increase in pricing. ALL OF US ARE COGNIZANT that at some price too many buyers are no longer buyers. But answer me this? Am I (we) taking additional profits or trying to remain profitable? I’m my case, and in ever other Mfg case I know, we are not taking additional profits but are scrambling to pay for increased costs in raw materials and transportation (stinking transportation). And so I (we) make prognostications for the next one or two or three quarters based on forecasts from experts that have not been too accurate of late and flirting with that ever-present pressure of supply and demand. Each organization makes life and death decisions everyday and now is a really tough time to have to make this decisions due to volatility.
So why would anyone be surprised if our soap, splash, etc makers raise their pricing? I assure you they are facing much of the same supply chain and transportation issues I face except that most of them don’t have decades-long relationships with their vendors nor million dollar POs to offer. Nobody likes to see prices increase. But tell me where in the world prices are stable or trending down? It’s bad, but even worse is the vitriolic tone so present these days. Here’s an idea, if you don’t like the price, don’t buy. If current pricing changes the value proposition for you, then take yourself out of the market. I just don’t understand why it’s common now to feel the need to dump our garbage on someone else’s lawn. My mom tried hard to teach me to play nice. My dad worked hard to teach me that disagreeing doesn’t need to mean disagreeable.
So thank you DFS folks. I’m confident many of you disagree with some of the things I post but none of you have felt it necessary to correct my wrongness. I hope you feel I give you the same latitude. (Because I don’t agree with a lot of your hair-brained opinions.).
