Why are toiletries so expensive?

[tokie]

I was at the drug store today because I had to buy body wash, face wash, toothpaste, etc. All the face wash brands were $9+ and they all had the same ingredients. All the body washes were $5+ and they are all the same ingredients. Why are these so expensive? Surely someone could come in and charge half the price and still make big profits.

The worst thing I have ever seen at a drug store I saw today though. Axe Deodorant was $7.50

 

[Newbian]

Have you ever seen any of those axe spray commercials?

It's worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9tWZB7OUSU

 

[IronWing]

Because people are willing to pay that much. Speed stick is a ripoff at $3. I'd rather stink than pay $7+ for pit stick. Soap is cheaper than ___ wash. Toothpaste can be had for pretty cheap but the cheap stuff usually tastes nasty.

 

[Schadenfroh]

To finance this awesomeness:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af1OxkFOK18

 

[guyver01]

Maybe you dont know where to look?

There's a Dollar Tree store i go to... BodyWash... Facial Scrub ... soap... Toothpaste... mouthwash... all name brands... and all $1.

edit:
before someone asks... no.. they're not trial sizes. They're regular sized items.

 

[drinkmorejava]

You could not go to the most expensive place possible. walmart/target > grocery store > drug store

 

[tokie]

You could not go to the most expensive place possible. walmart/target > grocery store > drug store

When you are student living without a car, going to the Walmart 15 miles away is kind of difficult. The grocery store here is also the same price as the drug store.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Because you night yourtouch at self.

 

[IronWing]

When you are student living without a car, going to the Walmart 15 miles away is kind of difficult. The grocery store here is also the same price as the drug store.

Don't the manufacturers hand out free samples to students anymore like they did when I was in college? As if to say "Now that you are on your own, maybe you'd like to try washing!"

 

[IronWing]

Because you night yourtouch at self.

Crossing the international date line really mucks things up.

 

[Leros]

Because you can't live without them and, lets face it, the more expensive ones are better. (The $8 deodorant is a sham, but the $4 stuff is way better than the $2 stuff)

 

[TruePaige]

Crossing the international date line really mucks things up.

I thought dudes liked dating Asian chicks.

 

[TruePaige]

Cologne: $50-$100 a bottle are the big gotchas.

I see that sometimes and am like "Hmm..."

 

[rcpratt]

The only thing I really find ridiculous are razor blades. Most other toiletries you can get pretty good quality for a reasonable price. You don't have to get the most expensive.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Because you can't live without them and, lets face it, the more expensive ones are better. (The $8 deodorant is a sham, but the $4 stuff is way better than the $2 stuff)

Good point. Experiment with items a couple steps up from the cheapest to see if they work ok. Don't ever buy the most expensive stuff.

 

[Ika]

drug stores/pharmacies are hella expensive for everything. try anything else if you can. if you're a college student with nowhere else to go, suck it up - it's how the pharmacy makes its profit.

 

[quikah]

You guys don't know how to shop. Drugstores are the cheapest place to buy this stuff. Head over to slickdeals and read the Drugstore forums.

 

[Rumpltzer]

1) Stop shopping at the drug store

2) Wait til your parents / your roommate's parents / someone old enough to own a car comes; bum a ride to Costco and stock up

3) Putting Axe (insert product here) on makes you smell like a douche

 

[Newbian]

You guys don't know how to shop. Drugstores are the cheapest place to buy this stuff. Head over to slickdeals and read the Drugstore forums.

Depends where you live but most of the time they are the most expensive as most of the people here have said.

 

[olds]

Buy a bar of soap.
Smell like a man.
Profit.


Buy face wash
Buy body wash
Buy conditioner
Get ass raped.

 

[DougoMan]

Clearly you are just a sucker. I pay what, maybe $2 for a toothbrush, $1 for a bar of soap, $3 for enough toothpaste to last six months, maybe $5 for a giant bottle of shampoo that lasts at least six months.

 

[Wheezer]

Originally Posted by quikah View Post
You guys don't know how to shop. Drugstores are the cheapest place to buy this stuff. Head over to slickdeals and read the Drugstore forums.

Depends where you live but most of the time they are the most expensive as most of the people here have said.

It's not a matter of where, but how, if you put some work into it and plan it out your'll save yourself a shit load of money. Just walk in off the street, hell yeah your gonna pay through the nose, but more often than not if you pay attention you can get much better deals than if you go to Target or Walmart.

 

[Born2bwire]

It takes a lot of work to take off that much ugly...

 

[ecom]

WTF is face wash? Is that different than soap, or at least the stuff most folks call "soap"?

I use Dr Bronner's liquid soap and a 1L bottle @ $10 lasts almost one year.

 

[Locut0s]

Because people are willing to pay through the nose too look and or smell good for their SOs. That's the basis of it. If they thing that some product will give them some extra undefinable edge when it comes to attracting someone they will pay lots of $$ for it. Even if you are just buying it for yourself and not for these reasons those are still the main reasons they can command such high prices. Other things like toothpaste we all sort of have to use and so they sort of have us over a barrel and can again charge more for these items than they would otherwise.