The Art of Shaving

I had high hopes for The Art of Shaving as it competes in a new niche market in Hawaii. My wife bought me some shaving products for Christmas. I have visited the store twice since then. On the first occasion, I was met by a lone salesperson who looked like he had shaved with a chain saw; there were scratches and cuts on his face. Imagine my surprise when he volunteered he was trying various The Art of Shaving products. It was akin to going to the Dermatologist only to be met by a person with severe acne. I returned yesterday to purchase a particular product. Having done some research on competitors’ pricing, I was surprised to find out that The Art of Shaving’s products were 50% over retail pricing. When, I asked about the pricing, the same sales person actually turned his back on me and commented to another sales person that I wanted to buy online products. He never turned back and ignored me the short rest of the time I was standing there. While there is always some benefit to dealing with «brick and mortar stores,» that value is not a 50% premium. Further, a lack of good customer service is a real turn off. Exorbitant pricing and bad customer service equals a short term life for the Art of Shaving at Ala Moana.

I hit the store the second day of opening and it’s a well-​done shop IF you fancy yourself being an English shaving snob and into frivolous spending. It is a boutique store that has turned something mundane as shaving into some metrosexual luxury indulgence, and will appeal to the deep pockets that live in nearby Kaka’ako.
The products and the showcasing are first-​class, as are the staff. The sales personnel know their thing and were damn polite and not snobs themselves, very welcoming and taking their time to explain their products — unlike other boutique stores where us poor local folks are shunned.
Now, I shave with a fine safety razor I picked up last xmas for $ 13 from Ross and a shave brush/​soap/​dish for another $ 10 from Walgreens. I discern no quality difference between my no-​name made-​in-​China (Weishi) razor vs the German-​manufactured ones sold in this shop (Merkur, and I believe Parker as well) — and my Chinese razor doesn’t feel any cheaper than the ones sold out of this shop. As for the brush, it’s a brush for God’s sakes! whether it’s made of synthetic hairs, boar hair or a badger so long as it lathers up soap on my face — that’s all I care about, really. What do I care how it feels on my skin DRY when it will be WET when I use it? I refuse to pay the ridiculously high markup on what is sold out of this shop (a Merkur razor being sold for $ 60 from here goes for just $ 25 on
with Prime shipping; a shaving set that includes a razor, brush, brush holder, and bowl the saleslady quoted $ 425-​! I can get for around $ 40 – 90 on Amazon. Really? $ 425 for a shave kit?). Yes I totally get it that they are trying to make a buck and the boutique appeal will certainly get some deep pockets to fork out some money.
I’ll go to this store to check out their products and try them out, but I’ll just as soon walk back out and order it off Amazon. No offense to this store or the staff there. I live in Hawaii; I’m a working Joe and every dollar counts to me, and if I can get it cheaper somewhere else, then that’s what I’ll do.