Coming home and seeing the changes after two years…

[Brutus]

Most of you may have experienced something like this: When you see the neighbour’s kid every day you hardly notice the changes as she or he is growing up, but if you haven’t seen the kid for two years the changes are quite obvious.

I have had a similar experience in the last few days.
In March 2020 I retired for the second time and we moved to a place in Portugal that we had bought.
To cut a long story short, the move was made more complicated by COVID-19, but one consequence was that I hadn’t been home in Vancouver since February 2020.

Either there were no flights available or COVID rules in various countries on either side made travel too difficult, and once I failed the required PCR test (not more than 24 hrs before departure) after a mild bout of COVID that had felt nothing more than a common cold and I had to stay behind while my wife could travel to visit our daughter.
Bummer…


Now I am back in Vancouver and I cannot help noticing that, compared to two years ago, the pickings in the local Shoppers Drug Mart and (West Coast) London Drugs chain have become much slimmer.
Shoppers have trimmed their line-up of shaving items a little, with quite a few showing as “Available In-Store 0”, but London Drugs has significantly trimmed their list of shaving items.
I had always thought that the inhabitants of the Great White North had a broader selection of European shaving goods in their drugstore chains than our southern neighbours, but that may not longer be the case…

This could be because of COVID or a general trend towards more online shopping (Fendrihan, Italian Barber, plus others), but have you noticed this too, or is this just a trend in my neck of the woods here in Lotus Land?


B.

[Gene]

I am seeing things both ways. Many places have shelves that are not as stocked as they once were (shaving and other sundries), but some places have new items. I was looking for something in the pharmacy section at my local grocery story and noticed they had 2 new types of DE razors - one being a close twin to a Merkur Futur.

[Rufus]

I live in Canada and I’ve noticed this too. For years I’ve found the shaving goods pickings in Shoppers and their ilk less than satisfactory, but since COVID-19 it has become decidedly slimmer and not just for shaving paraphernalia. A further problem with Shoppers is that each store doesn’t necessarily carry the same range of goods as another, especially when it comes to shaving. Many years ago I gave up shopping for my shaving supplies in Shoppers, Rexall, etc and go to Fendrihan and the Italian Barber. I find that Fendrihan in particular are very speedy when it comes to fulfillment and their selection is very good.

[M6Classic]

I am fortunate to have Colonial Drug in Newton, Massachusetts, as my local shave (& cetera) shop. Their stock remains marvelous, wide and deep. Some items are not the same as years ago...the formula on Trumper's shave soaps is different, Plisson brushes are pathetic...but there is much to buy and more to admire.

Buzz

[jww]

+1 on Fendrihan. Haven’t bought anything in a store front since my last purchase of Palmolive classic shave sticks at Tesco on one of our trips to the UK well ahead of Covid circa 2017 if I recall correctly.

[Brutus]

+1 on Fendrihan. Haven’t bought anything in a store front since my last purchase of Palmolive classic shave sticks at Tesco on one of our trips to the UK well ahead of Covid circa 2017 if I recall correctly.

Yes, Italian Barber is good, but I like Fendrihan better, although I don’t spend a fortune on either as I tend to bring my stash with me on return trips from Europe.

Fendrihan are remarkably efficient and their shipping (company) seems to be more on the ball than Italian Barber’s.

Had something from Fendrihan and Italian Barber shipped to Vancouver, B.C. on almost the same date two weeks ago and the Fendrihan order arrived one day early while for the Italian Barber I had to track to the local UPS store one day after the scheduled delivery date because there was no way to communicate to UPS the building access code and Italian Barber had specified that I needed to sign for a $40 CAD order.

While I cannot blame the blunders of shipping companies on a merchant, it is the merchant who specifies which shipping companies to work with.


Oh well, maybe I’m just an old grumpy fart…


B.

[Sam]

Buzz, +1 on Colonial

Some stores locally, in Memphis, the stock is always out of something. You can go to a grocery store and it has nothing of say Harry's Shave Cream, and go to the same Kroger about 5 miles away and they are fully stocked. Target always seems to have a new brand of shave stuff, blades, creams, even deodorant.

I got a good supply of Trumpers shave creams and so I am set, and now that I have a beard, only shave twice a week.

[Rufust445]

There has been talk this board in the past of the "Great Shavepocalypse."

It seemed like an excuse to buy and try more stuff in preparation for said event.

Judging from what's been happening since the "pandemic" lockdown lunacy, I'd say
we are well in to the Shavepocalypse, as well as for many other essentials like food
and heating fuel.

I've been through my period of discovery and am comfortable with what I like, with plenty
of brushes, soaps, creams, razors and blades on hand.

However I did order a pack of 100 7 o'clock yellows the other day online at a lower
price than I had ever seen before, just in case...

[CMur12]

My supplies will far exceed my remaining years, so it's rare that I buy anything new.

I have razors and brushes that are pert' near perfect. Still, every so often I'm tempted to try something new to see if it's even better, and it generally isn't.

I also have hoarded more blades and soap than I will ever consume.

In my early years here, I spent huge sums of money buying and trying. Now, I know what works for me and I have it ... and more.

- Murray

[brothers]

My supplies will far exceed my remaining years, so it's rare that I buy anything new.

I have razors and brushes that are pert' near perfect. Still, every so often I'm tempted to try something new to see if it's even better, and it generally isn't.

I also have hoarded more blades and soap than I will ever consume.

In my early years here, I spent huge sums of money buying and trying. Now, I know what works for me and I have it ... and more.

- Murray

Murray, you've described me to a "T".
Over the past couple of years I've been able to sell off a great mountain of my hoard. Still got enough to last many years.

[Julius_Rodman]

I'm back to double edge wet shaving after 3 years with a full beard, sometimes out to silly lengths.

i usually asked those with a great beard what their methods were, genetics was the bottom line, as it is for most things in life. Nobody with a great long beard hesitated in sharing after my respectful intro and questions.

it was fun but the beard wasn't my "best foot forward" for work or public display.

Back to a Derby Extra in a Merkur slant bar, two days with each blade, the only time a Derby has delivered for me.

I have 500 in the closet so this is a good use of them.

The Feathers and their ilk can wait until I want to shift to another razor...

And my inventory was right where i left it, good to go for another decade easily.

Kent
Toronto, Ontario

[Nitrox]

I know at one time I bought a few tubes of the Real Shaving Company? creams from Shoppers and they were outstanding.
I haven't checked in a long time what Shoppers carries anymore as I also get stuff online. Fendrihan is top notch, Italian Barber is okay too.
I've also purchased stuff on Amazon, but you better know your prices cause sometimes items are priced crazily.
Fendrihan has their own line of shave creams which to me are outstanding in price and performance.

[brothers]

Welcome back to the fold, Kent!