My Mama Told Me...

I find it really funny that the company i work for charges almost 3 times as much for a small bottle of lotion and shower gel when you can get 4 times as much for just $4 at say Target, Walmart etc.

There are lots of other companies using the same scents that mine does. And some of them have no shame in calling it the same exact name! Oh and it smells exactly the same! Some of them even have more attractive bottles. I always smell the competitions scents and marvel at how much you get for so much less! Sure it might not do exactly the same thing but at the end of the day it's just as good if...dare i say...better! Some really big personal hygiene companies that have been around much longer than my company are not stupid and playing their cards perfectly. I told my friend the other day while we perused Target "once i get rid of all this (company name) stuff i have, i'm definitely trying this other stuff. I mean look at it...12oz for $4!! And it smells exactly the same."

I know there is always a huge mark-up when it comes to retail. Everything from clothes to body care to shoes gets marked up so much, you almost cry when you hear the true numbers of what it takes to make the products. And you wonder why people make their own stuff. We are still in a recession, i don't care what anyone says. It truly does pay to shop around and get great deals.

Maybe it's just the shopper in me that my mother raised me to be. But i really don't like the price of what my company charges people for smaller bottles. Yet, because so many people get hooked on things without shopping around, they buy into the hype and then wonder why their pay check is gone with one purchase. Don't get me wrong, my company does supply some really amazing products...most of my faves are 3rd party products though. The self titled ones i could really care less for now. I've been around them for so long, i know the real deal, it's hard for me to give into the hype anymore. In fact i haven't bought anything from them in a long time and i'm proud of that!

I have to admit though, i do buy some super priced body care products and i have no shame in admitting it lol I am a Philosophy whore and have no issues pumping out $16 for a body wash but seriously, its 16oz so i'm getting twice as much as i would with my company's size! And i swear Philosophy's washes last a lifetime! My collection is growing and i don't plan on stopping =) I have to get my peach scent fix somewhere! My company has done away with all the awesome fruit smells and so i gotta get mine else where and the competition from Target to Sephora has no issues giving the people what they want! To me, that's real customer service.

My point is, shop around and don't think you have to be loyal to just one brand. Variety is the spice of life! Besides, isn't it about what YOU WANT and not what THEY want you to buy?