Women Often Pay More For Health, Hygiene Items
Reported December 02, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio Consumer Reports has found that when it comes to drug store items, women may be paying a premium, 10TV’s Tracy Townsend reported Wednesday.
Americans spend more than $35 billion annually in drugstores, not including prescriptions, Townsend reported.
But women may be spending more on health and hygiene items compared to men.
“We found price differences of as much as 50 percent on certain everyday items, and women came out the loser most of the time,” said Consumer Reports’ Tod Marks.
Shaving cream, for example, can cost about twice as much for women than men.
Barbasol Original for men costs about 15 cents per ounce, but the company’s Pure Silk for Women costs about twice as much.
“They told me that women, in fact, like to shave in the shower, and that poses an interesting problem. They wanted a can that didn’t rust,” Marks said. “They wanted a can that was tall and thin. They wanted a can that didn’t get doused with water. So they had to make a special cap…all those things adding to the cost.”
Marks found that women’s eye creams cost more too.
Neutrogena’s Ageless Essentials Continuous Hydration Eye Cream for women costs $14.99, but the men’s Hydrating Eye Reviver costs $9.99.
“We were told, for example, that the women’s formulation uses a ‘water-in-oil’ product, and the men’s is an ‘oil-in- water.’ Now that may not seem like a big deal to us, but it was a big deal to the company,” Marks said.
And then there are two pain relievers from Excedrin – both contain exactly the same active ingredients.
But at one drugstore, the Execedrin Menstrual Complete costs 50 cents more.
“According to the maker, these two Execedrin products should be priced the same. They don’t set the prices. They suggest the prices, but it’s up to the retailer to decide what the actual selling price is,” Marks said.
Marks advises women to shop around and trying buying some products aimed at men, provided they do not have masculine scents or other ingredients which women often do not want.
Source : 10TV.com