The Wilkenson Razor Model

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues..

There's an old tale of how a struggling to middle level razor company came up with a strategy to improve their sales and thereby saved the company.

This goes back many decades to the time period when men used straight razors to shave or be shaved in a barber's chair.

Someone recognized that perhaps the customer would prefer to do their own shaving in the privacy of their room or in front of a mirror.  However, the customer was not likely to have a strap of leather on which to sharpen their razor, as was common in the barber shop chair.

The invention of the personal razor was a revolution to the industry, but also in the approach to the  blade.

That is, Wilkenson developed a razor blade holder that would clamp down on the razor blade and allow the customer to weld their own tool.  When one side got clogged or failed to shave, the man could simply rotate the device and use the second blade to continue.  When necessary, they would run the bade under a stream of water from the faucet to clean it up.

While some of the razors were elaborate, they were extremely reasonably priced.  And this leads us to the point of this entry.

People could not believe how cheaply they could purchase a razor for and very quickly, the practice spread.  Now everyone wondered how the company would be able to stay in business, producing or selling razors for such a cheap price.  And as they rarely broke or wore out, one handle could last a long, long time. (In fact, I have just recovered my late father's razor from his medicine cabinet after some 30 years of not being used.)

The answer, of course, is that the company was not banking on selling razor handles, except for once. Thereafter, they were in the business of repeat sales for razor blades.  Not only were the blades designed to fit their model of handle, but the blades would be very good for only a specific length of time.  After a certain number of shaves, the customer would desire to replace the blade with a sharper one, and could do this quickly and efficiently.  

(The OLD blades would frequently be dropped in a slot in the back of a medicine cabinet, where they were out of sight, out of mind... at least until the medicine cabinet was removed during remodeling.  Then, dozens upon dozens of rusty, dull and dangerous blades might be found between the joists in the wall underneath the medicine cabinet, where they would have to be carefully removed and disposed of properly.)

But the point is that the company made its fortune by having repeat customers return to buy their blades at drug stores, grocery stores, men's shops, and anywhere else they could place their product.  There was a regular and continuing demand for fresh blades, and with another younger generation coming up, there was always a need for a close shave and smooth skin.  When beards and mustache came in style, sale slowed considerably.  But by then, shaving had expanded to include women's legs, arm and armpits.

Now, the astute reader of this blog will quickly recognize the value of this lesson in marketing strategy for our hobby.

It would seem to me that as long as companies like Estes continue to make and produce cheap kits for rocket assembly, there will be a continuing need for motors.  And if you control the production of replacement rocket motor cartridges, you're in business for years to come. You must keep the price of rocket kits reasonable, and make the motor production safe and easy to swap out.

After all, the appeal of rockets is in the flight, not just the appearance on the mantle place.

It's the Wilkenson Razor Blade model of business.  Produce a product cheaply that will require the purchase of additional interchangeable units that are consumed and replaced.

Can anyone think of what's wrong with this model?

The Thrifty Rocketeer wants to hear your ideas along these lines.  Or is the business model not accurate?