Have you compared the price between a man and a woman’s razor lately? You might want to because typically there’s a difference.
It’s what people are calling a pink tax—when women are charged more for certain products or services than men.
Finding examples of the pink tax isn’t hard. KHOU 11 Photographer David Soltis and I spent a day shopping at big box and drug stores to purchase items packaged for women and men.
Not only did we find a price gap, but cases of pink it and shrink it, too.
We took our findings to the park and found friends Ruth Espinal and Renata Ferreira. We showed them our purchase of Gold Bond Ultimate lotion—the women's version was 14 ounces and the men's bottle was 14.5 ounces.
Not only was the men's larger, but it cost us $1 less.
"Oh my goodness, that's not right," Espinal said.
We also showed them his and her Schick Hydro Razors. Even with a $2 coupon attached to the box, we paid $3.50 more for the women's razors.
"It's highway robbery," said Nadia Colom when we showed her our purchases.
Colom’s husband, Scott, admitted that he never noticed the pink tax until now.
"If there was a difference in how you make the product, that would be fair," he said. "If it's just based on we believe women will pay more, that's unfair."
A recent study by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs compared 800 products to find that 42 percent of those geared to women are more expensive.
On mobile: Study of gender pricing
For example, women's shampoo and conditioner was 48 percent more expensive, women's jeans are 10 percent extra and even girl's bikes and scooters are 6 percent more expensive than those branded for boys.
We also did a price comparison on dry cleaning.
We took two similar-sized shirts of the same fabric to a dry cleaner near on West Gray near downtown Houston. Our men's shirt cost $4 and the women's shirt was $4.60.
When I asked why the women's cost more, an employee simply said that ladies clothing is always more expensive.
We also tried a discount cleaner in Kingwood. The men's shirt was $1.09 and the women's was more than double at $2.30. When asked about the difference, we were told that men’s shirts are pressed by a machine and the women’s are done by hand.
We took our findings to University of Houston Marketing Professor Dr. Betsy Gelb and asked her about the pink tax.
She has another name for the price difference: gender discrimination.
Gelb says the fix to this so-called tax is easy.
Start sending a message to the manufacturers and retailers that you're not interested in paying more by buying men's unscented products.
"You're just as well off with dark blue as you would have been with pink, and it's cheaper," she said.
Gelb said that nothing speaks louder to a company than when you stop buying its product. The items tend to be in different sections, but it's worth the effort if you want to save money.
"One of these days as a marketing ploy a retailer or manufacturer will say, ‘We will put them side by side so you can compare,’" she said.
Avoiding the pink tax is a habit-changing commitment that Espinal and Ferreira are considering.
"It makes a difference if you add it up $5 here $2 there. Now, I'm going to pay attention," Espinal said.
If you've heard enough about the pink tax, how about some ear plugs?
Fair warning, you'll $4.99 for the pink pair.
That's an entire dollar more than similar pair in blue.
What do the companies say about the price difference? We contacted the ones named in this story and here’s the responses.
Speed Stick and Lady Speed Stick: “Speed Stick and Lady Speed Stick are designed to meet the different needs of men and women. As a result, there are real differences in the formulations. While manufacturers provide guidelines for suggested pricing, the retailers determine the price consumers pay.”
GoldBond Lotions: “The Gold Bond Ultimate softening lotion with shea butter and the Gold Bond Ultimate men's essentials everyday moisture lotion are two different formulas. Retailers have their own pricing policies and retail prices are at the sole discretion of the retailer.”
