Boots CEO, Simon Roberts: Review your sexist pricing! £9.99 for eye cream for women, but £7.29 for men. £2.29 for 8 women's razors, £1.49 for a pack of 10 for men. A visit to any Boots store and it's plain as day on the British high street that women are being ripped off. So-called 'women's products' are more expensive - from razors to moisturising creams. Women already buy things that men don't have to buy, like make up, hair products and tampons which are taxed as luxuries, plus we earn less than men on average across our lifetimes. Now to top it all off, research has proven what any woman who has ever been inside a hair salon already knew: women pay more than men for the same stuff. An investigation by The Times found that women are being charged 36% more on average for products marketed as ‘women’s products’. The Fawcett Society describe this as a sexist surcharge for women - and I think that’s exactly what this is. It's time this changed -- starting with Boots. Boots is one of the leading high street retailers. They often sell own-brand products at much higher prices to women when there are only minor differences in the product. The fact that these are own-brand products is what makes it really unfair – they don’t have to overcharge you, they simply choose to. Boots should lead the way by announcing a review of their pricing of women's toiletries and make a commitment to charge men and women fairly.
These varying prices struck me most when I first had my hair cut very short. Since then, every visit to the hairdressers has cost me £45 in a salon which charges men just £25. I am being charged substantially more just because I am a woman.
Now this research has been published, it’s plain to see that this practice is everywhere, especially in products in which the only discernible difference is if they’ve made the packaging pink or not – such as razors and moisturiser.
Sure, I could just choose to buy the product marketed at men, but not all women realise that this is even an option. We are led to believe by the branding and pricing that there is a huge difference in product, but for the most part, that simply isn’t true.
It is the responsibility of the retailer to stop trying to trick us into buying more expensive products for their own financial gain.
If customers come together and say we don't want to pay extra any more, we can make them listen to us. We've challenged the tax on tampons - now it's time to challenge high street prices. If you agree sign the petition, and let's stop sexist pricing! Links to products:
Razors:
Men's twin blade disposable (10 pack) (£1.49)
Women's twin blade disposable (8 pack) (£2.29)
Eye cream
Men's Botanics Anti-Ageing eye roll-on (£7.29)
Women's Botanics Anti-Ageing roll-on (£9.99)
