Post Published on February 12, 2014.
Last Updated on April 9, 2016 by davemackey.
Back in September 2013 I wrote about DollarShaveClub which delivers inexpensive and quality razors to your home on a recurring basis for an affordable subscription fee. Not surprisingly, others have jumped on the subscription bandwagon – one of them being ToothbrushSubscriptions – not quite as innovative a name as DollarShaveClub – but it gets the job done.
Do we really need a subscription program for our toothbrushes? Am I really too lazy to pick up a toothbrush at the grocery story? The answer to both is – no. I go grocery shopping semi-frequently, that is once every one or two weeks. I could pick up a toothbrush from the grocery store – but it is more convenient to have it delivered to my doorstep – and its not like I’m paying a premium for the service!
See, ToothbrushSubscriptions discovered a real niche. Everyone wants their toothbrush to be workable (yet oftentimes they get destroyed and we continue to use them b/c we forget to pick up another) and also cleanish (yet we oftentimes use them forever, forgetting to purchase another).
How often do we need to replace our toothbrushes? I don’t know…but every time I see those pictures of microscopic bacteria swarming all over everything, it makes me want to buy a new toothbrush. ToothbrushSubscriptions sends me one automatically every three months for $1 – flat. That means over a year’s time I receive four toothbrushes – which remind me to replace the one I have been using each time they arrive – and it costs me a grand total of $4.
Granted, I am using the Economy Toothbrush (their least expensive) and one could get a baby toothbrush for $2 or a luxury toothbrush for $3 or even the American Dental Association Approved Advantage toothbrush for $5. But even if you go all out and get the $5 ADA toothbrush, you still are spending $20 a year – not too shabby in the larger picture.1How could you ever justify spending $60 yearly on toothbrushes, Dave? First off, I don’t. Secondly, I don’t have cable – so there.1Aka, I can buy my gadgets with the money most folks spend on their cable bills! :P[/ref]
The packaging is pretty primitive – not nearly as attractive as DollarShaveClubs’ packaging. Maybe that is why its DollarShaveClub and ToothbrushSubscriptions – but I expect with time and growth the packaging will improve.
There isn’t the same humor either – you won’t find funny YouTube videos and you don’t receive humorous business type cards in most packages…but hey, its toothbrushes and there is less margin on toothbrushes (I’d imagine) than on razors.
Now the site isn’t amazing either. For the life of me I can’t figure out how to login to my account. I can create an account (I did) but where is the login page?!? I don’t know. Hopefully this will be remedied soon – it is a simple fix, adding a link to the page (which I am sure exists, I just don’t know where).
I’d also like to see ToothbrushSubscriptions diversify their product portfolio – I’d love to get my toothpaste and floss shipped directly to me. They do carry floss – but its the old-fashioned string kind instead of the new plastic disposables which are so much easier to use. They could also add mouthwash – that’d be nice – but I know its a liquid and a bit more difficult to mail.
Where ToothbrushSubscriptions could run into problems is if DollarShaveClub decides to diversify its portfolio to include toothbrushes – and I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. That said, as loon as ToothbrushSubscriptions offers a reasonable price, a reasonable product, and reasonable service – I wouldn’t see any need to switch over to DollarShaveClub for my toothbrushes even if they began offering them.
So, go check them out.