As you get older, you start to use certain products and brands more and more. It’s always a bummer when your favourite products are taken off the market. There are a few more brands and products that might be going away soon, so you should stock up. Take a look at this list of popular things that might not be around much longer.
1. The iPod
Some of us may remember when we could choose what colour iPod nano we wanted or how satisfying it was to hear the little clicks as we moved through our downloaded songs. With the rise of iPhones, sales of iPods began to drop significantly in 2017. Apple tried to bring back the iPod by making a new iPod touch, but the old iPods can only be found in used electronics stores.
2. Budweiser
This one is surprising because most college parties and football tailgates are powered by Budweiser. In the last few years, the brand has moved down the list of best-selling domestic beers to number four. So many new kinds of alcoholic drinks are coming out on the market that it’s hard for the old favourites to keep up. People are drinking drinks like seltzers and hard ciders that have less calories and taste better.
3. Campbell’s Soup
Campbell’s Soup is a well-known brand that has been a mainstay in most homes for many years. When Andy Warhol used it to make pop art, it even became a pop culture icon. Sales of the well-known brand have gone down, which is sad. People are turning to healthier options, like organic foods or homemade soups, more and more. Campbell tried to compete with these brands by putting out its own natural line, but it did not do well when it hit the market.
4. Wheaties
As a kid, you probably remember the commercials with athletes and Olympic champions saying “Eat your Wheaties” with their faces on the box. If you still like this old-fashioned cereal, you might want to buy a lot of it. Nobody panic! Chipotle is not completely closing down. People will still be able to get their favourite burritos and bowls, but they will be available at fewer places. Even though people are crazy about the fast food chain, sales have gone down in the last few years.
5. Chipolte
Because of health concerns about e-coli outbreaks, many stores had to close, and the number of customers went down. The company wants to close about 65 stores this year because they haven’t been able to get back on their feet.
6. Starbucks
This one might surprise coffee drinkers, but don’t worry, you can still get your Starbucks fix. At the moment, Starbucks has 30,000 locations. In New York City, you can walk four blocks and find ten stores. The coffee company wants to shut down 150 stores by the end of 2020 because some stores don’t do as well as others.
7. iTunes
There will soon be no more of yet another Apple product. Play some sad music, because iTunes is done for good. You might be wondering how people will buy music, podcasts, TV shows, and more, but there are now other options. iTunes is being split into three smaller stores. Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts will be among these. This is not very new, but it is good to know in case you ever lose the iTunes app.
8. Tiffany & Co.
The stock of Tiffany & Co. Has dropped 20%, so there may be less of those famous turquoise boxes and bags. The luxury jewellery brand’s sales have dropped in the past few years, but there is still some hope for it. Tiffany is trying to change its image with the help of new leadership and a stronger online presence. If you like their sterling silver bracelets, you might want to get one soon because most of the current trends go against the Tiffany style.
9. Crocs
Is this really bad news for anyone? Crocs were very popular for a while, but then they went out of style, only to come back in an ironic way. In 2018, the company shut down 180 stores, which didn’t make too many people sad. Crocs also have the problem that they last so long that people only need to buy one pair and never have to buy another. Crocs has tried putting out new styles, but it will take some time to see if that helps them sell more shoes.
10. Jell-O
“There’s always room for Jell-O,” as the saying goes, but many people wouldn’t agree. People choosing healthier foods has also hurt the traditional gelatin dessert. The jiggly dessert is trying to change its name and make new products to appeal to younger people. Jell-O will make slime that can be eaten and is fun to play with.
11. Claire’s
In middle school, everyone went to Claire’s to get their first ear piercing. You could also get the newest accessories there. In recent years, the mall staple has lost customers, and fewer ears are being pierced. Claire’s stock has gone down, and many of its stores in malls across America have closed. The company also went bankrupt in 2018, which means that more stores will close in the future.
12. Kodak
People usually think of Kodak when they think of cameras and film, but the company took a step back and tried its hand at cryptocurrency. This change threw a lot of people off. Kodak made KodakCoin so that photographers could be paid for their photos. Investors didn’t see the success they had hoped for. The company also sold its patents, which means it will be harder to find Kodak cameras in stores.
13. Diet Pepsi
Pepsi is already the weaker of the two big cola companies, and Diet Pepsi is suffering the most. People used to think it was a healthier choice, but then they found out it wasn’t that healthy. Sales are going down because people are afraid of sugar substitutes. People are ditching sodas for drinks with different flavours that are better for them.
14. Taco Bell
It seemed like nothing would ever change at Taco Bell. People still choose to eat elsewhere, even though the fast-food chain has one of the most affordable menus. Many Taco Bell locations have closed because sales have been going down. They opened a pop-up hotel in California for just one night, but that didn’t help them sell more rooms.
15. Costco
For many years, Costco has been one of the most popular warehouse clubs in the United States. It’s almost like a tourist attraction because you can buy so much stuff there. Sad to say, it might no longer be done. Most young people live alone, so they don’t shop in bulk like they used to. Even if only for the free samples, we hope Costco stays open.
16. Fiat
Fiat used to be a good choice for many Americans who wanted a small, stylish car. Customers have been going in a different direction lately, which has hurt Fiat’s sales. Fiat is popular in other parts of the world, especially Europe, so the company isn’t going out of business. It may just be harder to find them in America over the next few years.
17. E-Readers
It’s almost like books are giving e-readers bad luck. People don’t buy as many Kindles now that they can get books on their phones. They are no longer necessary, and in a few years, they may not be used at all. Paper books are fighting back against e-books, according to Waterstones, the largest book store in the UK. It says that sales of Amazon’s Kindle have almost “disappeared,” while sales of print books are going up. Waterstones told the Financial Times that sales of printed books went up by 5% in the last month of 2014. Since 2012, when it started working with Amazon to adapt to a changing market, the bookstore has been selling Kindles.
Over the years, it’s clear that the huge market for e-books has cut into the sales of traditional paper books. Forbes says that in the US, the number of independent bookstores has dropped by 50 percent over the past 20 years. But The Telegraph reports that London bookstore Foyles also sold a lot of physical books at Christmas, which could be a sign of a wider trend.
18. Google+
Google+ has been closed down for good. It couldn’t compete with Facebook, and when the page was shut down, all of the users lost their profiles. Google decided to shut it down because not many people used it and it was hard to keep customers happy with it. Google+ has stayed a quiet social hub where people say they can have meaningful conversations and get useful feedback. This is in contrast to Facebook, which has grown by getting billions of users to share baby photos alongside ads for shoes, and Twitter, where bullies and bots have become more common.
Fans of Google+ say that the lack of ads, the ability to write long posts, and the focus on topics to connect people instead of existing friendships or public figures made it a place where people could have real, long-lasting conversations with people they didn’t know.
19. GPS Systems
GPS systems used to be popular, but when smartphones came out, we didn’t need a separate device to find our way. Now, the smartphone is the all-in-one device that you can take with you everywhere instead of carrying around a bunch of different things.
20. Applebee’s
Applebee’s has been around since the 1980s, so it’s not surprising that they are behind on food trends. They tried to reach a younger crowd by making an app and letting people order online. In 2018, they closed 90 locations, and they plan to close 20 more by the end of 2020. Even though they have healthier options, it’s not enough to keep up with the competition.
21. Cash Registers
Cash registers are used in every store, so it’s strange to see them here. However, new technology is making them less important. Daily retail systems are being phased out because retailers can now accept so many different forms of payment. Digital payment options are making it hard for cash registers to stay in use.
22. iPhone XS
Even though the iPhone X was popular, Apple stopped making it because it came out with newer models. They decided to make room for models that were newer and better. Even though they aren’t making it anymore, you can still buy it in developing markets. Don’t worry, you can choose from about eight different versions of the same phone.
23. MoviePass
MoviePass was a subscription pass to a movie theatre, but since 2019, it has dropped. They used to have 3 million subscribers, but now they only have 225 thousand. The membership programme was put on hold so that users could get better services, but it is not clear if they will be able to come back.
24. Dial-Up Internet
Remember hearing the sound of your dial-up modem connecting to the ISP server in the 1990s? Now, everyone has high-speed internet except in some parts of rural America. Dial-up is no longer needed because fewer people use their phone lines to connect to the internet. Today, only 3% of the people in the US still use dial-up.
25. IHOP
Since 1958, the International House of Pancakes has been a big part of American life. Even though the number of restaurants has been going down because Americans are becoming more health conscious. They tried to change their name and add burgers to their menu, but that didn’t help and made them have to close 30–40 stores.
