What are some products you remember as being awesome back in the day, that you steer clear from and why?
There could be various reasons.
Quality has gone down, taste different, too expensive, product has shrunk in size.
Mine is a very personal one, Carmel Snack Packs- those were the bomb, I could eat 6 in one sitting. Then they released this ghastly new and "improved" version. Was never the same, and not surprisingly that flavour is not on the shelves anymore.
I think the fact that you don't know the difference between then and than renders your opinion inert.
Depressing thread :-(
Nursery rhymes. Baa baa rainbow sheep? Wtf is a rainbow sheep?
Rainbow sheep wtf.
When an unicorn and a sheep love each so much… Romantic nights with candles… Have to shear before Cesarean section… And that's how Rainbow sheeps are born.
Boxing day sales and Facebook? Err I guess it was never that good but it used to be ok
Yes, boxing days sales, where people got hurt fighting over the real bargains. Now thats a sale!
Anything confectionery/chips the bags are 3/4 air, seriously the amount of storage space you could save by packing them tight.
Ummm, the air is to protect the chips from breaking in transit & storage.
Also, the "air" is to keep the chips fresh and crisp.
P.S. I can't remember what it is but it isn't just air…
It's nitrogen.
You don't need that much air, also doesn't explain the confectionery bit
Most things are actually better and cheaper when you factor in inflation. Hence you're all a bunch of geriatric whingers romanticising the "good old days" through rose coloured glasses :P
The cops
Stanley Kobalt Trojan Sidchrome. Probably in a few years i bet other tool brands are going to dull too.
You can add Bosch to that list …. use to be types now there isnt and what they churn out is ordinary.
Then there are the legendary stories of the old orange Black and Decker gear …. probably one of the first tool brands to sink down the warranty period + 0 slide.
i would like to nominated Freeways. once upon that sign that says 100 meant you could do 100……now you basically have to wait till way outside peak hour times to have a remote chance of doing 100…..either the damm things are congested up or there got one asphalt snail sitting in every lane stopping everyone from achieving legal speeds and if you can do 100 during peak times it only lasts about 10-20 seconds.
My wife isn't quite what she used to be 15 years ago!
My husband,on the other hand,is like good wine. He's getting better with age:) He's always been fit but he's bulk up over the past couple of years and has a proper 6-pack now and amazing legs from all the running and cycling.
He recently started wearing glasses and they really suit him. They bring out the color of his eyes.
He's also way more confident than he was when he was 21. Self-confidence is so irresistibly sexy.
This sounds like it's in some sort of fantasy world…
This sounds like it's in some sort of fantasy
My perfect man Technically , spiderman doesn't fly, so hubby still need to work on that one ;)
ahh, so your eyesight isnt up to what it was years ago :)
I always had this thing for guys with glasses (Dean cain in Lois and clark: the new adventures of superman anyone?) but now that I'm getting older , all I have to do is hide his glasses and he won't be able to see my wrinkles :)
@wicket1120: Yay, you gave me another cheesy line to try:
"I've got nature's natural blur tool; It always makes you look prettier than ever."
Yes, turning something bad about myself into a really really bad line to try :D
Sony is kind of gone that way.
Their TVs and walkmans/CD players and VHS/DVD players
Playstations used to be the best.
Now their tvs are average. Yes walkmans/cd players are dead.
Their phones that play music are ok.
VHS and DVD are pretty much dead.
PS4 is the most powerful console and great, but not my favorite like it used to be/PS1 and PS2 days
Also their Headphones aren't what they used to be.
Sony is better in everything else (including movies, music and even insurance) then making electronics:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/28/business/global/sonys-brea…
That article is a little harsh. They barely mention Sony's camera division which is way more innovative than any other company. It also fails to note how Sony is targeting the high end with audiophile quality media players. The biggest area Sony lost money on was in the mobile market despite their popular Xperia Z series.
And TVs, most TV makers lost money in 2014 (incl Samsung)
is it the consumerist/throw away society? the need to upgrade cars every 3/4 years? people saying "oh, I want the best and the latest".
what ever happened to having a car till it was too expensive to fix? making do with what you have rather than buying everything and anything? a TV in every room? (I remember kids boasting at school that they have 2 TVs in the house). Hard rubbish collect was exactly that back in the day - now you can furnish a house with furniture and working electricals because people have "upgraded" -not because the item has broken down beyond repair. and where have the repair people gone? I guess it is now cheaper to chuck and replace.
sometimes it is nice to have nothing as you're not weighed down by the weight of possessions.
Nokia mobile phones.
RIP Nokia Mobile.
Actually, the Lumia phones are not that bad. They are fairly sturdy (not as sturdy as Nokia 3310, but [Lumia 920] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3c8il_Q6SU) for example can take a lot of beating. The camera quality is alright from reviews I've read. In terms of hardware, I think they are decent. It's just that Windows Phone is… horrendously bad in many many ways compared to other OS.
I'm a big android fan. Don't think I will ever go back to Nokia.
Yeah, I personally think Android and iOS are superior to Windows Phone. We never get deals from apps and stuff :(
I use Windows Phone because it was relatively cheap and I wanted something unique in a way. It does what I bought it for, a phone that can access internet that has basic apps. But frankly, after using Android and iOS for few days, I see why Windows Phone is not used by that many people. In short, MS doesn't know what it's doing, it basically tried to be both and ended up with the worst parts of both OS, imo.
I might go with the Band Aid phone if the price comes down to a reasonable range.
If nokia ever revives and starts selling phones again with Android on it, I will literally throw my money in their faces.
I think Nokia said that they are not planning on doing that :(
Though honestly speaking, if that happens, I would throw my money too. I personally love Lumia hardware, it's sturdy and it feels solid. It's the Windows Phone that I am iffy about.
Yeah. Sadly, I think Nokia no longer owns any manufacturing assets. Their latest N1 tablet (whichs started selling in China January 7th) is produced by Foxconn. The only thing that was Nokia was the Z Launcher that the tablet was shipped with.
@scrimshaw: Though technically speaking, if they were to buy manufacturing assets… They would be in a reasonably good position since Nokia has a lot of patent to cross license and to actually use as well.
Meh, that sounds too unlikely. Well, one can always dream.
Yeah because nokia phones were made in finland, back in the day anyways.
Your wife??? Or your husband O.o
Colorado leather shoes.
I used to buy them back in high school (around 2000). Ever since they closed down their stores, their latest batch of shoes don't last as long. The old shoes would last at least 12 months to 18 months but the newer ones only stay in good condition for about 6 months.
Really? I bought my last pair around 2010 and they're still going strong! The previous pair lasted about ten years before the soles had worn completely through.
Billabong, ten year ago it's teen's surfing hype, now you can barely see their stores and they look pathetic.
Jif clothes. That became Ballerina, dont know what they are now and wouldn't bother knowing because they are just rubbish. I can remember when i lived at home and mum had these (this is more than 20 years ago). They would literally last at least 10 months if not the whole year. They just needed the odd bleach and the durability and effectiveness was outstanding. Now they are stiff things that do not scrunch up and are not soft enough which makes them useless to wipe up crumbs. They just flick everything around instead. Within a few days you can see the wear and after a month or two they are all out of shape and mere rags. And this is living alone, not with the workload of a family.
I once brought a pair of rivers boots when they were still made in Australia and I eventually had to throw them out only because I couldn't get the smell out of them. I'd say they lasted a good 5 years.
.
Last pair I brought lasted less thn 6 weeks before the sole broke in two, the replacements then split on the side, then I binned them and never got another.
.
The clothes are still ok-ish, no better or worse then other Chinese made clothes…
So true. Rivers boots when I was in primary school were basically the beez neez of school boots., these days they plain suck.
I bought a pair for my wife the other day and they were terrible - black colouring falling off, not water proof, etc.
What ever happened to dr martin shoes. Had a great pair when in high school.
They are still around and going strong. I last had a pair that I bought in London -8(?)up steel capped. Wore them most days (work) for 4 years. By which time they were falling apart.
Raymond E Feist novels
Rivers shirts. Used to be top quality, last forever. Now just more Chinese crap.
This is the reason why we still have Rivers… if they had the stuff they had before the shop and brand would of been defunct. Quality was high but on prices it couldn't compete.
Now it just imports stuff over, so far for the price I have paid it works out nicely. Especially if the outlet store has a store wide % off sale as well.
I'd prefer to pay $80 for a shirt that last 8 years than $20 for a shirt that lasts 1year.
RM Williams and Rodd and Gunn are your go to stores then. They have similar items to Rivers.
In business it is the survival of the fittest. If you don't mind but 99 other people do then businesses will change their model to suit.
Not saying that it is ok to do so but it is a fact of life.
I prefer quality but sometimes $$$ comes into play. Take for example my 6 polo shirts that I picked up from Target for $2.63 each in 2011 still going strong after 3.5 years. Slightly faded now though.
prefer quality but sometimes $$$ comes into play
agreed.
But don't start me on Target. Recently tried to buy T-shirts there, they were all some stupid cut that puckered up as soon as I lifted my arm. Tried on 4, bought 0.
LOL I haven't bought anything from Target since that purchase. However given the focus on reduced prices I don't think quality would of gone up.
Works burger from KFC has disappeared… you know the one with pineapple and bacon with the chicken… oh so delicious.
The rival to the otropo. That was a great burger.
Carlton Cold beer.
Carlton Cold was never good.
When it first came out it was pretty good. Alcohol content was 4.9 but stuffed around with the formula a number of times. No it is at 3%. Most CuB beers are now pretty crap.
I'm gonna take the hit and say what everyone is thinking…
Adam Sandler movies
Stephen Chow movies - For those who don't know who that is… watch his older movies, not the new ones
happy Gilmore! lol
yeah Stephen chow old movies were awesome
Red Rock Deli chips. They used to be much better years ago when they had an old stamped use-by date on them. I think they changed factory (and possibly ownership) at one point and moved to a digitally printed use-by date. The chips since then have been dryer, i.e. the old ones were oilier and tastier.
Tim tams, I swear they have changed the ingredients.
Heinz Baked Beans. It doesn't taste the same anymore.
they added more sugar to the recipe.
Team Fortress 2.
My brain squeaked every time I saw the title to this thread but I didn't try and figure out why until just now.
It's "a shadow of it's former self".
I feel better now.
Try "a shadow of its former self"
I need to start taking photos of items we buy, front and back label. Sometimes I just know its different, either smaller, different ingredients etc but can never prove to myself its different.
It would be great if there was a good archive of food labels so we could all see that , say, Cadbury Chocolate now has less cocoa, more sugar, smaller pack rather than just thinking it.
Cottonelle. Sheets basically tear in half as you use it.
Quilton is FAR superior, constantly cheaper and Aussie made and owned. Winning!
I can vouch for the Cottonelle… I can't even tear it off without it ripping.
The Age Newspaper. Used to be broadsheet format and once contained actual news.
At least now its more than 5 pages long.
Streets Calippo - now made in China (imported sugar water) but isn't any cheaper.
Streets Cornetto - doesn't even resemble what they once were.
Streets Heart - Not made at all anymore, yet they retain it as their logo.
China, really? I have to start reading more labels from now on.
Tony Abbott
That could be more of "Best Before" type thing.
Like Rudd lol… we need a team like Hawke/Keating again. Ever since then politics has really gone downhill. No long term vision.
Oz bargain. Hardly any more nuggets/deals in the product. And the raisens/savings are much much smaller than b4. And way too many people voting neg on legitimate comments. Looks around.
T1OOO what's your lowest minus score for a post?, its always funny to see how low you can go :)
never counted.
No wonder RoboCop replaced you.
Pr0n. It's just not doing it for me anymore.
You sure? What if I told you that we now have 4K and full 360 degree panoramic Oculus Rift p0rn?
(yes, it exists. Google it yourself though).
People's reaction to Oculus Rift Pr0n*
*Youtube link
On completely unrelated note, I might get myself Galaxy S6 or Note 4.
AATEC video tapes. They used to be high quality, but then they started using cheap, generic cassettes. My 'Gladiators' archives have suffered, accordingly.
Qantas
Jackpot!
The quality of happy meal toys.
Australia!
Coles iced bonuts. Yesterday they were fresh and tasty. Today they are stale and soggy :(
Well, this certainly became a long thread…
Hardly surprising.
By way of recent irritation and wasted time, I'll simply add this:
'Clothing and much else, on offer at Kmart.''
I recently went on a last-minute, but longer-lasting-than-expected trip, for which I had packed particularly poorly. At destination, I went into a large suburban shopping centre nearby that featured a Kmart. I assumed that it would be open late. It was.
It also dawned on me as I wandered in that it had been at least three or four years since I had been in a Kmart - likely coincident with the the last of the 'percentage-off' sales that they used to advertise all of the time on the tele.
I could distinctly remember the purchase of a big pile of the specific Bond's boxer shorts and Holeproof socks that I prefer.
A big range of both brands were on the shelves - then.
Now - not so much…
Anything recognisable replaced with in-house brands (I've already forgotten the names). Exactly when did this happen?
I held up a pair of the boxer shorts that most resembled (at a glance, anyway), the ones that I wear. On a closer look, they were more in the style of those skirty, shorty, 'culotte' things that some women wear.
As for - all - the pairs/multi-packs of socks on offer? Worth even less than a glance. Fabric-wise and otherwise. Just lousy.
I admit that I didn't closely scrutinise the general clothing being sold, but I did have a bit of a look.
Even allowing for the very ordinary cheap stuff that used to be sold by Kmart, everything looked even more like an indignity for the poor bloody factory/sweatshop workers to have to sew together.
Even cheap clothing can have style. The stuff I saw was just devoid of it.
I left after walking through the stationery, hardware, and electrical sections of the store…
I presume that the next 'strategic' step by Kmart management is to turn the stores into '$2' shops or 'pretend' warehouse outlets.
I might venture in to check - in another four years or so…
Lucky you didn't find anything to buy.
You would have never have found the check outs.
I actually like self-serve checkouts (at supermarkets, anyway), but, yes, staff were thin on the ground. (Wasn't that always the case at Kmart? Maybe not.)
The check outs are in the middle of the shop.
I like thw classics more so then these new holdens.
Monaros, xu1s, HDTs true muscle cars with soul.
Also this ties in with super v8s as the cars used where real production cars modified unlike these current cars just the badge is the same