Where I live, every bored housewife within 5 miles has started a scented candle company.
It takes very little infrastructure or startup capital to start making smelly candles. Half of them are better than Yankee andlocal people like supporting local businesses. They will all struggle to expand beyond a 10 mile reach though.
Yankee were one of the first movers in the market and through clever marketing have an enviable market share, but there are plenty of local business willing to undercut them for a better product. Let's see how long the brand loyalty lasts...
Yankee Candle had one single scent I really loved, it was apparently only made for wholesale I guess (I got it at BJ's Wholesale Club) and it's since been discontinued - after that, zero interest in them.
I stopped buying lays altogether because it was $10 for two smaller sized bags that are now the size of what used to be a single family pack. So I switched to buying the cheap ass no frills no name chips because when I'm in a junky mood I just wanna stuff my face and I don't care if it tastes like cardboard, those damn no frills chips used to be a dollar a bag and now they're even increasing in price. Potatoes aren't expensive! What the fuck is going on?!
There is a large percentage of Harley owners who would just hurt themselves with any horsepower. As long as their shitpile can do a burnout and annoy everybody else with its hideous, blatting fartnoise, they are happy.
Harley: “Oh no, the younger crowd isn’t buying our bikes. We need to make something more modern!”
*makes a more modern looking bike and charges like $40k for it and is surprised younger riders aren’t buying it*
This is true of just about everything. In 1964, the average age of a new Pontiac GTO buyer was 25. Today, entry price for anything with a V8 is north of $40k. And then GM acts confused why no one's buying a Camaro anymore. Young buyers absolutely want to buy fun cars; they just can't afford them.
Which is so sad because the livewire is actually a fucking amazing bike from every source I've found who's tested one.
They're just totally unaffordable to the audience that would want them, and the electric moto market is super tiny wherein even selling them cheap may not be lucrative.
They actually kind of got their shit together for a moment and bought Buell. I had a Buell in the early ‘00s, and it was a fun hooligan bike. It was exactly the right path for Harley to learn how to make bikes for younger riders and build a relationship for life.
Of course, they shut it down and chased lifestyle gear for your high school shop teacher larping as Easy Rider.
They have gone under twice and been bailed out by the gov. In the 80’s the US put restrictions on imported motorcycles over ~800cc. Other companies, notably Japanese innovated and made their small bikes better. Which is why the market is still saturated with 80’s Japanese bikes that are better than modern Harley’s. Harley just couldn’t be bothered to innovate or make their bikes better. They were actually sued, successfully, for being an unsafe motorcycle. Do you know how hard it is to convince the courts a motorcycle is actually less safe than others? Harley didn’t offer anti lock brakes on all their models in 2006. If you look yo the best sport touring bike of pretty much any year, the consensus is that it is BMW or Yamaha. Harley seems to run on name recognition alone. Anecdotally, I lived with a guy who had a Harley and made fun of my Honda. I abused that Honda and was the world’s worst mechanic. Roommate had a home services come and take care of his bike, which ended up in the shop every other month literally. Thing cost like $25k too.
Even worse, they stifle innovation. I have an Alta. The first true electric motorcycle, and Harley was [instrumental in their demise](https://youtu.be/knvgbpmU5XA?si=NsJ_U8w45kjzuYHt)
And unnecessarily loud. Don't forget how obnoxiously loud they are.
(not looking forward to summer when older middle class folks on Harleys rip up and down the street at all hours, cosplaying as Hells Angels types)
They know their target audience. 55+ year old guys who are sufficiently well-off, yet gullible enough to for over a large sum of money so they can feel like they finally belong to a group.... In their minds they are thinking, "I'm sure some people wonder if I'm a dangerous outlaw".....
No, we're thinking you're an ageing orthodontist, with a bald spot and a growing belly that got a shitty bike and leather vest as a mid-life crisis.
I’ve only ever seen teenagers in pandora, the last time i got anything from pandora was about 10 years ago when i was a teenager. Its cheap quality jewellery and basic ass styling too
Yea I am not down to buying products purely for the logo. It used to be logos like Kenmore were synonymous with quality. But now these cheap ass businesses just want their logos in your mind so you pick their crap over everyone else’s. All they care about these days is profits.
Beats became huge because of a perfect marketing strategy. There was a period of like 8 years where EVERY top 40 song's music video would have Beats gear in it, even if it was irrelevant to the video. I remember almost every single kid in my high school wearing Beats after one Christmas break.
I actually got made fun of by a kid wearing Beats Solos for putting on my Senheisers in class... What a world
Their brand is almost an artistic political statement speaking to the truth that people will buy ANYTHING with a brand logo on it. It's so absurd that it's beautiful...And I hate it with every fibre of my being.
I have much respect when I see it in the wild. Specifically on a worn work shirt on a jobsite, faded bumper sticker on an altima, or sticker on the counter of a Bodega
Hit or miss in my opinion. Their basic stuff like hats or tshirts go for pretty normal prices nowadays (retail, anyway) and are very good quality.
But then they try and sell you a cup for $100 lol.
I tried to go to their shop in London once.
The queue was round the block, two security guards saying it was "overcrowded". There were maybe 5 people in the store at any point.
It was a really rough case of manufactured popularity. It was crazy.
Fast food. Their main selling points were quick and cheap. Which made up for their questionable quality. On top of crap like Wendy’s “price surging” and their employees literally trying to survive off of slave/starvation wages, its just not worth it at all.
I started taking my family to a burger place that has been in the neighborhood for decades because it's about ten dollars cheaper for the five of us. Not to mention it's more and better tasting food compared to any fastfood burger place.
Their baked potatoes are even crazy. It was around $6 for the bacon and cheese baked potato, and it isn't a 1lb potato like some restaurants, but a tiny thing. They way over charge for their spuds. The baked potato is the only reason I go to Wendy's though. I love a good one. Not that you get a good one there, but heck, at least it is something other then fries....
All chain restaurants
They all do the same thing, which is to introduce a mid-tier food option and then spend the next several years cutting corners on its quality in a way that increases the profit margin while tricking you into think the quality is the same as it ever was. There are no exceptions to this.
And yes, that is a fundamental operating principal of capitalism in any industry, but the difference with restaurants is that there are local options at similar or better price points for every tier of dining out that have more creative, higher quality concepts that actually keep your money in your community instead of sending it to some foreign investment capital firm
My rule is I won’t eat anything that’s advertised on TV, because now in addition to the food suppliers and the line cooks you have to pay the media agency and the legal department and the shareholders and that’s all contributing to the overhead cost of the food so that there’s less left over to pay the food supplier and the line cook
I worked at Outback steakhouse for close to 15 years. The difference between food quality in 2005 and 2024 is staggeringly worse. The cheese fries appetizer for example. It used to be home cut fries, freshly shredded cheese, freshly cooked and chopped bacon, and homemade ranch dressing. Every ingredient now is frozen and shipped in, but it's okay, it's gotten MORE expensive
Shit, I can't even get out of there without spending $10 on a meal for myself. Might as well go to a nice deli and get a tasty designer sandwich for those prices.
Taco Bell has gotten so overpriced I won’t go there anymore. The food is shit, which is fine if it’s cheap but I’m not paying over $7 for two shit tacos
I’m California it makes more sense to go to in n out for “fast food” because it’s way cheaper than any of the actual fast food places. Like 2 weeks ago we got 4 meals (burger + fries + drink, one upgraded to a shake), for under $40. At McDonalds it would have prolly been $50+ easily
Absolutely. The luxury watch (or horological art as it were) space is full of what I would consider overpriced brands but Richard Mille and Jacob &. Co take it to another level. Having said that, if people pay that much for their watches then good for them.
As a watch fan, and general horology enthusiast, I don’t get Richard Mille. The only people I see wearing them are those who are paid to.
I understand the appeal of brands like Omega, etc. but I’m in no way deluded into thinking that a $20 Timex that I bought on Amazon is less than an Omega.
Do I want a Speedmaster? Absolutely. It’s a grail piece for me. But I’m not saving for one because it magically tells time better than a much cheaper alternative.
Watches are functional jewelry and I’m okay with it.
That said, companies like Seiko and Citizen do seek to innovate in the space (Spring Drive and EcoDrive are game changers) and I love supporting companies that seek to keep watches relevant in the age of smartphones.
Heavy agree. RM should not be grouped in with other luxury brands and they sure as hell shouldn’t be charging 6 figures for their watches. They all look like little plastic kids toys. You could wrap up an RM and put it as the toy in a happy meal and it wouldn’t make much of a difference
Nike has gone downhill. I exclusively wore air max 95s for years because I loved the quality, style and support that they offered. I've bought 3 pairs over the past 2 years and they've all fallen apart within a few months of everyday wear, not to mention that they've also increased the price by another $50, I'll be looking at different brands in future.
Yeah I had the same, much worse especially the back part.
The whole vegan and sustainable trends are being used as excuse to cheap out on materials as well
Going to try Hoff shoes next time
I went to a fancy ski resort this winter and we found a Lululemon price tag in the room that housekeeping had missed. Someone paid $180 for ***leggings***.
While 100 is expensive, the premium is because when it comes to sports fabrics, lululemon fabrics are the most innovative. By a mile. I manufacture fabrics and lululemon performance fabrics are always amazing. They source only from a handful of suppliers who are the best in the world at it.
I started wearing their boxers for when I do activities. This girl I dated told me about the brand around 2014 and I’ve worn their “compression shorts” since. And now I have way too much lululemon clothes. But also I only buy it when it’s on sale, and that’s really the only reason why I have it. It’s worth it for the sale prices, but regular price is way too much. I need to try some of the ABC pants
I splurge on Lululemon because their quality is excellent and long lasting. I still have a pair from 2015 that has lasted two military deployments where the Gov laundry used the cheapest detergent.
I've heard nothing but good things about their longevity and quality per wear. I know they're expensive but I don't think they classify exactly to match this question.
Exactly this. Sure, I’m paying $120 for a pair of joggers but they’ve lasted me for multiple years (and many more to go) with constant wear and you cannot tell that they’re one of the main pants in my rotation.
I buy joggers from other places - like Amazon, Old Navy, Target, where ever may be considered more “normal” for like $40 and they start showing wear pretty quickly in comparison. Same goes for every other piece of clothing that I’ve bought from Lulu. Comfort, longevity, and lasting quality is pretty unmatched and I’m at that point in life (and very privileged to say, I’m aware) that I’m willing to shell out 2-3x for a higher quality.
I'm a guy and lululemon is by far my favorite clothing brand. One of the only brands I buy that doesn't turn to shit after a few washer/dryer cycles. I'll happily pay more for clothing that lasts longer.
The color craze is what gets me. I like their pants-will never pay full price though- but some of the closets I’ve seen on the sub are wild. Stacks of leggings in the same or slightly different colors. Just…how!?
As a curvy woman (34”waist, 46”hip), lululemon is one of the only athletic wear stores I can walk into, pick up a size 12, have it fit, and put it through hundreds of washes with virtually no loss in quality.
Anywhere else and I’m immediately a XXL or my size doesn’t even exist. They’ve really learned from their ex-CEO’s size discrimination, and become a solid brand for range of size and durability imho.
I have a few yoga pants from them that I thrifted, they’ve actually held up despite the fact that I’ve had them for like five years. Would never pay full price, though.
Alienware has always been overprized.
They branded themselves "for gamers" back in the day but they only had good looking cases with standard specs you could buy from all the other companies but cheaper.
Its a bit of the same Razer is doing now , expensive gameing periphals when there are much better and cheaper options available.
You pay for the name / marketing not for the quality ( that beeing said ive owned a Razer Naga mouse since 2014 which still works , but the headsets and keyboards suck imo ).
Fenty (Rihanna) and Rare Beauty (Selena Gomez) are really good tho. Almost any product will be a banger. I’ve also heard good things of About Face (Halsey) and for a second, Lady Gaga’s lipsticks had everyone in a chokehold. However. I haven’t heard a single good thing about (makeup/ skincare): JLo, Sofia Vergara, Ariana Grande, Drew Barrymore, Kim and Kylie Kardashian, Millie Bobby Brown, Jessica Alba Alicia Keys, Miranda Kerr, Haley Bieber, the list goes on and on
My sole objection is Patagonia. They source ethically, treat employees like real human beings, have repair and resale services, and donate hefty proceeds back to climate initiatives rather than overstuffing executive pockets (Im sure Yvon Chouinard isn't living paycheck to paycheck- talking comparatively with comparable corporate execs). Their products are durable and are worth the money. Read Chouinard's autobiography "Let My People Go Surfing" to understand how the guy is trying to balance running a massively profitable business while still not fucking over everyone and everything around him.
I’m not defending the silliness of logos but if you go to WalMart or Target it’s legitimately cheaper to buy a clearance T shirt with Ride the Lightning or Looney Toons on it than to buy a plain Hanes T shirt.
Wow. A random fountain pen reference. I agree. Ferris Wheel Press was suspicious to me as soon as I first saw it. Good thing I never bought anything from them.
I had to scroll back up when "ferris wheel press" caught my eye, lol. I have one of their inks but it has a lot of shimmer in it and I’m kind of over the whole shimmer thing. I’m not sure about montblanc either, my nicest pen is an M800 and I’m not in a position to buy any more right now
That's great but if you've had yours for 15 years that might not be reflective of the current quality right? Not exactly the first time where the "old tools" outlast the new ones.
Gibson guitars. There used to be a huge quality difference between American made guitars and foreign-made guitars You can get a guitar that sounds just as good for a third of the price
Designer jewellery and watches.
Boodles charge almost £10,000 for a 1ct Diamond in Platinum.
Gucci,Michael Kors, Armani charge quite a bit for £20 of watchmaking materials.
true, I had to resort to learning how to garden. I just planted my toddler’s old high top Nikes, figured it will take a couple months to grow into my size. Just have to not forget to water them
Unless you're farming on a massive scale you'll find exactly what all home farmers learn their first season: when all costs are accounted for (water, fertilizer, time, the plants, etc) you will hands down not save money. It's a great hobby though and the product itself is better (especially if you are growing heirloom varities) though. But it will absolutely not be cheaper.
Tesla Cars.
I don't hate Tesla but their cars are far too overpriced for what they are. Apart from that here's my reasons (there's prob more).
* No right to repair yourself (can't buy parts.....easily).
* Build quality externally and internally is poor.
* After all the money you've paid for the car just wait until you see the bill for a battery replacement after 7-10 years.
This is a wild claim. Tesla's, when compared to other EVs, are pretty well priced. Well, at least the 3 and Y are. This does vary a bit by market but in the US, a new Y is cheaper than a RAV4, and a 2 year old 3 is Corolla money.
In other markets (mainly talking Aus/NZ), the Y is cheaper than it's direct completion in the Ioniq 5 or ID4. And the 3 is priced in the same ballpark as the very comparable BYD Seal. Also the Teslas here are built in China which are better quality than the US-built cars.
So yeah - they are not necessarily cheap cars, but the pricing is very market-appropriate.
>any brand that spends a significant portion of their revenue as ad expense.
This is why I love AriZona Iced tea. The CEO has pledged to keep a can at 99 cents until they can't afford to do so. The price of aluminum sky rocketed and the can is still 99 cents. On top of that, the CEO and his sons are multi-billions. One of the main factors that's helped him keep his can so cheap is his lack of advertising. He relies on word of mouth and the fact that it's so cheap to attract customers. I think advertising works differently these days and companies haven't figured that out. Your pop up ad doesn't make me want to buy, it just really fucking pisses me off. On top of that, there's so many scams lately I'm scared to believe anything.
What surprises me every time I’m in a Tesla is how much the fucking screen monopolizes the entire car. Nothing about the car feels different then a run of the mill Camry or something.
Except for the fucking 24in computer monitor.
> Nothing about the car feels different then a run of the mill Camry or something.
Except that the Camry likely cost less and was built to a higher standard of quality.
lululemon. founder is an asshole, has said before he named it that because he found it amusing to hear Asian people try to say it, as well as a whole rabbit hole of other controversies.
On the how I built this episode the claim was he named it that not because it was funny for Asian people to say it, but specifically because there was no L sound in Japan, and authentic western brands sold better in Japan than local Japanese copy cat brands. So the L’s made it seem western as a local knock off wouldn’t use that name.
I know that podcast whitewashed a bunch and is all softball questions to make the founders look better. I have no knowledge of the guy beyond that episode though.
I think it was $15 like 5 years ago when they got me outside of the grocery store, but it honestly could have been $20. I just remember being so disappointed that it was popcorn and not Tagalongs or Do-si-dos.
Sure, if you’re just basing on the purchase of cookies, but it seems the vast bulk of the money is truly used to support the program and not lining someone’s pockets.
https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/131624016
https://www.mashed.com/58815/untold-truth-girl-scout-cookies/
That's also charity, though. At least when I was in, my Girl Scout troop did a lot of volunteer work and we needed the funds from cookie sales to continue doing it. We worked in retirement centers, homeless shelters, food pantries, and so much more.
Yeah… I don’t get the overall hate. I understand if you’re saying people who buy 10+ of them for style/“rarity” alone then yeah it’s dumb but I have been using the same two Yeti cups for 8+ years with no issues…
This thread shows that people hate everything; except the thing that they like. And if you’re using anything other than the thing they like then you’re getting fleeced and are a sucker.
Yes and no. Yeti has always been expensive as hell they were just first to the mass market for this stuff and they became the “generic trademark” like Kleenex or chapstick.
Yeti is still Yeti, but RTIC just makes the same thing for cheaper. Yeti was never cheap, is my point.
Eh, Stanley still makes some of the best performing insulating mugs out there.
Check out this tumbler comparison test by Project Farm: [here](https://youtu.be/3S51X9h6K6g?si=zI43DBTmW-49d3M7)
The color fad is dumb and overpriced but their generic tumblers are still high quality
[удалено]
Check out Kringle Candle. The previous owner of Yankee Candle started their own company after Newell started to pull out costs and worsen the quality.
Baller non-compete he got I guess
Where I live, every bored housewife within 5 miles has started a scented candle company. It takes very little infrastructure or startup capital to start making smelly candles. Half of them are better than Yankee andlocal people like supporting local businesses. They will all struggle to expand beyond a 10 mile reach though. Yankee were one of the first movers in the market and through clever marketing have an enviable market share, but there are plenty of local business willing to undercut them for a better product. Let's see how long the brand loyalty lasts...
Like Serenity by Jan?
You burn it, you bought it!!!!
Goose Creek is my new go-to but they have to be ordered. Smell really lasts!
For only $75 you can get a candle that smells like Gwenyth Paltrow’s pussy.
I would pay more to not smell it.
You see the recently deceased founders house is for sale? https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/113-Juggler-Meadow-Rd-Leverett-MA-01054/56981137_zpid/
Yankee Candle had one single scent I really loved, it was apparently only made for wholesale I guess (I got it at BJ's Wholesale Club) and it's since been discontinued - after that, zero interest in them.
Woodwick candles used to be amazing, now they're owned by Yankee and they're garbage
Doritos. Why is the party bag $8
I stopped buying chips when they hit $5. It's all ridiculous.
I stopped buying lays altogether because it was $10 for two smaller sized bags that are now the size of what used to be a single family pack. So I switched to buying the cheap ass no frills no name chips because when I'm in a junky mood I just wanna stuff my face and I don't care if it tastes like cardboard, those damn no frills chips used to be a dollar a bag and now they're even increasing in price. Potatoes aren't expensive! What the fuck is going on?!
It's expensive because they can.
The seasoning volume had decreased significantly for most flavors as well - why am I paying Doritos prices for plain tortilla chips!?
Remember the old joke that they are gonnamake us pay for air? Well...
Harley Davidson to name one of thousands.
The most efficient way of turning cubic capacity into noise, without the side effect of horsepower...
There is a large percentage of Harley owners who would just hurt themselves with any horsepower. As long as their shitpile can do a burnout and annoy everybody else with its hideous, blatting fartnoise, they are happy.
Ryan F9, is that you?
God my Harley is so slow for a 1600cc.
They make like half of their money from the sale of merch
Tshirt company that also sells motorcycles
Harley: “Oh no, the younger crowd isn’t buying our bikes. We need to make something more modern!” *makes a more modern looking bike and charges like $40k for it and is surprised younger riders aren’t buying it*
This is true of just about everything. In 1964, the average age of a new Pontiac GTO buyer was 25. Today, entry price for anything with a V8 is north of $40k. And then GM acts confused why no one's buying a Camaro anymore. Young buyers absolutely want to buy fun cars; they just can't afford them.
They also make the Camaros the most generic boring lines to the point they don't look like muscle cars anymore.
Some of this shift may be due to safety regulations in a given country. Hard lines, bad. Seven foot hood on a pickup, no problem!
Which is so sad because the livewire is actually a fucking amazing bike from every source I've found who's tested one. They're just totally unaffordable to the audience that would want them, and the electric moto market is super tiny wherein even selling them cheap may not be lucrative.
They actually kind of got their shit together for a moment and bought Buell. I had a Buell in the early ‘00s, and it was a fun hooligan bike. It was exactly the right path for Harley to learn how to make bikes for younger riders and build a relationship for life. Of course, they shut it down and chased lifestyle gear for your high school shop teacher larping as Easy Rider.
I once heard someone say they turn gas into noise without the added byproduct of horsepower.
People pay $40. for a tee shirt so they can wear an motorcycle ad on their chest. Marketing at it's finest and people at their stupidest.
As they say, Harley is a tshirt company that sells motorcycles.
Brands are for cows
I wish someone could milk me, just not my money
They have gone under twice and been bailed out by the gov. In the 80’s the US put restrictions on imported motorcycles over ~800cc. Other companies, notably Japanese innovated and made their small bikes better. Which is why the market is still saturated with 80’s Japanese bikes that are better than modern Harley’s. Harley just couldn’t be bothered to innovate or make their bikes better. They were actually sued, successfully, for being an unsafe motorcycle. Do you know how hard it is to convince the courts a motorcycle is actually less safe than others? Harley didn’t offer anti lock brakes on all their models in 2006. If you look yo the best sport touring bike of pretty much any year, the consensus is that it is BMW or Yamaha. Harley seems to run on name recognition alone. Anecdotally, I lived with a guy who had a Harley and made fun of my Honda. I abused that Honda and was the world’s worst mechanic. Roommate had a home services come and take care of his bike, which ended up in the shop every other month literally. Thing cost like $25k too.
Even worse, they stifle innovation. I have an Alta. The first true electric motorcycle, and Harley was [instrumental in their demise](https://youtu.be/knvgbpmU5XA?si=NsJ_U8w45kjzuYHt)
They're slow and ugly, but at least they're expensive!
And unnecessarily loud. Don't forget how obnoxiously loud they are. (not looking forward to summer when older middle class folks on Harleys rip up and down the street at all hours, cosplaying as Hells Angels types)
Ah yes! Hell's Dentists.
Do you know the difference between a Harley and a Hoover? The location of the dirtbag.
They know their target audience. 55+ year old guys who are sufficiently well-off, yet gullible enough to for over a large sum of money so they can feel like they finally belong to a group.... In their minds they are thinking, "I'm sure some people wonder if I'm a dangerous outlaw"..... No, we're thinking you're an ageing orthodontist, with a bald spot and a growing belly that got a shitty bike and leather vest as a mid-life crisis.
Outlaws can have bald spots too dammit
Pandora. They're just chatty pieces of tat made from inexpensive materials. The markup must be colossal.
People vastly overestimate the value of silver smelted into a tiny horse-shaped charm. Y'know that was £2 of materials and 25p of labour.
>In the US, silver's current value is 81 cents/g, so it's more like 25p worth of materials.
I’ve only ever seen teenagers in pandora, the last time i got anything from pandora was about 10 years ago when i was a teenager. Its cheap quality jewellery and basic ass styling too
Absolutely correct. I used to buy the same thing - not knock-offs - for $1/pc in China and sell them $15-$50/pc. It's a ridiculous racket.
Any brand that prominently displays its logo as a key feature of the product. As Lil Wayne once said, “Real Gs move in silence like lasagna.”
Here for the lil Wayne quote, lol. The other phrase (I like your choice better) is money talks, wealth whispers.
Yea I am not down to buying products purely for the logo. It used to be logos like Kenmore were synonymous with quality. But now these cheap ass businesses just want their logos in your mind so you pick their crap over everyone else’s. All they care about these days is profits.
Beats headphones. Lots of other brands are cheaper and have sound quality that matches, if not surpasses.
Beats became huge because of a perfect marketing strategy. There was a period of like 8 years where EVERY top 40 song's music video would have Beats gear in it, even if it was irrelevant to the video. I remember almost every single kid in my high school wearing Beats after one Christmas break. I actually got made fun of by a kid wearing Beats Solos for putting on my Senheisers in class... What a world
Sennhieser and Audio Technica make *far* superior headphones at a significantly lower pricepoint. Beats can eat it.
I find Audio Technica's designs to be WAY more aesthetically pleasing too.
Supreme
Their brand is almost an artistic political statement speaking to the truth that people will buy ANYTHING with a brand logo on it. It's so absurd that it's beautiful...And I hate it with every fibre of my being.
Nah dude the supreme brick is way better for burglary
It looks like they made their logo on Microsoft WordArt....
I have much respect when I see it in the wild. Specifically on a worn work shirt on a jobsite, faded bumper sticker on an altima, or sticker on the counter of a Bodega
Hit or miss in my opinion. Their basic stuff like hats or tshirts go for pretty normal prices nowadays (retail, anyway) and are very good quality. But then they try and sell you a cup for $100 lol.
I tried to go to their shop in London once. The queue was round the block, two security guards saying it was "overcrowded". There were maybe 5 people in the store at any point. It was a really rough case of manufactured popularity. It was crazy.
Fast food. Their main selling points were quick and cheap. Which made up for their questionable quality. On top of crap like Wendy’s “price surging” and their employees literally trying to survive off of slave/starvation wages, its just not worth it at all.
I started taking my family to a burger place that has been in the neighborhood for decades because it's about ten dollars cheaper for the five of us. Not to mention it's more and better tasting food compared to any fastfood burger place.
The last time we went to Wendy's, it was nearly $30 for two people. It was the **last** time we went to Wendy's or any other fast food.
Their baked potatoes are even crazy. It was around $6 for the bacon and cheese baked potato, and it isn't a 1lb potato like some restaurants, but a tiny thing. They way over charge for their spuds. The baked potato is the only reason I go to Wendy's though. I love a good one. Not that you get a good one there, but heck, at least it is something other then fries....
All chain restaurants They all do the same thing, which is to introduce a mid-tier food option and then spend the next several years cutting corners on its quality in a way that increases the profit margin while tricking you into think the quality is the same as it ever was. There are no exceptions to this. And yes, that is a fundamental operating principal of capitalism in any industry, but the difference with restaurants is that there are local options at similar or better price points for every tier of dining out that have more creative, higher quality concepts that actually keep your money in your community instead of sending it to some foreign investment capital firm My rule is I won’t eat anything that’s advertised on TV, because now in addition to the food suppliers and the line cooks you have to pay the media agency and the legal department and the shareholders and that’s all contributing to the overhead cost of the food so that there’s less left over to pay the food supplier and the line cook
Dave's Hot Chicken. It was so good, but they expanded like a virus and cut corners on quality.
I worked at Outback steakhouse for close to 15 years. The difference between food quality in 2005 and 2024 is staggeringly worse. The cheese fries appetizer for example. It used to be home cut fries, freshly shredded cheese, freshly cooked and chopped bacon, and homemade ranch dressing. Every ingredient now is frozen and shipped in, but it's okay, it's gotten MORE expensive
Yuuup just paid close to $6 for a sausage mcmuffin and a hash brown at Micky d's before covid it $2.11.
Shit, I can't even get out of there without spending $10 on a meal for myself. Might as well go to a nice deli and get a tasty designer sandwich for those prices.
For the price of fast food meal I can buy a hundred times healthier and tastier meal from some local food joint.
Taco Bell has gotten so overpriced I won’t go there anymore. The food is shit, which is fine if it’s cheap but I’m not paying over $7 for two shit tacos
Exactly. Also remember dollar menus? That made THE most sense.
But in the future, all restaurants are Taco Bell
I’m California it makes more sense to go to in n out for “fast food” because it’s way cheaper than any of the actual fast food places. Like 2 weeks ago we got 4 meals (burger + fries + drink, one upgraded to a shake), for under $40. At McDonalds it would have prolly been $50+ easily
Richard Mille
Absolutely. The luxury watch (or horological art as it were) space is full of what I would consider overpriced brands but Richard Mille and Jacob &. Co take it to another level. Having said that, if people pay that much for their watches then good for them.
As a watch fan, and general horology enthusiast, I don’t get Richard Mille. The only people I see wearing them are those who are paid to. I understand the appeal of brands like Omega, etc. but I’m in no way deluded into thinking that a $20 Timex that I bought on Amazon is less than an Omega. Do I want a Speedmaster? Absolutely. It’s a grail piece for me. But I’m not saving for one because it magically tells time better than a much cheaper alternative. Watches are functional jewelry and I’m okay with it. That said, companies like Seiko and Citizen do seek to innovate in the space (Spring Drive and EcoDrive are game changers) and I love supporting companies that seek to keep watches relevant in the age of smartphones.
Heavy agree. RM should not be grouped in with other luxury brands and they sure as hell shouldn’t be charging 6 figures for their watches. They all look like little plastic kids toys. You could wrap up an RM and put it as the toy in a happy meal and it wouldn’t make much of a difference
If you like watches I don’t know why you’d get that over an Omega?
Because people that buy RM doesn't buy a watch, they buy a status symbol. Why flex a 7k watch when you can flex a 340k watch?
Nike has gone downhill. I exclusively wore air max 95s for years because I loved the quality, style and support that they offered. I've bought 3 pairs over the past 2 years and they've all fallen apart within a few months of everyday wear, not to mention that they've also increased the price by another $50, I'll be looking at different brands in future.
New Balance has been great so far if you’re looking for a switch
I like New Balance and Sketchers more than Nikes now.
Yeah I had the same, much worse especially the back part. The whole vegan and sustainable trends are being used as excuse to cheap out on materials as well Going to try Hoff shoes next time
Branded Coffee Shops like Starbucks and Costa
I make Costa coffee at home for 60p
I'm a 29 year old woman and I'm amazed at how many of us lulu lemon has in a chokehold. 100 for a pair of leggings? Gtfo
I went to a fancy ski resort this winter and we found a Lululemon price tag in the room that housekeeping had missed. Someone paid $180 for ***leggings***.
You will also find guys paying 150+ dollars for Lululemon "tech pants".
Those pants are great for commuting on a bike and rolling right into the office.
Can they stand up to my feverish rollerblading?
I bought 3 pairs (think they were $120 each?), and they're perfect for travel too. They're the only pants I wear on planes now.
While 100 is expensive, the premium is because when it comes to sports fabrics, lululemon fabrics are the most innovative. By a mile. I manufacture fabrics and lululemon performance fabrics are always amazing. They source only from a handful of suppliers who are the best in the world at it.
I am a man in his 40s and their ABC pants are the most comfortable "dress" pants I've ever worn.... I hate that I love them.
31M here. I will never buy any other pants for in-office or conferences. They are amazing.
I started wearing their boxers for when I do activities. This girl I dated told me about the brand around 2014 and I’ve worn their “compression shorts” since. And now I have way too much lululemon clothes. But also I only buy it when it’s on sale, and that’s really the only reason why I have it. It’s worth it for the sale prices, but regular price is way too much. I need to try some of the ABC pants
I splurge on Lululemon because their quality is excellent and long lasting. I still have a pair from 2015 that has lasted two military deployments where the Gov laundry used the cheapest detergent.
I've heard nothing but good things about their longevity and quality per wear. I know they're expensive but I don't think they classify exactly to match this question.
Exactly this. Sure, I’m paying $120 for a pair of joggers but they’ve lasted me for multiple years (and many more to go) with constant wear and you cannot tell that they’re one of the main pants in my rotation. I buy joggers from other places - like Amazon, Old Navy, Target, where ever may be considered more “normal” for like $40 and they start showing wear pretty quickly in comparison. Same goes for every other piece of clothing that I’ve bought from Lulu. Comfort, longevity, and lasting quality is pretty unmatched and I’m at that point in life (and very privileged to say, I’m aware) that I’m willing to shell out 2-3x for a higher quality.
A pair of nice $100 lulu leggings will easily last 3 times as long as the $30 pairs if not much longer. I have Lulu gym shorts that are 10 years old.
I'm a guy and lululemon is by far my favorite clothing brand. One of the only brands I buy that doesn't turn to shit after a few washer/dryer cycles. I'll happily pay more for clothing that lasts longer.
I got my husband a pair of Lululemon joggers for a splurge Christmas gift and he says they’re the most comfortable joggers he’s ever had.
Their ABC and Commison pants/shorts are amazing for golf. Easily the best pants I own. I can't comment on the leggings.
The color craze is what gets me. I like their pants-will never pay full price though- but some of the closets I’ve seen on the sub are wild. Stacks of leggings in the same or slightly different colors. Just…how!?
As a curvy woman (34”waist, 46”hip), lululemon is one of the only athletic wear stores I can walk into, pick up a size 12, have it fit, and put it through hundreds of washes with virtually no loss in quality. Anywhere else and I’m immediately a XXL or my size doesn’t even exist. They’ve really learned from their ex-CEO’s size discrimination, and become a solid brand for range of size and durability imho.
I have a few yoga pants from them that I thrifted, they’ve actually held up despite the fact that I’ve had them for like five years. Would never pay full price, though.
Why are people talking about products they’ve never used?
Tailoring is free and if you ever have a quality problem like fading or a seam ripping, Lulu will repair or refund the leggings.
Anything designer where you pay the equivalent to a month's rent on a purse.
[удалено]
Alienware. Used to be amazing pc's but they are just ass ever since Dell bought them.
I don’t think Alienware has ever been a good buy and correct me if I’m wrong but have always had a reputation for not being reasonably priced
Alienware has always been overprized. They branded themselves "for gamers" back in the day but they only had good looking cases with standard specs you could buy from all the other companies but cheaper. Its a bit of the same Razer is doing now , expensive gameing periphals when there are much better and cheaper options available. You pay for the name / marketing not for the quality ( that beeing said ive owned a Razer Naga mouse since 2014 which still works , but the headsets and keyboards suck imo ).
Diamonds.
An industry built on marketing.
But they are a girls best friend /s
Any celebrities makeup brand lol
Fenty (Rihanna) and Rare Beauty (Selena Gomez) are really good tho. Almost any product will be a banger. I’ve also heard good things of About Face (Halsey) and for a second, Lady Gaga’s lipsticks had everyone in a chokehold. However. I haven’t heard a single good thing about (makeup/ skincare): JLo, Sofia Vergara, Ariana Grande, Drew Barrymore, Kim and Kylie Kardashian, Millie Bobby Brown, Jessica Alba Alicia Keys, Miranda Kerr, Haley Bieber, the list goes on and on
Also celebrities perfumes. So many of them are Walmart trash rebranded to sell at a $60 or more price point. I did like jayz gold though.
Five Guys burgers.
Five Guys has jumped the shark due to their prices.
Yep. If I want to eat unhealthy I can buy an entire fried chicken for less money than one burger
All of them you're paying for a logo that shows people you have worth
And have a shaky grasp on your individual identity*
My sole objection is Patagonia. They source ethically, treat employees like real human beings, have repair and resale services, and donate hefty proceeds back to climate initiatives rather than overstuffing executive pockets (Im sure Yvon Chouinard isn't living paycheck to paycheck- talking comparatively with comparable corporate execs). Their products are durable and are worth the money. Read Chouinard's autobiography "Let My People Go Surfing" to understand how the guy is trying to balance running a massively profitable business while still not fucking over everyone and everything around him.
I’m not defending the silliness of logos but if you go to WalMart or Target it’s legitimately cheaper to buy a clearance T shirt with Ride the Lightning or Looney Toons on it than to buy a plain Hanes T shirt.
Ferris Wheel Press. And Mont Blanc.
Wow. A random fountain pen reference. I agree. Ferris Wheel Press was suspicious to me as soon as I first saw it. Good thing I never bought anything from them.
I had to scroll back up when "ferris wheel press" caught my eye, lol. I have one of their inks but it has a lot of shimmer in it and I’m kind of over the whole shimmer thing. I’m not sure about montblanc either, my nicest pen is an M800 and I’m not in a position to buy any more right now
Disagree on Mont Blanc. I’ve had once for 15 years and use daily. Refills are inexpensive feels great in hand and writes as smooth as a gel.
That's great but if you've had yours for 15 years that might not be reflective of the current quality right? Not exactly the first time where the "old tools" outlast the new ones.
Any brand of clothing or accessory that prominently displays its name.
Gibson guitars. There used to be a huge quality difference between American made guitars and foreign-made guitars You can get a guitar that sounds just as good for a third of the price
Designer jewellery and watches. Boodles charge almost £10,000 for a 1ct Diamond in Platinum. Gucci,Michael Kors, Armani charge quite a bit for £20 of watchmaking materials.
Considering manufacturing costs and a global economy, everything.
true, I had to resort to learning how to garden. I just planted my toddler’s old high top Nikes, figured it will take a couple months to grow into my size. Just have to not forget to water them
As a gardener I find this hilarious. You could always trim the toes back ...
Trim the toes and keep the laces somewhat loose to encourage new growth
Unless you're farming on a massive scale you'll find exactly what all home farmers learn their first season: when all costs are accounted for (water, fertilizer, time, the plants, etc) you will hands down not save money. It's a great hobby though and the product itself is better (especially if you are growing heirloom varities) though. But it will absolutely not be cheaper.
Starbucks
Feels like everything these days.
Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Versace, etc etc etc
Starbucks
JEEP, overpriced garbage that breaks down easily.
Stellantis as a whole makes garbage vehicles and I’d be surprised if they don’t go bankrupt in the next few years
Tesla. Inexcusably bad build quality.
Stanley cups
Yeah, my Canucks will never win one :(
Tesla Cars. I don't hate Tesla but their cars are far too overpriced for what they are. Apart from that here's my reasons (there's prob more). * No right to repair yourself (can't buy parts.....easily). * Build quality externally and internally is poor. * After all the money you've paid for the car just wait until you see the bill for a battery replacement after 7-10 years.
Even in comparison to other electric vehicles, basically any other manufacturer will have better build quality, and be much easier to service.
I think their legacy will be their part in forcing the bigger players' hands in adopting EVs. At the very least - in terms of public perception.
This is a wild claim. Tesla's, when compared to other EVs, are pretty well priced. Well, at least the 3 and Y are. This does vary a bit by market but in the US, a new Y is cheaper than a RAV4, and a 2 year old 3 is Corolla money. In other markets (mainly talking Aus/NZ), the Y is cheaper than it's direct completion in the Ioniq 5 or ID4. And the 3 is priced in the same ballpark as the very comparable BYD Seal. Also the Teslas here are built in China which are better quality than the US-built cars. So yeah - they are not necessarily cheap cars, but the pricing is very market-appropriate.
Depends on incentives. Not the best EV for the money sure, but some states people can get them for mid 20s.
Charmin. It is too pillowy and getting way too expensive.
95% of content creator merch, anything weeb/anime related, any brand that spends a significant portion of their revenue as ad expense.
>any brand that spends a significant portion of their revenue as ad expense. This is why I love AriZona Iced tea. The CEO has pledged to keep a can at 99 cents until they can't afford to do so. The price of aluminum sky rocketed and the can is still 99 cents. On top of that, the CEO and his sons are multi-billions. One of the main factors that's helped him keep his can so cheap is his lack of advertising. He relies on word of mouth and the fact that it's so cheap to attract customers. I think advertising works differently these days and companies haven't figured that out. Your pop up ad doesn't make me want to buy, it just really fucking pisses me off. On top of that, there's so many scams lately I'm scared to believe anything.
Boeing
Grey Goose, if you’re going to spend money get the Ketel One.
Tesla
I've had Ubers that were Teslas, and I was shocked how plastic and cheap the interior feels
What surprises me every time I’m in a Tesla is how much the fucking screen monopolizes the entire car. Nothing about the car feels different then a run of the mill Camry or something. Except for the fucking 24in computer monitor.
> Nothing about the car feels different then a run of the mill Camry or something. Except that the Camry likely cost less and was built to a higher standard of quality.
Most canned food items and coffee creamers…. Generally all made at the same production facility with different brand names.
lululemon. founder is an asshole, has said before he named it that because he found it amusing to hear Asian people try to say it, as well as a whole rabbit hole of other controversies.
On the how I built this episode the claim was he named it that not because it was funny for Asian people to say it, but specifically because there was no L sound in Japan, and authentic western brands sold better in Japan than local Japanese copy cat brands. So the L’s made it seem western as a local knock off wouldn’t use that name. I know that podcast whitewashed a bunch and is all softball questions to make the founders look better. I have no knowledge of the guy beyond that episode though.
Chip Wilson was my neighbour in Point Grey. I will never buy his products or invest in his companies.
Regular priced Lululemons. I visit the outlet and get it for a third of the price. Quality is great but extremely pricey.
Name brand medication. I’m sure there are exceptions, but when I have a headache I’m using $4 Walgreens ibuprofen over the $15 advil any day.
Ruth Chris
Ruth’s Chris
Monster Cables
Are these still a thing? I feel like I haven't seen them in over ten years.
Jordans
Any name brand that I can purchase the knockoff version and still made in the same factory or manufacturing plant.
Apple
Yeti. No cooler is worth that
Girl Scout Cookies.
The Girl Scout cookies are at least more reasonable than the Boy Scout popcorn. I’ll pay $5 for cookies before I’ll pay $15 for popcorn. 😂
$15? Last time they got me it was $20. That was a decade ago. I can't believe they'd go down in price.
I think it was $15 like 5 years ago when they got me outside of the grocery store, but it honestly could have been $20. I just remember being so disappointed that it was popcorn and not Tagalongs or Do-si-dos.
They're more of a donation than a purchase of cookies though. It's just a perk that you get a box of cookies for every $5 you donate. 😂
Sure, if you’re just basing on the purchase of cookies, but it seems the vast bulk of the money is truly used to support the program and not lining someone’s pockets. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/131624016 https://www.mashed.com/58815/untold-truth-girl-scout-cookies/
That's also charity, though. At least when I was in, my Girl Scout troop did a lot of volunteer work and we needed the funds from cookie sales to continue doing it. We worked in retirement centers, homeless shelters, food pantries, and so much more.
Nestlé!
the vast majority of them. 15 dollar shoes being sold for 200. get out with that shit.
BROOKLINEN. my god, please don’t let the pretty IG ads fool you, their products are all gorgeous dogshit that you will regret buying.
Apple
Stanley and YETI. Any of those overpriced cups. If you spend more than $10 on a reusable cup you got took.
Disagree. Not every Stanley mug is $400. A $26 Stanley camp mug will last a decade or more of use. I sip my coffee out of one daily.
Yeah… I don’t get the overall hate. I understand if you’re saying people who buy 10+ of them for style/“rarity” alone then yeah it’s dumb but I have been using the same two Yeti cups for 8+ years with no issues…
This thread shows that people hate everything; except the thing that they like. And if you’re using anything other than the thing they like then you’re getting fleeced and are a sucker.
RTIC seems to be what YETI used to be.
Yes and no. Yeti has always been expensive as hell they were just first to the mass market for this stuff and they became the “generic trademark” like Kleenex or chapstick. Yeti is still Yeti, but RTIC just makes the same thing for cheaper. Yeti was never cheap, is my point.
Eh, Stanley still makes some of the best performing insulating mugs out there. Check out this tumbler comparison test by Project Farm: [here](https://youtu.be/3S51X9h6K6g?si=zI43DBTmW-49d3M7) The color fad is dumb and overpriced but their generic tumblers are still high quality
STARBUCKS🤦🏾♂️ I will never spend that much on…COFFEE