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“Harbinger households” consistently buy products that get discontinued (2019)

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Re: “Harbinger households” consistently buy products that get discontinued (2019)

#141

Post by personjerry »

jacquesm wrote: post #139
hinkley wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shoes are this way for a lot of people, in that some of us can keep a pair of shoes long enough that the next fashion cycle has happened and you can't find anything like that again. I got to the point where if I really liked a pair of shoes, I'd buy a second pair and throw them in the closet for nine months, and cross my fingers that I like the shoes in the second refresh more than I liked the ones in the first one.…

I have shoes for a lifetime bought ahead, and if I die early there will be a glut of size 42 shoes on the dutch market of this brand and type and that in turn will immediately cause that market to collapse :)

Won't they degrade over time sitting in your closet?

Re: “Harbinger households” consistently buy products that get discontinued (2019)

#142

Post by anonymoushn »

Terry_Roll wrote: post #52

In https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_innovations "Harbinger Households" are called Laggards in scholarly circles. So to use the word "Harbinger" which for most people will have greater negative connotations by virtue of the common phrase "harbinger of doom" in most English speaking people's lexicon, would suggest an element of psychological profiling is being carried out in plain site on ycombinator, althoug…

TFA seems to be about Innovators who turn out to be wrong a lot. I don't think Laggards are the same thing.

Re: “Harbinger households” consistently buy products that get discontinued (2019)

#143

Post by jacquesm »

personjerry wrote: post #141
jacquesm wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have shoes for a lifetime bought ahead, and if I die early there will be a glut of size 42 shoes on the dutch market of this brand and type and that in turn will immediately cause that market to collapse :)

Won't they degrade over time sitting in your closet?

That's a good question and I should look into that but so far they come out like new and I've been doing this for more than a decade now.

Re: “Harbinger households” consistently buy products that get discontinued (2019)

#144

Post by astrange »

faebi wrote: post #136
onpensionsterm wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're rarely going to find good basics in cheap shops because they have to differentiate on 'design'. The same goes for t-shirts, if you want a plain t-shirt you first have to avoid anywhere with surplus graphics, pockets, buttons, whatever. If you look further you can find high-quality denim and t-shirts in a variety of cuts. Even bespoke. But they differentiate on quality and things that matter to enthusiasts, so…

How did you find these brands? I still struggle to find any of them. I'm at the point where I would even try an online tailor if there was a good one with a decent color variety.

It's pretty easy to find jeans - go to Uniqlo.

Re: “Harbinger households” consistently buy products that get discontinued (2019)

#145

Post by jjeaff »

This seems to happen to me a lot, although I think for different reasons than this study found.

At times, I will spend an inordinate amount of time and brainpower researching products and comparing them for value. I will scour the Internet for the best price, research the maker, look for alternative brandings of the same thing and then look for additional discounts and deals and purchasing schemes.

I think that sometimes, I end up finding that product that companies lose money on and those products or services tend not to last. Or at least not in the form that I was previously purchasing them.

Re: “Harbinger households” consistently buy products that get discontinued (2019)

#146

Post by jjeaff »

ggm wrote: post #2

This.Happens.To.Me.All.The.Time. All.The.Time. that Amazing Neutrogena conditioner, which was really good and lasted a year? Gone: if it lasts a year, its too good. that original low-sugar chex? gone. we invented three new flavours. that jam? gone. butter? gone. that cut of meat? gone. those pens? I mean pentel pens. How can pentel can an entire line of really good, fine writer ballpens? Gone. Sorry dude, it was you…

I think if the Lindy effect pans out for grape nuts, they should be around for a long time, as they are a rather old product now as far as cereals go.

Re: “Harbinger households” consistently buy products that get discontinued (2019)

#147

Post by rvba »

qwerty456127 wrote: post #89
euroderf wrote: post #59

Aura beer, Finland early 90s. They "brought it back" a few years ago but it just ain't the same. Le sigh.

Every time I taste something I liked in the past and feel like it's not the same, I think if that's my perception which has changed more significantly than the product.

Dont they usually change the recipes? Cheaper raw materials (e.g. high fructose corn syroup instead of sugar for soft drinks), different production methods (same line used for all products but different flavoring), various cost optimizations that compromise the quality..

Re: “Harbinger households” consistently buy products that get discontinued (2019)

#148

Post by JofArnold »

afandian wrote: post #118
JofArnold wrote: post #88

This is me and my mum. To the point where if I find something I really like which might not last more than a few years, I buy two. This occurs in many domains from breakfast cereals to shirts to bicycle tyres!

There’s a complex curve though. Clothes which you wear for a while, good idea. Cereal? If you stockpile medium term you’ll get more attached to it and fall harder when it’s withdrawn.

You're so right about the cereal as that has indeed happened! But then my outlook on life in general is "savor what you can, because tomorrow it could be gone". So while it's a pain when do stop making it, I do take time to enjoy especially delicious cereals so when they disappear for good I know I've not taken them for granted.

Re: “Harbinger households” consistently buy products that get discontinued (2019)

#149

Post by qwerty456127 »

rvba wrote: post #147
qwerty456127 wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every time I taste something I liked in the past and feel like it's not the same, I think if that's my perception which has changed more significantly than the product.

Dont they usually change the recipes? Cheaper raw materials (e.g. high fructose corn syroup instead of sugar for soft drinks), different production methods (same line used for all products but different flavoring), various cost optimizations that compromise the quality..

They probably/usually do but I am not sure if this is the major reason behind the change in hod way I perceive the taste. I suspect the changes in myself may play a more definitive role in this.

Re: “Harbinger households” consistently buy products that get discontinued (2019)

#150

Post by giantg2 »

ggm wrote: post #2

This.Happens.To.Me.All.The.Time. All.The.Time. that Amazing Neutrogena conditioner, which was really good and lasted a year? Gone: if it lasts a year, its too good. that original low-sugar chex? gone. we invented three new flavours. that jam? gone. butter? gone. that cut of meat? gone. those pens? I mean pentel pens. How can pentel can an entire line of really good, fine writer ballpens? Gone. Sorry dude, it was you…

This is how it feels for me and athletic shoes. It's tough to find a good design and fit. Next time I find a perfect pair I think I'll buy at least 5 extra pair and just store them in the basement. I'm tired of the design being redone every year and them not working/fitting right after that.
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