# Brands that used to be prestigious, and now are cheap **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 16, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900 "2012-09-16T17:35:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/101 "2012-09-22T17:15:41Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > Macy’s. I’m not sure what it used to be like back in the day – Wikipedia makes it sound like it was mid-range even then Yeah, this is another one where I never recall it being high end. For as long as I can recall, Macy\*s (note the star) has been somewhere between JC Penney and Nordstrom. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/102 "2012-09-22T18:17:46Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Hoover used to make high quality vacuum cleaners-now they are junk. When the “Vacuum Cleaner Crossing” Far Side comic\* first ran in the paper, my mom clipped it out and wrote “Hope it was a Hoover” underneath it. They’ve sucked for over twenty years. According to her, anyway. \*For those of you who haven’t seen it, it features an vacuum cleaner run over flat in the middle of a road next to a diamond sign with a silhouette of an upright vacuum cleaner. Far Side cartoons don’t exist online. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/103 "2012-09-22T20:11:05Z")
i do miss bass shoes. thankfully i still have weejuns, maine weejuns, because they last. when i took them to a shoeguy to get resoled he nearly drooled on them. he kept saying, “good shoe” “good shoe”. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/104 "2012-09-23T01:30:03Z")
Elizabeth Arden perfumes. They produced middle-brow classics over the years (Green Tea, Blue Grass, Fifth Avenue) but the moment they started pushing BRITNEY SPEARS stink juice, they fell so far off the pedestal they will never get up. No. Class. Same with some other perfumers, like Dior. I do understand they need to change with the times and appeal to the younger customers, though. So I guess it’s just me who thinks they have cheapened their brands. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/105 "2012-09-23T01:39:01Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Elizabeth Arden perfumes. They produced middle-brow classics over the years (Green Tea, Blue Grass, Fifth Avenue) but the moment they started pushing BRITNEY SPEARS stink juice, they fell so far off the pedestal they will never get up. No. Class. Same with some other perfumers, like Dior. I do understand they need to change with the times and appeal to the younger customers, though. So I guess it’s just me who thinks they have cheapened their brands. Have you smelled any of the Britney Spears perfumes? Some are so-so, but there are a few (can’t remember the exact ones) that my friends who prefer high-end perfumes adore. They’re embarrassed about the Spears name, but hey, they’re in it for the scent and quality, not the branding. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/106 "2012-09-23T03:09:23Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > The truth is that no one knows what gives a brand permanency across the generations - Ford, Coke, Nabisco - other than being part of a very big company that’s not owned by another company. Once a takeover happens, the taker-over automatically puts their brand names first. It’s a tradition as ironclad as a wife taking her husband’s name - the exception points to the rule, as it did when Westinghouse bought CBS and immediately _changed its name_ to CBS. > . The 3 you mention produce products that lend themselves to brand loyalty- cars and foods; people tend to be very brand and/or taste conscious. From what I can tell, the companies being brought up in this thread tend to be either fashion/clothing/accessories or consumer electronics. Fashion stuff tends to be very fickle, from what I can tell, when there’s not a performance component. What’s hot one year, or for a while, won’t be, eventually. So those companies really have X choices - 1. Continue making the same stuff that’s now unfashionable, selling it at the same premium price, and hoping people continue to buy it (not a good strategy), 2. Continuing to try and stay relevant by making what’s currently fashionable and trying to catch the next wave, or 3. Take advantage of their current reputation, and selling the same unfashionable stuff to people who don’t know any better at a discount /discount store. #3 is pretty much the easiest path to continuing profitability, and that’s why fashion names tend to have a downward trajectory, and end up at K-Mart or Wal-Mart. Technology popularity tends to be heavily dependent on innovation and/or being lowest cost. Brands like Panasonic are still at the top of their game because they roll out new improved stuff every year, but if you’re not innovating and producing, then you’re in a race to the bottom for the lowest cost, and it’s frequently profitable to throw a respected older brand name on a cheap Chinese product than to sell it as some brand no one’s heard of. ---
**Author:** ![destineal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@destineal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/destineal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/107 "2012-09-23T04:32:23Z")
Porter Cable used to make really nice, heavy-duty power tools. Now they’re Lowe’s answer to Ryobi (Home Depot’s cheap stuff). A bit better than Ryobi, but not much. At least the drill chucks are steel rather than plastic. ---
**Author:** ![simple\_homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@simple\_homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simple_homer)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/108 "2012-09-23T07:58:30Z")
Breyer’s Ice Cream. All natural and delicious when I was a kid. Now is it just cheap chemicals. “Prior to 2006,[2] Breyers was known for producing ice cream with a small number of all-natural ingredients. In recent years, as part of cost-cutting measures since their move from Green Bay, Wisconsin to Unilever’s U.S. headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey,[3] Breyers has reformulated many of its flavors with nontraditional, additive ingredients, significantly changing the taste and texture of their desserts as a direct result of these additions.[2] Following similar practices by several of their competitors, and to the consternation of many former customers,[2] Breyers’ list of ingredients has expanded to include natural food additives such as Tara gum[4] and Carob Bean gum,[5] artificial additives such as maltodextrin and propylene glycol,[6] and common artificially separated and extracted ingredients such as corn syrup, whey, and many others.” > **[Breyers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breyers)** > > Breyers is a brand of ice cream started in 1866 by William A. Breyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. > > In 1866, William A. Breyer began to produce and sell iced cream in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, first from his home, and later via horse and wagon on the streets. Breyer's son Henry incorporated the business in 1908. The formerly independent Breyer Ice Cream Company was sold to the National Dairy Products Corporation/Sealtest in 1926. National Dairy then changed its name to Kraftco in 1968, and ... ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/109 "2012-09-23T11:57:04Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > But the thing is, they’re not really a bakery anymore. They are now primarily a sandwich shop, and the sandwiches are nothing to write home about. I agree. I haven’t eaten in an Au Bon Pain in ages. Although I’m not a big fan of Panera, I’d choose them over ABP. From a business standpoint, it’s understandable why they’d go into the sandwich direction: You’ve got to make an uber-ton of bread to make a modicum of money. Ergo, it’s more profitable for them to expand the menu. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/110 "2012-09-23T12:53:11Z")
Abc, nbc, cbs. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/111 "2012-09-23T14:13:10Z")
I’m not sure about the quality of their goods, but Banana Republic was a lot less interesting after they were acquired by Gap. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/112 "2012-09-23T14:23:38Z")
I feel like PBR wasn’t quite as white trash when I was a kid as it is now. I love it, still. I love Swiss Army cologne. It used to be something that I had to hunt down at boutique perfume shops. Now it’s at Walmart. Ergo, not cool anymore. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/113 "2012-09-23T14:24:24Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Thank you for making me think of camping gear. At one time Coleman was literally the best there was (old Coleman lanterns, when properly maintained, last forever. And the old green camp-stoves? They were Awesome!) > > Today, Coleman makes so-so tents and battery powered lanterns. I heard they might be trying to make a comeback, but I doubt they’ll ever be where they were… I brought this up talking with a group of friends last night. Each of us still has ancient, functional Coleman products. And everyone expressed disappointment at the way the companies product have gone downhill. ---
**Author:** ![Greekfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@Greekfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greekfreak)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/114 "2012-09-24T00:47:58Z")
Doc Martens since 2003 have been made in Thailand or China (with a select few editions still made in the UK) and I have noticed a slight drop in quality if not prices. Others swear they’re much worse, and I can’t agree–other than some shoddy stitching issues which are mostly cosmetic–they’re still the most comfortable shoes I own. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/115 "2012-09-24T01:19:31Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > Have you smelled any of the Britney Spears perfumes? Some are so-so, but there are a few (can’t remember the exact ones) that my friends who prefer high-end perfumes adore. They’re embarrassed about the Spears name, but hey, they’re in it for the scent and quality, not the branding. Not gonna lie. She has/had this one perfume whose name I can’t remember that I loved. I discovered it by accident when my brother bought it for me as a present, and was very presently surprised by how much I liked it. So much so that I may or may not have purchased more of it my own when it was gone. It does not smell like pork rinds and failure, as one might expect, and actually has a very pleasant, subtly sweet scent. I was never embarrassed by the name because nobody asked me, but had they, I’d have said what it was. I have no shame. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_Slippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_Slippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_Slippers)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/116 "2012-09-24T01:57:22Z")
St. Marys used to be a well-respected brand of woolen blankets. But the name was bought by Fieldcrest, the woolen mill in St. Marys was shut down, and the name began to be used for sheets and towels. I don’t know if the name is even used any more. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/117 "2012-09-24T02:19:39Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > This is a great example, as years back The North Face was indeed one of the very best around, and is now just another mass produced brand made in Malaysia; Patagonia has also gone downhill, but they are still a hell of a lot better quality than what The North Face is… Oh, I don’t know. I have gear from North Face and Mountain Hardwear and Arcteryx, and while it’s pretty clear that the latter two brands are of higher quality than North Face, they’re quite a bit more expensive as well. My North Face sleeping bag (a -7C Cat’s Meow, if you’re curious) has served me well for six or seven seasons now, and I’m a cold sleeper. But when it has had its day I’m going to look at Mountain Hardwear. I am absolutely thrilled with both the quality and service I get from them. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/118 "2012-09-24T04:20:48Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > [hijack] Am I the only person here that thinks the classic LV print looks like shit? > First time I saw one it was a coworkers wife who had been bragging about getting a LV purse. Then I saw it. I came \>| |\< this close to asking what 99 cent store she got that purse at. [/hijack] LV is a very expensive brand, as I’m sure anyone who has been sent in there to buy a bag for their significant other can attest to. The classic LV or “monogram” is the only stuff my wife likes, and thank goodness, because some of their newer, Brighter stuff is just crap, IMO. But, people buy it, and the younger generation get sucked into the brand, so if they can make enough money as theynage to become brans loyal, LV’s marketing dept. Has done it’s job. I will say this, though. The quality of their leather goods is outstanding. I am rough on wallets, and would go through a leather one once everynyeae or two. The cheap $10 leather wallet would last long enough to get me through the year. Then, I got married. My wife bought me a man’s LV wallet. It does not have the momogram so many people know, but something much more subtle for a man. That wallet looks as good now as the day I got it as a gift. I know she paid a nice chunk of change for it, but the sticking hasn’t frayed, no rips or tears in the leather, its quite amazing. I was pissed to find out how much she paid for it, but over the years, it has cost less and less to own. > [@casdave](#): > > Add to your list lots of audio product manufacturers,. > > The audio market seems to have declined unless you wish to pay out startling amounts of cash - you would probably be better off buying vintage and replacing consumable components such as electrolytic capacitors. I wonder if this is true. It certainly is an interesting idea. I’ll add Philips electronics to your list of tech. Brands. What was once a quality product name has turned into garbage. Never buy a Phillips product. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Sharper Image turned into a licensed name when the retail store chain went bankrupt and the name was sold off. But even when they had stores, I thought the merchandise was never very good. Sharper image sucks. They still owe me money for an extended warranty that they stole from me right before the company went belly up. Their owner, that smug prick Richard Thalheimer was in every magazine, telling is what great innovative products he had. Then, he filed for bankruptcy, took the money and ran, and one is back with the new Sharper Image (at least I believe it’s him running the new sharper image. I hope he rota in he’ll with all his shortly, Chinese made products. I’ll throw a couple of brands out there. Jos. A. Bank used to be a very expensive clothing store for men. Now, they can’t give their stuff away. Craftsman is still the brand of tools I buy, but they no longer have their lifetime warranty. That says a lot about their manufacturing techniques. I think to be guaranteed a great tool, snap-on, MAC, is where you have to spend your money. Agree with what folks have said about Coleman. Also, any brand that has sold their sole to the big box stores, like a lowes or home depot, will kill brand rep. For market share, a while back, Snapper lawn equip,met, which were very highly regarded machines for the home user, were losing out to companies that went to the big box stores, so they tries it themselves. Their loyal customers brought them back out. Their product reputation took such a hit that no one was buying the snapper machines still made by the company. So they pulled out all together and now make the same great machines they made before going to Lowes (I think it was). Many companies have two different products, just like it was mentioned for the discount stores. The problem with snapper was that lowes wasn’t looked at as an outlet, so the consumer lumped all,snappers onto the same barrel, which almost killed the company Goodyear tires are shit. . ---
**Author:** ![D-bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@D-bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D-bear)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/119 "2012-09-24T06:05:23Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Also, any brand that has sold their sole to the big box stores **Joe Boxer** Brought to you exclusively by K-Mart… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/120 "2012-09-24T06:30:47Z")
In video gaming, Happ arcade parts for joysticks used to be considered good, but their quality in recent years is atrocious and has really helped most gamers migrate to more Japanese style parts. Most of the P360 joysticks made within the last 5 years are considered defective out of the box by hardcore gamers, and there is a market for the good older ones even used. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900.md?page=7)