# Is Cascade dishwasher powder being discontinued? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 6, 2021, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593 "2021-12-06T23:10:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/1 "2021-12-06T23:10:48Z")
We’ve used Cascade Complete powder for decades, but recently, we cannot find it in any area stores. Amazon is gouging for delivery. All we can find are the new pods. I’m having a hard tie getting clear info on-line. Anyone got the lowdown? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/2 "2021-12-06T23:16:50Z")
People on the Cascade website are complaining about being unable to get the powder at their local stores. [Cascade Complete Powder - Fresh Scent | Cascade Detergent](https://cascadeclean.com/en-us/products/cascade-complete-powder-fresh-scent/) ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/3 "2021-12-06T23:17:43Z")
Looks like they discontinued Cascade with the Power of Clorox and Cascade Powder with the Power of Clorox in 2018. No sure about the others. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/4 "2021-12-06T23:18:10Z")
I think once you make the switch to liquid, you’ll be quite pleased with the results. No more caked up gunk in your receptor for one. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/5 "2021-12-06T23:36:46Z")
As it’s still listed on their website, that would suggest that it hasn’t been discontinued (though the link below shows that “Fresh Scent” is the only power variety that they are still listing). Whether it’s currently being manufactured or shipped, however, is another question. > **[Cascade Powder | Cascade Detergent](https://cascadeclean.com/en-us/products/powder/)** > > Cascade dishwasher powders offer an exceptional clean against the toughest stains. Find the Cascade soap in powder form that's right for you. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/6 "2021-12-06T23:46:49Z")
Really is weird not to be able to find the product, and not to be able to get clear info. Their site has it available at a nearby store. Feels stupid hunting for dishwashing detergent! ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/7 "2021-12-07T04:20:36Z")
I’ve been buying large bags of Puperoni dog treats at one of two stores in my local area for 6 years now, but all of a sudden the shelves are either empty or repurposed for competitive products my dog won’t eat. I can get it online at a fair price, but why would a company discontinue such a popular product? I know they make more money per unit on the smaller bags. Is it simply greed? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/8 "2021-12-07T04:28:04Z")
I got a box about six weeks ago at Wal-Mart here in Dallas. Haven’t looked since though; I typically use the Cascade complete pacs, and just use the powder for the supplemental indentation in the dispenser. My suspicion is that it’s not a particularly popular product these days (they’re leaning into the pacs pretty hard), and that if there’s any kind of shortages or shipping limitations, that product is the one they’ll sacrifice, versus their premium pacs. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/9 "2021-12-07T14:17:07Z")
I got a box at Kroger a couple weeks ago. The liquids and packs were in somewhat short supply, but the powder also looks like they only ever stocked about a half dozen boxes at any one time. Yes they push the liquid (gel) and packs because they’re more profitable, even thought they’re not necessarily better, and they may even be worse since some of the cleaning chemicals are not shelf-stable in liquid form. I’ve also never seen any difference in residue between the three, they’re almost all the same chemicals with a few exceptions as noted in the video below, it’s just a matter of how much extra water and/or packaging you’re paying for. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ll6-eGDpimU/maxresdefault.jpg "I messed up. You're using too much detergent.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll6-eGDpimU) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/10 "2021-12-07T14:22:15Z")
Never had any problem with the powder. And don’t notice any significant improvement w/ the pods. (And they don’t even taste that good! ;)) I find this sort of marketing decision curious. IF the owed is being discontinued, it is a weird phenomena when a manufacturer discontinues a product that is perfectly fine, and substitutes one that is not necessarily better, but generates greater profit. And, in the process, the manufacturer succeeds in convincing buyers that there was something wrong with the old product, and that the new one is better. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/11 "2021-12-07T16:26:15Z")
If you have a water softener, those pods or packs have wayyyy too much product prepackaged and have to be manually cut down to smaller sizes or you’ll ruin your dishwasher in short order. We’ve used Cascade powder since forever but we’ve also noticed it getting harder to find. Last time we saw some on sale, we practically cleared the shelf off from the store. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/12 "2021-12-07T17:54:48Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I find this sort of marketing decision curious. IF the owed is being discontinued, it is a weird phenomena when a manufacturer discontinues a product that is perfectly fine, and substitutes one that is not necessarily better, but generates greater profit. And, in the process, the manufacturer succeeds in convincing buyers that there was something wrong with the old product, and that the new one is better. That’s kind of the holy grail of business decisions - find something that works the same, costs the same, and is priced higher. Then discontinue any internal competitors and in the process, convince the populace that the discontinued product is worse, and by extension, so are your competitors’ products of the same format. You make more money, and your competitors potentially lose market share. There’s no real way to lose there, unless somehow the die-hard powder fans decide to switch brands for some reason. And I’m guessing brand loyalty is stronger than format loyalty for most people. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/13 "2021-12-08T02:25:59Z")
Snapped this at my local Cincinnati Kroger tonight. Certainly not overflowing, but pretty good representation of all the options, and a very healthy stock of the Cascade powder. It looks like that’s as much as they ever stock of it. [![](https://jjakucyk.com/forums/IMG_1639.jpeg) ](https://jjakucyk.com/forums/IMG_1639.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/14 "2021-12-08T02:38:59Z")
Yeah - but the bottom shelf, man! 😃 Hopefully we just need to expand our search. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/15 "2021-12-08T03:00:05Z")
It does illustrate why stores may be less receptive to powdered products. Same goes for laundry detergent (I’ve only seen powdered Tide at the store, and maybe one boutique top shelf brand in a very small box), washing soda, baking flour, and sugar. They can make quite the mess, though there’s nothing stopping them from using different packaging, as far as I know, other than angering the blue-hairs. It seems that chip board packaging has been “optimized” a little too much and just can’t stand up to the beating they take. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/16 "2021-12-08T03:16:56Z")
I don’t know the answer about Cascade, but I’ll note that my preferred powdered dishwasher detergent is “Finish” powder, and only a few stores carry it. Everybody else is carrying only pods, capsules, modules, or whatever the hell they’re calling them. I prefer to measure out the amount of detergent appropriate to the load. Furthermore, powder lets the dishwasher’s dispenser system release the detergent in two stages, a prewash stage and a main wash stage. I’ve never had clogging problems with powder. For a time I did use Sunlight brand pods and they not only didn’t clean as well as the Finish powder, they also left yellow stains in the dispenser which took dozens of wash cycles to clean out. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/17 "2021-12-08T14:32:35Z")
Talked to my wife. She says that as we’ve bought dishwashers and had them serviced through the years, Cascade powder was the consistent recommendation. Never having had any dishwasher soap related problems, we’ve never seen a reason to go against those consistent recommendations. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/18 "2021-12-08T16:21:28Z")
I looked for it at our local Target months ago to use in the pre wash cycle. Couldn’t find. I did find some generic brand. Last time I was there looking to replace, thoygh, even that was gone. All pods. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/19 "2021-12-08T18:42:19Z")
Weird? More like “business as usual,” isn’t it? My cite is a John D. Macdonald Travis McGee novel from the 1960s, where the hero bemoans the changes to his favourite gin that made it worse but more profitable ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593/20 "2021-12-08T19:39:13Z")
Sorry, it was 1974, “The Dreadful Lemon Sky”: “I…broke out the very last bottle of the Plymouth gin which had been bottled in the United Kingdom. All the others were bottled in the U.S. Gin People, it isn’t the same. It’s still a pretty good gin, but it is not a superb, stingingly dry, and lovely gin…There is something self-destructive about Western technology and distribution. Whenever any consumer object is so excellent that it attracts a devoted following, some of the slide rule and computer types come in on their twinkle toes and take over the store, and in a trice they figure out just how far they can cut quality and still increase the market penetration… Thus the very good things of the world go down the drain, from honest turkey to honest eggs to honest tomatoes. And gin.” Of course, it is not “Western technology and distribution,” but the pressures of competition that force this. McGee switched to Boodles. Any gin fans care to comment? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cascade-dishwasher-powder-being-discontinued/955593.md?page=2)