# So it turns out, some consumers really are cursed **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 6, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853 "2014-05-06T23:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/1 "2014-05-06T23:27:32Z")
It’s frequently brought up by some people that they are “cursed” when it comes to buying decisions and anything they fall in love with is immediately taken off the market. A new study by the Kellogg school of Management has provided [empirical support for this belief](http://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/the_customers_you_do_not_want/) > [@](#): > > there is a very real class of customers who are uncannily attracted to products that will never catch on. Take, for instance, Diet Crystal Pepsi, a notorious product failure. Customers who purchase a product like this are also more likely to purchase, for instance, Frito Lay Lemonade, another product that eventually failed. > > The worst of the harbingers? Repeat customers, those with a tendency to purchase a product like Diet Crystal Pepsi not just once, but over and over again. These customers really, really like the products that end up failing. Harbingers with a history of making four or more repeat purchases of a failed product are nearly twice as likely as other customers to buy another product that fails. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/2 "2014-05-07T00:07:32Z")
I still want my Crystal Pepsi damn it! Apparently I’m one of these harbingers. Cooler Ranch Doritos, Crystal Pepsi, Josta, Surge, Brownie Batter Blizzards, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/3 "2014-05-07T00:28:36Z")
Love the term they use, “harbingers”. They missed out on making it as punny as it is portentous, though, by not phrasing that line in the quote as, “Repeat customers, those with a tendency to purchase large quantities of a product like…” (I’m probably a harbinger, too.) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/4 "2014-05-07T00:41:17Z")
I’m hoarding my sponges, you know, for someone who’s [sponge-worthy.](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sponge-worthy) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/5 "2014-05-07T01:06:30Z")
> [@Mr.Accident](#): > > I still want my Crystal Pepsi damn it! > > Apparently I’m one of these harbingers. Cooler Ranch Doritos, Crystal Pepsi, Josta, Surge, Brownie Batter Blizzards, etc. Could you please develop a liking for Circus Peanuts? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/6 "2014-05-07T01:13:02Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I’m hoarding my sponges, you know, for someone who’s [sponge-worthy.](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sponge-worthy) Why? They are being made again. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/7 "2014-05-07T01:20:20Z")
I am this person. I always like the flavors (Doritos Cheeseburger, you bastards!) that disappear (Herr’s Cheddar and Horseradish, you punks!) or are simply harder to find (Cinnamon toothpaste, Lemon-Lime Powerade Zero, non-floral shower gel, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/8 "2014-05-07T01:35:32Z")
> [@Mr.Accident](#): > > I still want my Crystal Pepsi damn it! > > Apparently I’m one of these harbingers. Cooler Ranch Doritos, Crystal Pepsi, Josta, Surge, Brownie Batter Blizzards, etc. How is Cooler Ranch different from Cool Ranch? AFAIK Surge is still going strong in its Norwegian home (it’s called Urge there). Like all things in Norway, it’s probably $5/bottle, so importing sounds prohibitive. I googled: a guy can get it for you. For $9/bottle if you buy in bulk 😃 ---
**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:** [May 7, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/9 "2014-05-07T01:41:59Z")
I owned an [AMC Gremlin.](http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1658545_1658498_1657865,00.html) Talk about cursed! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/10 "2014-05-07T02:12:23Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > How is Cooler Ranch different from Cool Ranch? Uh, hello? The ranch is coolER. Duh. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/11 "2014-05-07T02:33:36Z")
Yep. That’s me. Betamax. Carnation Breakfast Bars. Choco-lite. Crispy M&Ms. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/12 "2014-05-07T02:34:58Z")
I think it’s a lot simpler than that. For instance, I don’t really prefer sweet things. I’d much rather have a crisp drink than a syrupy one. So when something comes out that qualifies, I love it and become a devotee. But American tastes being what they are, there just isn’t enough of a market to sustain the product. Likewise intellectual books, TV shows and movies. Guaranteed I’ll like them, but most of them fail. The numbers required to define a product or creative work as “successful” in the USA are so unbelievably high, that everything not targeted to the sweet/salty/relaxing/easy/funny market either fails completely or drops into a barely available “niche” status. Of course, I’m not suggesting that _all_ “harbingers” are merely the victims of exquisite taste. That’s probably just me. :rolleyes: 😛 ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/13 "2014-05-07T02:52:44Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I owned an [AMC Gremlin.](http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1658545_1658498_1657865,00.html) > > Talk about cursed! Hahahahahaha I owned a Gremlin and a Ford Pinto and lived to tell the tale. I bought the Gremlin for 50 bucks from another grad student who told me he’d give me my 50 bucks back if it died within 30 days. I sold it 9 or 12 months later to a high school kid with his dad in tow for the same deal. HS kid and Dad were very pleased as was I with the original deal. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/14 "2014-05-07T09:42:12Z")
I am one of those people. I addressed it here: > **[What stuff did "They" stop making just because you like it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=698822)** > > Inspired by this Schick Razor thread. By “They,” I mean the great Control Room in the Sky that monitors people’s purchases and preferences and \*immediately \*shuts down production of any item/food/gadget that I like at precisely the moment that I’ve... I have a BlackBerry, drive a Saturn (my second one, and I owned an AMC Pacer for 11 years before that), and I still use a Palm Pilot. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/15 "2014-05-07T11:51:04Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I’d much rather have a crisp drink than a syrupy one. So _you’re_ the one who bought the Frito Lay Lemonade! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/16 "2014-05-07T14:26:43Z")
But are the customers cursed or do those people curse the product? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/17 "2014-05-07T15:38:08Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > But are the customers cursed or do those people curse the product? I think the harbinger customers are the canaries in the mine shaft. The fact that they are attracted to the product is an indicator that the product only appeals to a narrow market and will not make it in the mass market. The article says: > [@](#): > > But sure enough, there is a very real class of customers who are uncannily attracted to products that will never catch on. Take, for instance, Diet Crystal Pepsi, a notorious product failure. Customers who purchase a product like this are also more likely to purchase, for instance, Frito Lay lemonade, another product that eventually failed. > … > The worst of the harbingers? Repeat customers, those with a tendency to purchase a product like Diet Crystal Pepsi not just once, but over and over again. These customers really, really like the products that end up failing. Harbingers with a history of making four or more repeat purchases of a failed product are nearly twice as likely as other customers to buy another product that fails. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/18 "2014-05-07T15:39:28Z")
But the product comes with a free Frogurt. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/19 "2014-05-07T16:12:25Z")
Let’s see. I liked Diet Crystal Pepsi as a kid. I liked the Chocolate Cherry Diet Dr. Pepper. I liked the crispy M&Ms. I drank a lot of Surge in high school because they were trying to push it with a vending machine that sold cans for a quarter. I think I must be one of them. There used to be a Super Wal-Mart I went to (when I both lived in that area and shopped at Wal-Mart) that had frozen 93/7 (or 96/4 or something similar) burger patties. I’ve never been able to find frozen burgers that lean since, no matter where I look. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853/20 "2014-05-07T16:17:59Z")
I still miss Jello pudding pops. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-turns-out-some-consumers-really-are-cursed/687853.md?page=2)