# Sorry, that product is no longer available **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 22, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365 "2016-10-22T18:16:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/1 "2016-10-22T18:16:16Z")
George Carlin used to have a bit about how he liked a certain type of car door handle. “I like that, don’t you like that? That’s why they don’t make it anymore - they found out we liked that.” Lately I’ve been trying to replace several products I use. Sunglasses, shoes and some household stuff. Time after time, I find the product is no longer available. The sunglasses are a glaring (heh) example. They are required at my job, and I buy good ones. So having found a product that works well for me I want to simply replace them with the same kind when they’ve worn out. Not only is that no longer possible, but I had one of the most baffling conversations of my life at a popular sunglasses chain. After showing the store manager the glasses I’d hoped to replace, she told me they no longer had them. She then added, “You can try online, but if we still carried these we’d sell too many.” “Excuse me?” “We would sell way too many of these. People ask for them all the time. So we don’t carry them anymore.” “Um, isn’t that what you want? To sell lots of sunglasses?” She just shrugged. I’m guessing that the corporate masters of sunglasses calculate that they’ll do better changing models and styles every year than by continuing to sell what people actually want. This seems to happen to me all the time. Products I like morph into variants I no longer want, and the traits that I liked in the first place no longer exist in their descendants. I understand companies feeling the need to improve, but the sunglasses conversation makes me think something has gone really wrong in the marketplace. We now live in a world where my last visit to a government agency, the DMV, took just 10 minutes, and they were helpful and got me what I needed. But the supposedly free market now seems increasingly reluctant to sell products that people really want. So I’m feeling way more “oppressed” by private corporations lately. I feel like a liberal William F. Buckley, standing athwart corporate “progress” yelling ‘stop!’ ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/2 "2016-10-22T19:00:46Z")
Oh. I thought this was going to be about those badly designed stores that still list items in search that are completely unavailable. I don’t mean “temporarily out of stock.” I mean unavailable. If it’s not available, it shouldn’t be in the list at all. But actually saying you don’t stock something because it’s too popular? That’s ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/3 "2016-10-22T19:03:20Z")
Pretty much agree across the board. A lot of my tastes are pretty old-fashioned, and finding that yet one more thing I am comfortable with and get good value from is no longer made in favor of some moderne, likely higher-profit alternative just makes me want to sit on the curb and cry. Dunham closed-toe fisherman sandals, for me. If I’d had any clue Dunham was going to discontinue them, I would have bought a couple of pair to store, and taken better care of my older ones. (I tended to wear a new pair for “dressier” use, a worn pair for every day and a battered pair for work around the house and yard. I had a couple of older pairs in better shape than my last new pair… but now I’m down to one very battered yard pair.) Absolutely no good substitute, especially in my size. > [@](#): > > But the supposedly free market now seems increasingly reluctant to sell products that people really want. _Very_ insightful. You’re close to realizing that our consumer goods system does _not_ sell “what people want” - it sells _what we can be made to buy_. Not the same thing, and never was. But the Econ 101 types will be along to tell us that’s not how it works. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/4 "2016-10-22T19:05:57Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > “We would sell way too many of these. People ask for them all the time. So we don’t carry them anymore.” That’s just bizarre. Has anybody got an attempt at a rational explanation? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/5 "2016-10-22T19:10:33Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > That’s just bizarre. Has anybody got an attempt at a rational explanation? My translation, following my above post, is that it’s an older style and thus moderately priced, and thus lower in profitability and market share than newer styles. So if the store carried them, “everyone would buy them” at the lower, lower-margin price that does little to lock them into store or brand loyalty - instead of spending twice as much on an ephemeral style that makes more money and creates more market frenzy. Kind of like how Taco Bell can take their same basic five ingredients, whip them into a different configuration, and get $4.00 for it instead of $1.29. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/6 "2016-10-22T19:18:41Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > So if the store carried them, “everyone would buy them” at the lower, lower-margin price that does little to lock them into store or brand loyalty - instead of spending twice as much on an ephemeral style that makes more money and creates more market frenzy. Okay, that makes sense (from the seller’s point of view). ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/7 "2016-10-22T19:22:52Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Okay, that makes sense (from the seller’s point of view). You say that as if the buyer’s POV mattered. Never forget that consumers essentially don’t exist in most economic theory. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/8 "2016-10-22T19:33:09Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > You say that as if the buyer’s POV mattered. Only in the sense that, from a marketing standpoint, the seller has to at least pretend to take the buyer’s POV into account. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/9 "2016-10-22T19:37:31Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Only in the sense that, from a marketing standpoint, the seller has to at least pretend to take the buyer’s POV into account. Not really… well, yes, but it’s less an acquiescence to the buyer’s individual desires than a fan-dance to make them believe that fostered desire was their own. The rawest form of this can be seen in ads phrased, “Of course you’ve always wanted…” (Well, no, not until you made me want it, Draper…) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/10 "2016-10-22T19:53:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Amateur Barbarian** : > > My translation, following my above post, is that it’s an older style and thus moderately priced, and thus lower in profitability and market share than newer styles. So if the store carried them, “everyone would buy them” at the lower, lower-margin price that does little to lock them into store or brand loyalty - instead of spending twice as much on an ephemeral style that makes more money and creates more market frenzy. So don’t sell them for a low price. If that many people want them, then you could probably still sell a decent amount for a higher price. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/11 "2016-10-22T20:19:38Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Pretty much agree across the board. A lot of my tastes are pretty old-fashioned, and finding that yet one more thing I am comfortable with and get good value from is no longer made in favor of some moderne, likely higher-profit alternative just makes me want to sit on the curb and cry. > > Dunham closed-toe fisherman sandals, for me. If I’d had any clue Dunham was going to discontinue them, I would have bought a couple of pair to store, and taken better care of my older ones. (I tended to wear a new pair for “dressier” use, a worn pair for every day and a battered pair for work around the house and yard. I had a couple of older pairs in better shape than my last new pair… but now I’m down to one very battered yard pair.) Absolutely no good substitute, especially in my size. > _Very_ insightful. You’re close to realizing that our consumer goods system does _not_ sell “what people want” - it sells _what we can be made to buy_. Not the same thing, and never was. But the Econ 101 types will be along to tell us that’s not how it works. There are a ton of closed toe fisherman sandals available from any number of vendors. It’s not like you don’t have wealth of alternative choices. Here 's an available Dunham > **[Amazon.com | Dunham Men's Monterey Fisherman Sandal | Sandals](https://www.amazon.com/Dunham-Mens-Monterey-Fisherman-Sandal/dp/B003UM2DK0)** > > Dunham fits. Dunham products are made to fit your life, your needs, your activities, and most importantly, your feet. Dunham makes outdoor, work and casual shoes in more sizes and widths than anyone else. This means that no matter what path you take,... ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/12 "2016-10-22T20:27:46Z")
> [@astro](#): > > There are a ton of closed toe fisherman sandals available from any number of vendors. It’s not like you don’t have wealth of alternative choices. At size 11-1/2 or 12, 6E+ (with a high instep), no I don’t. I also prefer an oil-tanned finish for active wear and not a shoe-leather finish that has to be maintained. Most 6E’s are wide enough only if I also go up a half to a full size over my nominal 11. Finding shoes that fit, and last, is a real bitch. I have some sorta-equivalents from Hitchcock, but they’re about half as well made and after a year and a half are in rags with plastic heel supports showing, etc. But thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/13 "2016-10-22T20:36:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So don’t sell them for a low price. If that many people want them, then you could probably still sell a decent amount for a higher price. Well, don’t tell me - I’m not in the biz. 🙂 But elaborate bean-counting and greed to have a whole market segment (if not market) to themselves means narrow, short-sighted decisions like this get made. “Nah, it’s not worth selling 100,000 pairs of those at $89 because selling 250,000 at $49 screws up our master plan to have everybody wear the exclusive models…” Yes, it’s nonsense. Welcome to the world of consumer goods manufacturing that isn’t run according to hoary Econ 101 precepts. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/14 "2016-10-22T21:04:24Z")
I once had a really baffling encounter in a shoe store. I had found the perfect boot, at least for my left foot. Some research around the store indicated that the right boot was the one on display in the window. So I asked for it. “Oh no, that’s only for display.” “Put another one on display.” “Oh no, we don’t have any others of this style.” ??? Either I buy the pair, in which case you will have NO boots of that style, and therefore no need to display it. Or I don’t buy it, in which case you can put the boot back in the window. Only thing I could think of was the guy was saving that particular pair for some special customer. And they should have ordered more of that particular boot as it was obviously a keeper. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/15 "2016-10-22T21:12:09Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > My translation, following my above post, is that it’s an older style and thus moderately priced, and thus lower in profitability and market share than newer styles. So if the store carried them, “everyone would buy them” at the lower, lower-margin price that does little to lock them into store or brand loyalty - instead of spending twice as much on an ephemeral style that makes more money and creates more market frenzy. > > Kind of like how Taco Bell can take their same basic five ingredients, whip them into a different configuration, and get $4.00 for it instead of $1.29. Oh, the old different configuration. I just ran into that with a hair care product. This product–Kerasilk daily mask–was for sale in a tube, $18 for 150 ml (whatever a ml is). Pricey, but actually worth it to me as I have long, wavy, fine hair and I need a product that gives me a lot of slip without adding a lot of gunk to my hair, and this product was magic. So I went in to replace it when I ran out. Well, they have it. But they have repackaged it. It is now in a jar–seemed to be a glass jar, a thing I certainly don’t want in the shower, but I don’t want a jar in any case–and now it’s…$45 for 200 ml. Whoa! The proprietor tried to tell me I was now getting twice as much. Nope. Not only am I not getting twice as much, it has more than doubled and it’s now in a container I don’t want. WTF? I am not buying it, but I guess somebody is buying it. Or actually, I AM buying it. On the Internet. Not in that store. I’m not even going back there for a haircut. I’m thinking maybe I ought to buy a case of it but if I did that my hair would probably fall out and I wouldn’t need it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/16 "2016-10-22T21:12:25Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > ] > The sunglasses are a glaring (heh) example. They are required at my job, and I buy good ones. So having found a product that works well for me I want to simply replace them with the same kind when they’ve worn out. > > Not only is that no longer possible, but I had one of the most baffling conversations of my life at a popular sunglasses chain. After showing the store manager the glasses I’d hoped to replace, she told me they no longer had them.’ why not give us the brand name? ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/17 "2016-10-22T22:00:14Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > why not give us the brand name? Because I’m tired of having anything I type then turn up in ads on every web page I read. But it rhymes with Punglass Mutt. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/18 "2016-10-22T22:15:25Z")
I honestly cannot count the number of comestibles that have disappeared from the supermarket shortly after I have discovered that I like them. The latest were a couple of Mexican spice/sauce mixes. I had them for a while but after using them with great results found that they are either no longer made or no longer stocked by supermarkets. In a similar vein the local road authority updated their live traffic app to eliminate the one and only function that I found useful for planning my trip to work each day. Other than the travel time function disappearing the new version looks just like the old one. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/19 "2016-10-22T22:55:16Z")
Hydrox. There was a cookie! Oreo? C’mon. That decision is like that guy who was standing there with John Lennon and Yoko Ono and a gun. And shoots Lennon! ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365/20 "2016-10-22T22:59:36Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > Because I’m tired of having anything I type then turn up in ads on every web page I read. But it rhymes with Punglass Mutt. The brand name of the sunglasses, not the store? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-that-product-is-no-longer-available/769365.md?page=2)