# Why did The Sharper Image go out of business? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 4, 2008, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765 "2008-12-04T23:02:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/21 "2008-12-05T07:40:51Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > So there’s a hole in the marketplace for DAK to make a comeback, then? I had no idea the [Third Reich had decided to get involved in Libya or Tunisia again](http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrika_Korps)… ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/22 "2008-12-05T11:56:59Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I had no idea the [Third Reich had decided to get involved in Libya or Tunisia again](http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrika_Korps)… Link doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/23 "2008-12-05T12:17:11Z")
> [@BarnOwl](#): > > Link doesn’t work. It was a link to the Wikipedia page on the _Deutsches Afrika Korps_; I can’t be bothered trying to get the link fixed for a throwaway joke. 😉 However, I will say that I looked in a Sharper Image store in February this year and thought it was kind of like the retail version of a 1950s _Popular Science_ magazine- full of very cool but ultimately impractical or useless technological gizmos. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/24 "2008-12-05T15:19:12Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > At least the DAK catalog was entertaining. And the stuff wasn’t as overpriced, as I recall, though a lot of it was special purpose gadgets that had marginal use. I can’t recall that I ever bought any of them. I did. Bought a stereo system from DAK which sounds great. (It still works, after 20+ years.) They even upgraded the turntable for free when the one I had ordered was out of stock. Overall, it was a good purchase. Never saw the point of Sharper Image, though. RR ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/25 "2008-12-05T15:41:16Z")
At one of my old jobs they gave out $350 gift cards to the Sharper Image as an Xmas bonus. No one could find anything they wanted. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/26 "2008-12-05T16:35:31Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > They sold phony products and got [caught](http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/02/sharper_image.html) at it. It releases ozone–isn’t that good for rebuilding that pesky ozone layer? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/27 "2008-12-05T16:42:01Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > It releases ozone–isn’t that good for rebuilding that pesky ozone layer? The ozone layer is self-repairing. I don’t think a chintzy little fan could add much to what the sun is already doing for it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/28 "2008-12-05T16:58:11Z")
They sold crap that didn’t work, which it appears was often a blessing in disquise. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/29 "2008-12-05T18:29:27Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > However, I will say that I looked in a Sharper Image store in February this year and thought it was kind of like the retail version of a 1950s _Popular Science_ magazine- full of very cool but ultimately impractical or useless technological gizmos. Reminds me of a line from the song “Charity Case” from nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot’s first CD. Up until the CD came out, Front had just been giving his music away free on his Web site. The point of the song is to explain to his fans that, no, the CD _isn’t_ free, and also what he’s going to do once he’s rich and famous: **“Gonna buy gadgets that don’t do anything but beep and blink”** ---
**Author:** ![T\_SQUARE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@T\_SQUARE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T_SQUARE)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/30 "2008-12-05T18:48:10Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > Skymall is allways entertaining to read, but it is seriously just a bunch of crap. I figure that the people that buy this stuff have loads of expendable income and no real instincts as to what is actually likely to be worthwhile. Well I’d like to know where you get **your** frisbees with built in barometers then, Mr. Expert Shopper. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/31 "2008-12-05T19:34:44Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > [DAK is already back](http://www.dak.com/). Thanks for the link. I loved DAK then and in 14 years forgot how much I missed having Drew Kaplan explain to me in glowing terms why I need some of that crap. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/32 "2008-12-05T20:15:57Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > Brookstone is marginally better in that some of their stuff is overpriced, but exactly what you think. Like you say, they have nice slippers and blankets and stuff. It’s overpriced, but there is no expectation that it will do anything exept be comfy. Although I do have an ionic air purifier from them too. (The warranty service on it was impressive though. Bring in a broken one without a box or receipt, and get a new one of a newer model on the spot.) ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/33 "2008-12-05T20:16:27Z")
I remember them having much cooler stuff in the past than they have had in recent years. Nowadays, it seems like 90% of the store is filled with nosehair-trimming flashlights, cheap golf shit, and plastic radio-controlled robots. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/34 "2008-12-05T20:54:07Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > The ozone layer is self-repairing. I don’t think a chintzy little fan could add much to what the sun is already doing for it. It is? So is the issue that it is depleting faster than it can self-repair? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/35 "2008-12-05T21:00:59Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > It releases ozone–isn’t that good for rebuilding that pesky ozone layer? > [@Cisco](#): > > The ozone layer is self-repairing. I don’t think a chintzy little fan could add much to what the sun is already doing for it. > [@gigi](#): > > It is? So is the issue that it is depleting faster than it can self-repair? [The Master on the ozone.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/814/why-cant-we-use-bad-ozone-from-pollution-to-replenish-the-thinning-ozone-layer) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/36 "2008-12-05T21:16:29Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > Skymall is allways entertaining to read, but it is seriously just a bunch of crap. I figure that the people that buy this stuff have loads of expendable income and no real instincts as to what is actually likely to be worthwhile. Once in a blue moon, they have products that are pretty innovative and cool, but are of course ridiculously priced. I first saw those integrated vinyl turntable/CD burner units in Skymall, for around $500. I thought it would make a great Christmas gift for my computer-phobic record collecting brother, so I kept an eye out for it over the next year or so. We finally got him one at Target for less than $150. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/37 "2008-12-05T21:40:33Z")
> [@T\_SQUARE](#): > > Well I’d like to know where you get **your** frisbees with built in barometers then, Mr. Expert Shopper. Oh those barameter frisbee’s are a scam. Instead you should get the Xena disc replica frisbee with rubber band attatchment, because before now you never realized how much you wanted to play frisbee with yourself. Despite the fact that the add didn’t specifically state it, I’m sure the mechanism works exactly as you expect. Also, don’t ever let your kids order those X-ray glasses if you don’t want them to see you naked, and sea monkey really do have cool tea parties. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/38 "2008-12-05T22:41:32Z")
> [@T\_SQUARE](#): > > Well I’d like to know where you get **your** frisbees with built in barometers then, Mr. Expert Shopper. Thinkgeek, of course. Along with the ultraviolet laser pointer and the LP-to-VHS converter. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/39 "2008-12-05T23:10:36Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > [The Master on the ozone.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/814/why-cant-we-use-bad-ozone-from-pollution-to-replenish-the-thinning-ozone-layer) OK, OK, I’ve got it. We take all these Ionic breezes, and put them up on the [highest point in Antarctica](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinson_Massif). Well, OK, it isn’t quite in the stratosphere; it’s close enough for government work, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765/40 "2008-12-06T00:59:37Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > At one of my old jobs they gave out $350 gift cards to the Sharper Image as an Xmas bonus. No one could find anything they wanted. I got a $150 gift certificate! Me and a coworker went in every time we went to the chinese food place and bought batteries. That’s the only thing we found there that we could use, and we’d go in every couple weeks and clean them out until the gift cards were empty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-sharper-image-go-out-of-business/475765.md?page=1)