Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Seemingly Obsolete Companies They're Surprised Are Still In Operation Today

A shot of a small gift store with a 'final blitz' sign
Photo by Help Stay on Unsplash
Make us preferred on Google

There are so many companies and products that have fallen by the wayside as time marched on.

Some companies we never thought we'd live without.

Some, we're glad to see crumble... I'm looking at you Columbia House.

Who else thought CDs for a dollar sounded too good to be true?

It's always surprising when you stumble upon a company or store still open that you could've sworn had shuttered long ago.

If only I could find a Shoney's.

Best breakfast buffet ever!

Because I certainly don't need anymore Amway.


Redditor HRJafael wanted to know who still has their doors open and has some staff, so they asked:

"What 'obsolete' companies are you surprised are still holding on in the modern world?"

The other day I saw a Radio Shack. I thought it was 1999.

What's next? A Circuit City?

Who is She?

Weight Loss Lol GIF by Sofa City SweetheartGiphy

"Jenny Craig just bottomed up this week. I'm surprised it lasted this long."

BlackPopeye_03

Knock, Knock

"I had some older woman knocking on my door at like 2 pm on a Wednesday trying to come in and give me a demo of a Kirby vacuum cleaner. Also, door-to-door salespeople are apparently still a thing in 2023."

jimx117

"I have a nice Kirby from one of those salespeople. Convinced her to try some homemade shine. Her driver/supervisor stopped and tried some as well. They both got so buzzed they left the demo model at my house. It’s been 4 years and no one has tried to get it back. Quite a few attachments as well."

HoosierPaul

The Catalog

"I read that Netflix just announced they are going to stop mailing DVD's for rental in the next few months. I thought they stopped doing that a long time ago."

King_Kong_The_eleven

"Apparently this is a big deal for hardcore movie fans, as there are many movies deep in the movie catalog that are not available to view through streaming."

roraima_is_very_tall

"There's a reasonably large community that prefers physical media, particularly UHD BDs to streaming. I mean it does make sense, those enthusiasts have spent considerable amounts of money on their equipment, so they will naturally get the best possible picture quality."

samstown23

Hey John

"There's a secret society among us that is keeping Long John Silvers afloat."

EMPRAH40k

"My grandma liked to go there for a piece of fish and some hush puppies. Then she’d take me to McDonald’s for coffee (for her -I was a small child) and a vanilla cone. When I miss her I go to one of the last Long John Silvers in my area and get fish and hush puppies."

yesiamyam233203

"Secret society meaning those who only eat fish during Lent."

"I mentioned it in a different thread but Lent is like a 40-day Black Friday for Long John Silvers."

"Source: former LJS employee who experienced lines out the door during Lent."

StasnoFrete

AO What?

aol GIFGiphy

"Blows my mind that aol.com is still a thing."

Iliveacrossthegreen

"I honestly thought this was gone and I didn't notice until I worked in IT support and saw people with AOL emails. Total shock for me."

Arcades_Samnoth

I still can't believe I know people with AOL.

Do they know the century?

Bad Execution

raul julia GIFGiphy

"Cutco. Seems like they could be much more successful if they dropped their current sales rep pyramid model."

i0datamonster

"Yeah, I never understood the MLM thing. Sometimes the product is actually good, but the execution is garbage."

CpuJunky

I need a number

"The yellow pages."

AlternativeSelfee

"I do remember before being able to look stuff up online, going out of town & browsing the yellow pages @ the hotel looking for places to eat & many other things. I couldn't tell you when I last saw a set of yellow pages."

Runes_my_ride

"I work at a hotel. About once every two years I get someone asking if we have a copy of the Yellow Pages."

steelgate601

A reason for every holiday...

"Party City. Their stores are huge and every time I go there’s less than 10 customers."

iamnotkelly

"Party City is one of those stores that makes its nut from a few days a year. The week before Halloween and there's a line out the door."

"4th of July, Easter, graduation time, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are when they do their business. It's a one-stop shop for everything you need for an event that allows you to see it beforehand and not make a bad Amazon purchase."

StalkMeNowCrazyLady

Bad Health

"Herbalife. Don’t the people know? Lol."

CThreePHo

"They've been opening storefronts that pose as small health food shake shops in place of (or in addition to?) the old MLM model. They just opened one down the street from my job and stopped by with free samples."

"They tried really hard to disguise that it's Herbalife."

"It's a really weird business model, you buy a 'one-day membership' in their health club that comes with a shake and an energy tea and I think that's supposed to let them skirt some legal issue with the shops?"

daabilge

Check Please

Applebees GIFGiphy

"Applebees. I can microwave my own food."

User8675309021069

"The other week I was at Applebee's when the waitress came by and I told her that my Pepsi wasn't tasting right, and she offered to put water in it."

REDDIT

Applebee's? Who in the world wold still eat there? I've turned down free food from there. Geesh.

What would you add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Ellen Pompeo
Dominik Bindl/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival

Ellen Pompeo Sparks Representation Debate After Being Cast As Woman With Hearing Loss In New TV Series

Actor Ellen Pompeo has sparked a debate about representation after announcing her next television gig.

Pompeo, best known for her long-running stint as the titular Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy, is set to star in a new medical drama in development at Hulu playing a character with hearing loss.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rafael "Ted" Cruz; Elon Musk and Donald Trump
PBD Podcast; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Ted Cruz Details How Trump Reacted After Elon Musk Tweeted That He's In The Epstein Files Amid Their Public Fallout—And Yiiikes

The relationship between tech investor Elon Musk and MAGA Republican President Donald Trump might be best described as complicated. Musk and Trump teamed up for the 2024 election over their shared White nationalism.

In the immediate aftermath of the inauguration, Musk held a major role in the second Trump administration, heading up the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that slashed appropriated funds' budget line items from agencies and departments across the federal government—something only Congress has authority to do—often based on a label of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) assigned by AI output and carried out by untrained, unqualified "tech bros."

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

It Looks Like Trump's Tacky Monument To Himself In DC May Become A Reality—And People Are Truly Disgusted

Critics pounced on President Donald Trump's latest vanity project after Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced that excavation will begin for an enormous arch that will bear Trump's name.

Trump has given significant attention to White House renovations and other pet projects around Washington, D.C., since returning to office. Trump's White House renovations have already cost nearly $1 billion, according to one analysis.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kevin Dillon, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Debi Mazar, Doug Ellin, Jerry Ferrara, Rex Lee and Jeremy Piven posing on a red carpet event in front of an "Entourage" step and repeat.
Gregg DeGuire / Contributor/Getty Images

'Entourage' Creator Speaks Out After Debi Mazar Claims Set Became 'Toxic' After Birth Of Her 2nd Child

Loosely inspired by the early days of Mark Wahlberg's rise to fame in Hollywood, Entourage, which Wahlberg executive-produced, was one of the most successful original series ever produced by HBO.

Premiering in 2004, Entourage went on to run eight seasons, and win six Emmy awards, even spawning a film, which premiered on HBO in 2015.

Keep ReadingShow less
Evan Rachel Wood reflects on being recast in Practical Magic 2 after originating the role of Kylie Owens.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Courtesy of Warner Bros.

'Practical Magic' Star Evan Rachel Wood Reveals Nobody From Original Film Reached Out To Her Before Her Role Was Re-Cast For Sequel

When Practical Magic 2 was announced last year, fans were ready to head back to the Owens family home—but apparently, not everyone from the original cast got the invitation.

The sequel picks up 25 years after the 1998 cult classic, with Joey King and Maisie Williams taking over as Kylie and Antonia Owens, the daughters of Sandra Bullock’s Sally. The recasting hasn’t exactly worked its magic on everyone, with fans complaining about Evan Rachel Wood and Alexandra Artrip being replaced in the roles they originated.

Keep ReadingShow less