In today's article about products that are disappearing from shelves, I mentioned that bar soap, antiperspirant spray, powdered laundry detergent, incandescent lightbulbs and bamboo sheets and towels are on the decline on store shelves.
What else might be on the decline? Bottled water, said retail and consumer products analyst Ted Vaughan. As consumers switch to filtered tap water and reusable containers, the bottled water industry wll most likely experience declines, said Vaughan. Coca Cola (Dasani) and Pepsi (Aquafina) are already taking steps to use less plastic in the bottles.
On a related note, consumers can get a little panicky when their favorite brands or products are pulled from shelves.Sometimes consumer begging will bring back a beloved product such as the Polaroid Instant Camera or the Today contraceptive sponge, but more often a product just never returns to the market. I miss you, Planters Cheez Balls and Trader Joe's Tamari Almonds.
Here are more brands that could be making their last lap, according to Burt Flickinger, a retail analyst and managing director of Strategic Resource Group.
Converse shoes: The company went into bankruptcy and Nike resurrected it as a minor sub-brand. One of the last remaining athletic shoes still made in America, Converse is now made in China.
RCA and Zenith electronics. Aging brands.
Ivory soap, Dreft and Cheer. Aging brands that Procter & Gamble rarely features in its advertising anymore.
Huffy bikes. Once an American-made brand that survived bankruptcy, it is now made in China and in decline.
