When Keyana Sapp, 31, went shopping for a new backpack, he found that the brands he remembered from childhood, including North Face, JanSport, and Eastpak, were no longer the same. After researching, he discovered these brands were all owned by VF Corporation following acquisitions in the 2000s. Sapp shared his findings on Reddit, which sparked broader discussions about declining quality across various consumer goods such as cookware, shoes, tools, and clothing.

“It seems like that was a story that just repeated in every industry,” Sapp told the Guardian. He noted that large conglomerates and private equity firms have been acquiring trusted brands and exploiting their reputations until they become mere husks of their former selves.

This decline in quality is reflected in consumer experiences nationwide. The National Consumer Rage Study found that three-quarters of Americans encountered a quality or service issue in 2025, a rate double that recorded since the survey began in 1976. Additionally, customer complaints have reached record levels according to the latest University of Michigan American Customer Satisfaction Index.

Earlier in August 2026, the New York Times’ Wirecutter documented changes in the ingredients and taste of Talenti gelato following its 2012 acquisition by Unilever, exemplifying the broader trend. Meanwhile, the Reddit group Enshittification, named after tech critic Cory Doctorow’s term for internet decline, has served as a platform for consumers to voice frustrations about worsening products and services since its inception in 2023.

These developments suggest a pervasive pattern of declining product quality across multiple industries in the United States.

Sources