People Reveal Which Innovative Products They Absolutely Refuse To Buy
Reddit user WaterWalsh asked: 'What product no matter how innovative it is do you refuse to buy?'
With the latest advancements in technology, consumers are faced with the challenge of narrowing their list of products to buy.
The anxiety is only fueled by FOMO–fear of missing out–when they see their friends on social media bragging about the latest gadget that supposedly makes life easier.
But some people can't be bothered with all the fancy gadgets that are at the top of consumer reports as the best product so far in whatever year we're in.
They just prefer sticking to the basics and doing things the old-school way–like clicking on the TV with a remote instead of dictating to it what you want it to do after fumbling around for that elusive mic button to activate the function.
Curious to hear from consumers, Redditor WaterWalsh asked:
"What product no matter how innovative it is do you refuse to buy?"
Some people could do without all the bells and whistles of tried and true basic appliances.
Chilly Reception
"Smart' Refrigerator. I just need something that keeps my food cold. I don't need it to show me advertisements or what foods I might be out of. I can look for myself."
– SomeSamples
"Unless it can remind me of the box of fresh spinach that I stacked the yogurt in front of and, therefore, forgot existed, I wouldn't even consider it."
– FallenEquinox
Things Get Heated
"A stove also shouldn’t be connected to the internet and should just be a normal stove."
– Illustrious_Risk3732
"My stove has an app so you can set the oven temperature from your phone, when I got it I thought 'ok this might be useful if I want to preheat the oven on my way home or something,' but alas, it proved itself useless, you have to touch your phone to the oven to give it the command, like wft?? I'm already here I might as well just turn on the damn oven."
– I_dont_know_you_pick
Get The Picture?
"If I could, I wouldn’t even buy a smart tv. That’s what my Apple TV is for. I just need something to turn on and make a nice picture."
– GlendoraBug
"I intentionally locked out my smart TV because I have a secondary device. It doesn't need to be connected to the mothership. My TCL television probably has zero security, and who knows how many backdoors to circumvent my router."
"All these IoT devices are just great "dumb" tools to use for DDOS attacks by unsavory nation states. Blackberry said this years ago."
– SkivvySkidmarks
Just because products are under a famous person's name doesn't necessarily make them top quality.
Clever Marketing, Poor Product
"I’m Irish and Conor McGregor’s whiskey isn’t really drank over here. It’s very average whiskey with a premium price tag. You could buy far superior whiskey for less. His branding is amazing though."
"It’s the same with his stout. No one in Ireland touches it... Again his branding is amazing and people all over the world are buying in to this sh*t."
– geoffraffe
Refusing The Socialite Family Brand
"Anything promoted by any kardashian… my curling iron broke so I stopped at target on the way home (This was years ago)… all they had were curling irons with Kardashians on the box - I refused."
– SammieCat50
These consumers just don't get the hype over these smart devices.
Bendy Phones
"Folding smartphones. They're expensive as all get out, and I've seen a lot of them develop weird screen issues just through normal use, that are prohibitively expensive to repair. I'll stick to my slab phone."
– EvilDarkCow
Personal Home Assistant
"Alexa."
– f'kswagga
"My roommate has one and I f'king hate it."
– VeterinarianFit1309
"My girlfriend has an Alexa in our bedroom and it's the most annoying thing in the world. She uses it to set a morning alarm and it always start spouting the weather and playing sh**ty music that we both hate. She refuses to get rid of it because she comes from a third world country and always dreamed of having 'American-life tech.' Of course, I overlook it because I don't want to be an a**hole, but nevertheless I dread waking up in the morning and hearing the Bezos bot."
– OldLavyGenes1998
Undesirable Communication Partner
"As a general rule, I don't like talking to inanimate objects."
– Interesting_Ad2464
"We got one as a gift, put it in the kitchen."
"1. The little kitchen TV was on and had an Alexa commercial and then our Alexa started talking to the commercial because the woman on TV said "Alexa" and it kinda went back and forth."
"I thought some people broke into the house. Our Alexa (don't ask me how) was playing our neighbors having a fight next door through their Alexa."
"The device lasted about a week before it was donated."
– Mackheath1
People were getting nowhere fast with these cars of the future.
Out Of Touch
"Cars with touch screens."
– Ruminations0
"I could stand a touch-screen, so long as it was supplemented with buttons. A car with only a touch screen? Terrible."
– SuperFLEB
"Have one of those at work. Just changing the heat while driving is a risk of traffic accident."
– Kaikeno
Some Drivers Musk Need This
"Tesla."
– brando9d7d
"I rented a Tesla on my last trip. I have the electric Volvo as a company car, so I was curious what Teslas were like. What a piece of sh*t. Materials are cheap, fit and finish was like my 95 Saturn, and it took forever to figure out how to control everything. Almost every damned thing has to be controlled by the software. Even the wipers, which is really distracting while you're driving. The key card recognizes when you walk up and unlocks the door, however in order to actually drive you have to tap the card on the arm rest. It's so stupid. Oh, and the 'shifter' is where the wipers should be, on the steering column. It's like they went out of their way to make the whole car as different as they could just to do it. I was happy to get back to the Volvo as it's a normal car that happens to have a battery, and a much better product."
– IcedT_NoLemon
Maybe it's because I'm not a gamer, but I personally don't see the need for an iPad.
I love using my iPhone and MacBook Pro to get all my business and social needs in order. Introducing a third option for going about my daily tasks and interacting with social media will only make my head spin.
I've also seen people walking around with their iPads and taking photos with them, which looks ridiculous in my opinion.
I remember thinking to myself after witnessing the bizarre practice, "I will not be that person."
But hey, that's just me.
Value is subjective.
Manufacturing costs may be low to mass produce a product or item that is commercially sold anywhere, and depending on demand, prices can skyrocket.
But there are relatively affordable things that aren't the subject of an intense bidding war on the secondary market like eBay.
So what are these useful products that don't cost a fortune?
Fortunately for us, Redditor acidiclee asked strangers online:
"What item under $50 drastically improved your life?"
Practical lifesavers can be found at a next-to-nothing cost.
Laundry Room Upgrade
"It's a small thing: a closet rod installed above my washer/dryer, and extra hangers."
"Now clothes get taken out of the dryer and put on a hanger right away rather than end up as a pile on the floor, or in a basket never to be properly put away."
– bengine
It Really Sticks Out
"Curved shower rod."
– Beauregarden
Pet Owner's Dream
"A rubber bristled broom. I have two dogs and two cats, and my house is all hardwood and tile. A regular broom just sends the fur floating everywhere, but my rubber broom keeps it all nice and tidy and easy to pick up. It works on my area rug and upholstered furniture, too!"
– Boose81
Rinse With Ease And Comfort
"Shower chair. I've got a f'ked up back and I initially got it for that but even if my back was fine I'd still have one, they're so useful. If you shave your legs, you won't regret it."
– mad_fishmonger
Electronic wonders never cease.
Fancy Headwrap
"Head-band headphones. It's like a thin elastic fabric band with thin bluetooth headphones inside. Around £20 from the bald richest guy. So ear plugs weren't enough to stop the random footsteps and furniture noises through paper-thin ceiling at night, but adding those to the set with random "sleep music" from YT drastically improved my sleep."
– obviously_suspicious
Take Charge
"Battery pack to charge your phone."
"We’ve all been in situations where having your phone on is super important, and not having to be tied to an outlet is even better."
– blackmagic999
Presto Heat-O
"A cheap microwave and coffee maker for my work van. I have an inverter for my tools that I use to run them. Hot coffee and hot lunches make a huge difference, especially on bad days."
– outlaw-gentleman
Solutions to these headaches were well within these Redditors' budgets.
Meds Management
"My 9$ pill organizer."
"Friends have laughed at me because it seems like an old people thing, but I‘ve finally managed to stick to my meds (yes, ironically my ADHD is so bad I couldn‘t even get that done). To me this was a real life changer!"
"Bonus points: I‘m the only one who knows which day it is during the pandemic."
– Sweetholymary
Kitchen Space
"My apartment has like 0 counterspace, in reality only a total of 5 feet spread through three areas next to the sink and stove. I spent like $15 on a 4 foot table. That now holds all my kitchen stuff like toaster, distiller, crock pot, and instant pot. It has just enough room for all that."
"Since it is a common question, the distiller is for purifying water. It boils water then collects the steam and condenses it back to water in a pot on the side. It is the exact same process as how to make stronger alcohol, but this is a higher temperature so it leaves behind solids that I clean out once a week. I like pure water and I get all my minerals from my foods. I enjoy cooking so I choose menu items that get all my minerals."
– Nicholi417
Measure Of Success
"11 pound capacity digital kitchen scale. For baking, cooking and correctly identifying portion sizes."
– HokeyPokeyGuy
Heat Pack
"Hot water bottle. I live in cold Scandinavia and have chronic pain. It gets used pretty much all year around."
– melkesjokolade89
An apple slicer drastically changed my life.
The thought of coring an apple prevented me from eating the one thing everyday that supposedly keeps the doctor away.
Now, all I have to do is place the handy tool above the apple, press down, and viola! A healthy snack in seconds.
So, what's a similar tool to use on whole pineapples??
I love an all-purpose product.
If humans have to multi-task so should our everyday things.
For instance, my wine key...
Gives me wine and I can take an attacker's eye out.
Brilliant!
What else?
What products can serve a multi-purpose?
The more useful the better.
Redditor secondhandsisters wanted to make a list of the things we may have or need that covers dual purposes.
"What are some lesser-known secondary uses for an everyday product?"
Vodka. Did you know it also disinfects?
God's gift.
Down the Drain....
cockroach GIFGiphy"Bleach to keep away cockroaches. I used to get big a** cockroaches in the summer that came up my drain. My exterminator told me to pour 1 cup of bleach down my drain each week. You have to pour it down the drain in the room you see them. I started 18 months ago and haven't seen a cockroach since."
moochello
Pour it In...
"Use salt as an abrasive and absorber when cleaning. I spray my stove top with a general household cleaner then sprinkle salt liberally over the top. It gets grease out easily."
"For liquid stains like wine, I pour salt over the stain to soak up excess liquid then come through with hydrogen peroxide. Finally I get absorbent towels and dab clean it."
fopeo
Down Below
"Scuba diver here. Instead of using those expensive defogger gels and sprays on your mask, smear a bunch of dish soap in it, rinse once or twice, and your mask will never fog during the dive."
"You can also use this method to keep your windshield from fogging. Smear a bunch of dish soap on a towel, then rub it all over the inside of your windshield. Take another damp towel and rub the soap off until your wind shield is clear. I did this 3 weeks ago and have not had to defog a single time since."
layerzeroissue
The Mist
"Shaving foam reduces\stops misting on bathroom mirrors and car windows."
wirral_guy
"You can also use it to write creepy text like 'I died here' or 'I'm watching you' on mirrors of other people's bathrooms. When done right it will be pretty much invisible normally but the text will show up when someone is taking a bath/shower and the mirror fogs up."
ben_g0
Blot
friends GIF by Stan.Giphy"Toilet seat covers are the same as blotting paper for oily skin."
wurstbrot_royal
Oil is really quite amazing. It covers a lot.
I hate Redisue
Whats Up Nod GIF by WWEGiphy"Any cooking oil is a great way to remove the residue from stickers. I don't know if this is recommended but if you get scratches on wood furniture I've always taken a matching washable marker, colored over the scratch, and then wiped it with a damp cloth (to effectively stain the wood back to match)."
Underratted
Nuts
"Rub a walnut nut on wood scratches."
"Also just go buy a small bottle of goo-gone. It is that oil, but smells great and does a better job than cooking oil. It's like a buck for a couple ounces, and that bottle has lasted me years."
"Edit: used 'Walnut nut' To differentiate it from using a whole walnut... So someone isn't rubbing a dry walnut shell on their wood. ;)"
Nords
"I have a set of 4 furniture wood pens. The trick to make it look natural is to wipe it after. I wondered for weeks why they weren’t doing the trick until someone told me that."
LilNightingale
Lessons
Vaseline Hml407 GIF by truTV’s Hack My LifeGiphy"Vagisil for chafing. It's antibacterial, lubricating, and an anesthetic. I learned that in the army."
Churonna
Stop the Bleed
"Corn starch is a good blood coagulant if you need to stop bleeding."
drdoom
"I saved my pet Tarantula with corn starch like this before. Her abdomen split after falling on tile, and the cornstarch stopped her from bleeding out. Several months later and she's doing great after that almost fatal fall."
WaCinTon
Grind and Press
"If you have a French press for coffee, you can also froth milk in it after. Pour in hot milk and raise and lower the plunger until the volume of the milk has about doubled."
"Not my channel, but plugging for James Hoffman. If you like coffee, and want to explore the utter depths of the world of coffee, coffee gear, coffee science in a super chill and informative way, check him out!"
ThatIndianBoi
Soothe
chihuahua petting GIF by YasislasGiphy"Clean mascara wands are used in animal shelters to soothe the animals by brushing, and to remove fly eggs and larva from fur."
Drink-my-koolaid
I have been under using everything I own. I swear.
I once worked for a chain restaurant that prided themselves on quality.
Everything was fresh and nothing was microwaved.
You could taste the difference.
Then as the years went by, cut a corner here, microwave a manicotti there.
From what I hear now, the tomato sauce comes pre-packaged when it was made fresh with ripe tomatoes daily.
Everything in service eventually falters at the altar of saving a dollar.
Yet the prices never go down.
Quality degrade, money vanish.
Redditor littleallred008 wanted to compare notes on all the degraded quality in the world of retail.
"What has simultaneously gotten worse and more expensive?"
Fast food in general. Wendy's? Your potatoes are shriveled and sad. They used to make me happy.
Ronald?
big mac 80s GIFGiphy"Big Macs. That burger 'patty' is a stones throw away from being a slice of roast beef."
badmangoodguy
Read Closer
"Cable/ Internet providers. Oh yes sorry your trial period was over, your bill went up 200 dollars. Oh no we didn't promise you 200mb/s download speed constantly, we said UP TO. read the fine print."
demonardvark
"In the US, if you’re lucky enough to live in a place with more than one option, call and threaten to cancel (speak with retentions) at the end of your contract."
"You should be able to renew at a better rate (maybe not as good as the trial offer). I actually just switch every year between Comcast and AT&T. I just set a calendar reminder for the following year once I sign a new contract. It’s a small hassle but worth it to save hundreds per year."
sameoldtexans
Skin
"I swear that Reese's peanut butter cups have gotten shi**ier over the years. the peanut butter seems chalkier and the chocolate tastes blander.
Plus I can't ever seem to pry them out of that little cup wrapper without leaving the bottom chocolate 'skin' stuck to it...
"I think the push to put them in the freezer and eat them chilled is a ploy to cover the declining quality."
thatstupidthing
No place like no home...
"As someone shopping for a house, I have to say homes. Not only has the real estate market been ridiculously inflated (especially in NYC, my residence), I'm finding that the actual quality of a lot of these homes are absolute crap. Due to the ability to find and source cheap materials and labor, developers are able to make huge profits off high prices and low costs. It's making me really rethink if I want buy a house, or just use all that money to aggressively invest."
orange_cuse
Not so Wild
I Hate You Wings GIF by The BachelorGiphy"Buffalo Wild Wings. I don’t know if it’s just me, but their prices have gone up and the quality has gone down."
ChongerHonger333
From my reviews, wings in general have just taken a hit.
Never Lasting
Show Off Renee Zellweger GIF by Working TitleGiphy"Clothes, very few companies make clothes to last and fast fashion is rising while the cost of items continue to increase!"
Longest_YeahBoi_Ever
Yuck
"Scented candles, Yankee Candle in particular used to be the candle that was considered premium. But while they've never been cheap at least a while ago it was worth the money. But now they're just exorbitant in price, they don't smell like they used to, and they are not worth the money."
llcucf80
Use an IPhone...
"Photo booths! Oh the old ones were so cool! Four different real photos for 1 dollar. - Now you pay $ 7 for four identical bad laser prints."
aSadGirlsTongue
"This is why we bought all the supplies and just made one ourselves, super easily. Literally bought a backdrop & frame, all the fancy lighting, props, tablet, tablet stand, color printer, and even the little clicker thing to press when to take the photo."
"All of that off of Amazon, for less than 1/3 the price we were quoted to rent one from a company. And now we have a photo booth... lol. We can be that cool couple that can bring a whole photo booth setup anytime we're invited to our friend's weddings, parties, events, etc."
Rachelalala
Ruined
"The Cadbury Egg is honestly the most disappointing to me, because nearly every one of the food products mentioned has plenty of viable alternatives that haven't been ruined. You can find a thousand high-quality chocolate bars or ice creams or whatever."
"But the Cadbury Egg is a singularly unique product. There's nothing else like it on Earth, so once Cadbury ruined the recipe, it was a treat lost forever."
KlaatuBrute
Learning
Robin Williams Movie GIFGiphy"My university education, specifically this year. They are raising tuition AND fall semester has no in-person sessions."
BlueKnightBrownHorse
Pay Up
"College tuition. When I hear college used to be paid with a summer job, my eyes get watery. I’m a college student."
MsMeself
"I didn't pay for mine on a summer job but worked nights and lived alone and could take 3 classes a semester + summer classes (and paid 1/3 rent) with the money I made."
DpvReno
"A friend of mine pays for his own tuition and covers some house bills for his single mom because he lives at home but he works 2-3 jobs year round, one of them being construction. I don't know how he does it. He's stressed and tired all the time."
trottingtriever
“save and share”
"Smarties. Never been right since they got rid of all the artificial colours. Better for you, I'm sure, but chemical blue was the best flavor."
BlindMansJesus
"Went to poop when they got rid of the tube and replaced it with that weird hexagon box. Actually all my childhood favorites taste worse when you find out Nestle makes them all."
"I can’t stand the box that they’ve split into three sections trying to get you to 'save and share.' If I wanna open the box and pour the lot down my gullet, that is my Canadian-born right."
msstirius
Dang Bucket
"I’m sure this will get overlooked but KFC. I remember growing up a whole family could eat there and it was great! Now it’s just garbage, super greasy, and will cost you an arm and a leg for a dang bucket of chicken. They have gotten way worse and the price has went up."
rprider1a1a2435
Frozens
Ben And Jerrys Empowerment GIFGiphy"Ice cream with fudge in it. Used to get massive slabs of fudge now they just have tiny nuggets."
ThatFinnishGu
"I can pretty much only stand to buy Ben and Jerry's these days. It ruined other 'frozen dairy desserts' for me."
marvlyn
the cheapest bidder...
"New homes. Cookie cutter houses, built with cheap contractors who cut corners left and right, situated in neighborhoods with ever higher HOA fees: and the HOAs are getting more expensive too."
aznuke
"I agree with this one. I thought buying a newly built home would be great. Turns out everything is cheap. Those nice looking base boards? Particle board. Cabinets? Particle board. Nice front door? it’s plastic and warps when the temperature changes."
"Everything ‘looks’ nice, but at the core it’s all super cheap material that was installed as fast as possible by the cheapest bidder."
fanpoppa749
Greedy Mickey
"Disney Theme Parks. (Speaking pre Covid world). They were better when you could do an entire park in a day, cost much less, like $40 vs whatever the insane price is now, and they limited who could get in."
"Universal is the same way, specifically Halloween Horror nights. It was $15 the first time I went, they capped how many tickets they sold and you had time to do every house plus a couple of rides. It was my favorite and we would go every year."
"Now? It's like $70 for a ticket, you have to buy fast pass for another $30 or $40 just so you have a chance to do every house because the lines can literally be hours long because they don't cap ticket sales and they recycle the same houses but pretend it's a new theme. It's so miserable we stopped going."
BrokenCankle
House Stuff
Giphy"Certain house appliances. My grandma has had the same fridge for 40 years. My parents recently had to replace theirs. It's their third in 20 years."
I_hate_traveling
"On the other hand, you don't want a 40 year old fridge because they are super energy inefficient."
lyrasorial
"Imagine how efficient those old fridges could be with modern technology and materials but the old mechanical design and quality control."
ICC-u
We like Bigger!
"I remember the donuts at Dunkin' Donuts to be bigger and cheaper."
Aero222
"When Donuts were their main thing. now, with all of the sandwiches, breakfast foods, shakes, smoothies, etc... donuts are an after thought."
politicsdrone704
I feel like life itself has degraded and become too expensive in general.
People Break Down Which Highly Anticipated Products Completely Flopped
Not everything is meant to be a hit.
But if you follow the hype, which is created to build the anticipation, then you'd think everything from a new Pop star to a soda flavor will change the world.
Sorry, not the case.
In fact, most things that are hot actually burn out quickly.
We use to buy our CD's through a Ponzi scam, think about that as you renew your Spotify.
Redditor LineOfDeath wanted to discuss the times the hype has failed is.
"What was supposed to be 'The Next Big Thing,' but totally flopped?"
Snuggies. Did snuggies really take? I don't think so.
Salt Only
Hungry Potato Chips GIFGiphy"Crystal Pepsi, New Coke, orange juice and toothpaste flavored Lay's potato chips. Edit for correct Pepsi variant."
Thrillhouse74
Stop Pushing
"Amazon’s shopping buttons. They pushed really hard for those and I never saw the point."
GarrettSLB
"They originally announced those on April 1st. They said it wasn't an April Fools joke, but I'm still skeptical."
"I saw plenty of social media posts from people saying 'hey this is a joke, but I kind of want it.' I think Amazon saw those and took a shot at making it a real product. I bought one for toilet paper and put it in the cabinet where I keep spare rolls. You take the last roll out, you press the button. It actually kinda worked."
HairHeel
Be Bigger
"Not entirely relevant, but I liked the trend where everybody wanted the smallest cell phone possible. For 20 years cell phones got smaller and smaller. Often being the main selling point of the phone. Then all of sudden you could watch videos on your phone, and almost overnight the trend reversed to 'larger is better.'"
Buttsquish
Oh 2012
"KONY 2012."
careshel
"The Kony 2012 video got so much exposure it was unreal. It was plastered across every web page you looked. In hindsight, I have a feeling it had the same powerhouse that brought you the Trump 2016 Campaign, and some of the revolts in second world countries that were chiefly orchestrated via the internet."
hoodha
"I still remember when people were sending out pictures of Carl Weathers in Predator instead of Kony as a joke."
Darmok47
Face Back
ninja turtles GIFGiphy"Man I remember as a kid seeing the Ninja Turtles and Dick Tracy use video coms and thinking it was so cool and wanting one for myself and now if someone facetimes me I have a panic attack."
sofakingclassic
How can you go wrong with Ninja Turtles and Dick Tracy?
Oh Costco
Costco GIF by hero0fwarGiphy"Not sure if this one has totally flopped yet, but I noticed while in Costco the other day that there are no longer any curved TVs. If Costco is no longer carrying them then I think we can assume they're going the way of the dodo."
MrEngin33r
New Life
"My friend who studies Medicine had to install Second Life about two years ago for a class meeting. I don't get why they couldn't have used Skype but ok."
jojajtyu
"As a CS student I wondered wtf second life was doing on all the lab PCs. I thought it was some kind of joke until people with PHDs started talking about how great of a collaboration tool it was. It wasn't."
shryne
"Believe it or not, second life actually still has a decent following. My brother makes a decent living making custom clothing, accessories, and weapon models and skins for sale at in-game marketplaces."
Djdubbs
Time Constraints
"McDonald's pizza."
BuckNutley
"The issue here was time. The pizzas were actually a huge hit. The issue was how long it took them to cook relative to everything else. One person in a family orders a pizza and everyone else is done eating before the pizza is done. Former slave to the golden arches."
Estcstbi
"I remember not caring about the time they took. They were absolutely heavenly. I think they really cranked up the sugar and salt compared to most pizzas out there but it made such a difference."
russellamcleod
Deathtraps
"Soap Shoes. These were like normal shoes, but you could grind on rails with them via an indent in the sole. If you heard of these things from somewhere that wasn't Sonic Adventure 2, please tell me where? And please tell me where I can buy a pair?"
"I had a pair of these and they were deadly around stairs. The indented arch was a slippery smooth hard plastic, and I never realized how much I place the arch of my foot on the edge of each stair when descending them. Without fail, my first step on any stairs would result in my foot shooting out from under me."
btowntkd
That Click
Dj Waffle GIFGiphy"Tbh, I miss mini discs. They were great."
askingxalice
"And the satisfying mechanical click you'd hear whenever you shut the lid. Man I miss my minidisc! I gave it away to one of my high school buddies."
trackonesideone
Wow. That's a lot of failure and nostalgia.