"I'm Very Disappointed": People Are Calling Out Things That Used To Be "Good" Until Popularity Ruined Them

We recently wrote a post where people shared things that used to be "good" until they became too popular. In the comments, readers revealed more things that got ruined by...well, people. Here's what they had to say:

1. "Thrift stores. Twenty years ago, you could buy things at thrift stores for a dollar or two. Now, the average price is $7 or $8 or more. Remember, many thrift stores' stock is donated, and some workers are unpaid volunteers. Thrift stores were meant to help low-income folks, but not so now."

—originalasteroid5382

2. "Palm Springs. It used to be a small-town inexpensive getaway. No traffic. Affordable restaurants, no reservation needed. Nice low-cost resorts. Sleepy airport. Thanks to increased visibility due to Coachella music festival it’s become a destination for squealing 20-somethings spring breaks, bachelorette parties, and affluent families. The feel it had just 10 years ago is completely gone."

—lovelyshield875

3. "Once things become 'cheffy,' people can't even afford them anymore. Bacon? It's literally salted and cured pig fat. Now, it's $11 for less than a pound. Short ribs? My mom used to buy them to roast and feed their dog because they were under $2/pound and were scrap meat. Now, they're usually one of the most expensive things on the menu. Lobster? It used to be considered a bottom-feeding sea cockroach; now, fresh lobster meat is $75/pound. Chicken wings used to be under $2/pound because they're, like, two bites of meat. Now, restaurants charge astronomical prices for them."

"French onion soup. You literally caramelize onions, simmer beef bones in water to make broth, combine the broth and onions, put a piece of stale bread and a slice of cheese on top, and melt. Now, it's the most expensive soup, costing $20 at high-end restaurants. For what? Stop making everything cheffy and gourmet. We don't need you to elevate things to the point regular people can't afford them."

—onceuponabluemoon

4. "Subscriptions. Everything has a subscription now. Streaming services that will *still* give you ads if you don't pay for their premium tier, just about any store you can think of, all the way to your car, so you can get extra features that probably aren't even worth it."

—Anonymous, 17, Utah

5. "River running. Almost every good whitewater run requires a permit now, and for good reason, to keep them from being loved to death by the hordes. The price of even fancier gear, like self-bailing rafts, has exploded. A place I used to run got 3,000 permit applications for 300 available permits. Today, they get in excess of 300,000, the last time I paid attention. You can die before getting a permit for your favorite river!"

—Anonymous, 75, Colorado

6. "Christmas vintage pixie elves. I could find them for 25 cents at flea markets, thrift stores, and garage sales. When Elf on the Shelf was created, vintage elves were over $20."

—Anonymous, 64, Ohio

7. "Cedar Point amusement park. I've been going there every year since 2009. In the last five years, the place had become a money grab. You pay for your admission; if you want a fast pass, it's an extra $200. Now, they want to charge extra for the haunted houses for Halloween. The hotel has gotten nuts, too. It's just wild to bring a family there anymore."

—Anonymous, 59, Pennsylvania

8. "Amusement parks in general. When I was a kid, our entire family (five kids and two parents) would go to the amusement park for less than $100 for the entire day. Now, you can't even get into the park for less than $100 per person. Took my grandkids last year, and it cost me over $400 for the three of us."

—Anonymous, 70, Iowa

9. "Athletic wear comes to mind. It used to be something you bought to go to the gym or to go hiking, cycling, etc. It was relatively inexpensive. Now, Lululemon, Columbia, North Face, Adidas, and other brands are luxury brands. It's so weird how a pair of yoga pants cheaply made can cost $100."

—Anonymous, 45, Texas

10. "Poshmark for purchasing trendy, vintage, and high-end items at a reduced price. I’ve had good experiences in the past, but lately not so much. As a Snoopy collector, I went into a Coach store and saw a few bags that were released in the recent Coach x Snoopy collection, which dropped this summer. Someone was selling the bag I wanted for $450, and her lowest offer was $400; another person sold it for $345, and after returning her message, her lowest offer was $315. The price of the bag was less than that in the store."

"It's like Poshmark went from online thrift store to online ripoff, given the number of people that sell items for two, three, and four times the cost in-store, and when you attempt to negotiate an offer, the seller becomes rude AF. That's what Poshmark has become, and it's sad."

—Anonymous, Wisconsin

11. "The Jersey shore. It used to be that you could rent a simple house for a reasonable price. Those simple houses are gone. Now, what is for rent are fancy houses that cost up to $10–15K a week! No, thanks. I'll go on a real vacation to Europe for the same money or less."

—Anonymous, 59, Pennsylvania

12. "Parks and recreation in general. I was an avid hiker not long ago and saw very few other people on the trails. In parks now, venues are extremely overcrowded, and some parks require a reservation. And forget about going camping; it's absolutely ridiculous, and the freeway plugs up two days before any long weekend. I'm very disappointed!!!!!!"

—Anonymous, 68, British Columbia

13. "eBay. It used to be a fun way to buy obscure items, but now so much is overpriced and not worth the trouble."

—Anonymous, 35, Nebraska

"eBay was an auction to get things you needed that people wanted to get rid of, but were in excellent condition, some new. I got my first violin for 1 cent, a cheap model — even if shipping and handling was $15."

—Anonymous, 73, Texas

14. "Cosplaying. It used to be an art form that people put time and effort into. Now, it's mostly boiled down to fetish content on TikTok."

—Anonymous, 18, Florida

15. "In Hawaii (Oahu) in the 1970s, you could go to any attraction without reservations and on most any days. Now, Hanauma Bay is only open on certain days and requires reservations. The same goes for many other natural places because of tourism damaging the coral reefs and such."

—Anonymous, 73, Wisconsin

16. "Driving shortcuts. There were routes I used to drive in the mornings that were desolite. Thanks to Google maps, everything is a traffic jam."

—Anonymous, 67, California

17. "Vintage video games. It used to be fun to buy an old game I had as a kid. Now everyone is buying because they're 'valuable,' and the prices are getting jacked up by people who have never played the games or liked them in the guest place."

—Anonymous, 34, iowa

18. "I used to be vegan because my cholesterol was through the roof, and it helped so much, but the cost of vegan food went up because of all the 'clean eating' diets. Falafel shouldn't cost so much! 😭"

—ssstege11573

And finally...

19. "Library book sales; GREED has ruined them. Hundreds of people with their phones checking to see if they can resell the books for a profit, literally pushing and shoving. WE could not get near the tables. When we finally did, the books were very picked over, and the event was ruined for me."

—awkwardpotato51

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

What other "good" things were ruined when they became too popular? Tell us in the comments, or use this anonymous form below.