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Kleenex.

Onesies.

Google.

Jacuzzi.

Every once in awhile, a brand so defines a product that the product is renamed after them. But 2024 makes fools of us all and one of those brands is going under.

Tupperware has filed for bankruptcy.

Tupperware GIFs - Obtenez le meilleur gif sur GIFER

The item that became synonymous with food storage can’t seem to stay in the black. Is it DoorDash? Is it because competitors like Glad make a cheap and throw-away-able container? Is it because people aren’t saving leftovers anymore? Is it because a study found microplastics in the human brain?

(It’s not the last one. Those microplastics come from breathing, so just stop doing that, and you should be fine. I’m actually going to put a warning here telling you that was sarcasm and I do not recommend trying not to breathe.)

Let’s be honest, the slow death of Tupperware is most likely caused by the end of Tupperware parties.

We used to be a serious country.

Tupperware is not the only company to go belly-up in 2024.

Red Lobster has been struggling for air, declaring bankruptcy in June. It has restructured under former P.F. Chang CEO Damola Adamolekun, but I’m going to assume that the days of endless shrimp and lobster tail are gone forever.

Joann’s Fabrics filed for bankruptcy at the end of April. By May 2nd, they said they were in the best financial shape they’ve been in decades. They emerged from bankruptcy with $153 million in new financing.

99 Cents Only declared bankruptcy in April. They closed 371 locations. But Dollar Tree has already started reopening those locations under their own banner.

Big Lots filed for bankruptcy in early September and has started closing down hundreds of stores. No changes in management yet, but CEO Bruce Thorn is saying they will remain open in the locations that are profitable.

Redbox, which I am just learning is owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment because of course it is, has filed for bankruptcy and I think we all know that streaming killed that video star. They listed debts of around $970 million, owed mostly to entertainment and media companies. There are around 27,000 kiosks across the United States.

(If you ever have time to go down the rabbit hole that is Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, I strongly encourage you to because yes: there is real soup.)

The good news seems to be that some of these stores are coming back. Maybe not to their former glory, but they will live on. Maybe Tupperware, a once great American institution, will make a comeback. If not, there’s always eBay.

Besides, we all knew it had to come to an end. Nothing can be stored in the back of the fridge forever. Especially the shrimp.


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Kate works in production at LwC. She is an author. When she isn’t writing…who are we kidding? She’s always writing. You can find her here on X.