Ask HN: Anyone else tired of brands discontinuing your favorite everyday items?
Hi everyone, 1 I've run into the same problem over and over again. When an item wears out, I can't buy the exact same one anymore. It's been discontinued. Or it has been changed while keeping only the same name. 2 I assume this isn't only my problem. I've heard many stories about people not being able to buy the same shoes, T-shirt, perfume, or jacket again. 3 I understand why manufacturers do this. I have no questions for them. What matters more to me here is us — customers, or simply people. And I started wondering: what could be done to support a customer's choice for years? 4 This is where I want to bring concepts from software and hardware engineering into the clothing industry — LTS and APIs. What if we freeze the standard and support it? We already have things like SATA or CPU sockets. Why not build a similar concept for clothing? Then the API at the point of contact with the customer is divided into a physically immutable part (color, material, design) and a flexible part (logistics, ingredients). Let's start with the simplest base — a T-shirt. Why not give it LTS support? The idea is that the exact same T-shirt could be sold for 1, 5, or 20 years. 5 Where does my logic break down? What am I overlooking? Are there any similar projects? And would you become a customer of such a company? Thanks.
Discussion Highlights (18 comments)
fsflover
Slightly related. This reminds me of this article: https://pudding.cool/2026/02/womens-sizing/ Sizing chaos (pudding.cool) 827 points by zdw 5 months ago | 435 comments It's not about discontinuing items but about the industry incentives that seemingly go against logic making it impossible for most women to find fitting clothes. Quotes: "While there are no universal sizing standards, an organization called ASTM International regularly releases informal guidelines." "There are no regulations or universal sizing standards. Instead each brand is incentivized to make up its own. When size guides change — and they’re always changing — brands are not obligated to disclose updates."
mancerayder
There might be something to this. It does seem older models of things are better than newer models of things. So it could be the drive to lower costs and increase profits are causing this, at the appliance, car, etc. level. It doesn't explain why every couple of years I have another four or six pairs of yet another set of socks, from the same company, but with enough variation that now I have multiple different generations of CK socks that aren't pairable.
lurn_mor
This assumes there's no advancement in clothing manufacturing and design. Could you buy a 20 year old computer today and use it with a modern OS? I believe the engineers and artisians who make the clothes you wear are also pushing the boundaries of fabric, patterns and cuts to feed an ever-famished audience looking for the 'next thing'. Besides, they read the room - you no longer fit in those same sizes anymore!
secretsatan
I always have trouble buying shoes, most shops don’t stock my size in the first place, and sizes vary greatly across manufacturers, and even styles. Now when i find shoes that fit, i go order at least another 2 pairs online to avoid having to hunt down a new pair that fit well. One bizarre one, i find when i find some foodstuff i like, the shop will eventually discontinue it, it seems almost personal…
dividedcomet
I’ve had this happen with the clothes I get from Patagonia. What was only a few years ago a thick plaid button down is now thin and not nearly as warm. And Patagonia still makes good stuff! But I do wonder if it’s time to start shopping around again.
the_beast
There is cost involved in supporting products for life long, moreover this assumes that the company would provide a life long support for every product it releases.
IshKebab
Yes it's super annoying, especially for shoes, which take a ton of effort to find. I guess they do it to appeal to their biggest customers - people who can't resist buying way more shoes than they need. But it does seem weird for some brands that aren't exactly fashion houses, e.g. Ecco, to do it. It must cost them a fair bit of money too. I wonder how much cheaper you could make shoes if you only designed one set and then fired all of your designers... My solution is to just buy a few pairs when I find shoes I really like. Reduces the problem at least. Also I've started buying Levi's jeans - really expensive but at least they have some styles that don't change.
wseqyrku
They discontinued my freaking favorite hamburger, and nobody knows why. (Yes, I asked every branch)
eurob
Not sure how to fix but I do miss the Private Selection™ Belgian Chocolate Milk from Kroger. Why in the world would they discontinue such a unique excellent tasting product, it's a bit similar to the Dutch Nutricia brand.. ugh. shame.. https://www.kroger.com/p/private-selection-belgian-chocolate...
mysterydip
I finally found a brand+model of jeans that I liked. I don’t have to buy pants/trousers often, so of course the next time I went to buy some it had been discontinued by the manufacturer. Even the “this is the closest style to that one” online recommendations had been discontinued, leaving me back at square one.
mcphage
> Where does my logic break down? What am I overlooking? (1) Clothing manufacturing is a lot more complicated than sockets (2) Generally products aren't discontinued because they're popular. So what you're describing is a lot of cost, for products that a lot of people don't care about. (3) Even if someone did write up a spec for a t-shirt—what would you do with it? (4) The need for standards is a lot more important for things like sockets which have multiple ends, and need to ensure that both sides work consistently, than for things like a piece of clothing where there's a single wearer at a time.
starvar2
I have the same with a pair of jeans, I bought the same pair 3 times but now they start to wear down and I have been trying to find another pair but no luck.
explorigin
Discontinuing a product breaks the cost-comparision chain. It makes it easier to increase prices or reduce quality without direct backlash. Releasing new products also makes for marketing announcements that work like advertisement (or is advertisement directly).
a34729t
It's called having a tailor, and it is expensive (in the US)
Tanoc
I've been wearing the same pair of shoes for (Vans Camacho) twelve years now because I cannot find any that actually fit my feet. Vans made these shoes that I purchased over and over again for ten years, but discontinued them in 2016. I've had to learn cobbling to some degree to keep these shoes going, though now the bottoms of the soles are so thin that my big toe might finally wear through them in the next year. It is ridiculous that in twelve years I haven't been able to find a replacement for something so simple.
processunknown
Bring back PB Crisps!
summarybot
Your logic breaks down at the critical point of sourcing: not only must we have the means of production and the schematics, we also need the original materials required to create the stuff. If we lose access to the original materials, or if they are no longer available, then the rest of the chain doesn't matter. However, I do find promise in one aspect of your idea: an infinite archival catalogue of items-that-once-were. Then, you can link to things like, as others have mentioned, eBay listings where you can still find the "originals.'
kotaKat
> Where does my logic break down? What am I overlooking? You're in a room of software developers who keep breaking and changing everyone's "favorite everyday" workflows, every time a piece of software is changed. Even something as dumb as changing a design language is the same thing as a brand discontinuing your favorite every day item. Why did my UX have to get ugly for no reason? Why can't I go back? people cry out. What do we do to support peoples' choice of software over the longterm when they can't choose to 'roll back'? Your favorite T-shirt is still available for sale. It's just got a giant black box strapped to the back of it called AI. The t-shirt companies said that's good for you so you have to wear it now.