“Excuse me, sir or madam. Are you satisfied with your current internet provider? Allow me to introduce you to another one that you’ll be sick of within a year, if you don’t shut the door in my face first!”

The world of business is a brutal one. If you don’t have an excellent idea and a way to execute it without running out of funds, your brand is toast. Yet somehow, despite all odds, there are companies out there who continue to roam the earth like cockroaches, seemingly impossible to destroy. 

Reddit users have recently been discussing these confusingly successful companies and business models, so we’ve gathered some of their thoughts below. Enjoy reading through, and be sure to upvote the businesses you’re shocked are still around too!

#1

Kohls. Don't get me wrong, I love my Kohl's. But everytime I go in there it feels like 90% of the shoppers there are just there to return their Amazon package. Kohls does have some pretty good stuff so I do hope they stay in business (mostly because they are just so convenient for returns.

Image credits: babypho

#2

On a Wednesday at around 2 pm, I received a tap at my door from an elderly woman who wanted to show me a Kirby hoover.

Additionally, it appears that door-to-door salespeople will still exist in 2023.

Image credits: zibanm

#3

classmates.com still trying to charge what you can get for free on Facebook

Image credits: VegasRoy

#4

Herbalife

Image credits: petethefreeze

#5

Wells Fargo, why anyone would still trust them with their money baffles me.

Image credits: Fleksta

#6

Guitar Center, I worked for them for 13 years, they were on the brink of death the whole time.

Image credits: Vault76exile

#7

The Kardashians

#8

That furniture store that has had the "going out of business" sale going on for the last 4 years.

Image credits: SomeGuyInSanJoseCa

#9

Edible Arrangements. I'm convinced this company survives on one time orders that are for the hell of it, not actual repeat customers.

Image credits: elasticgradient

#10

Macy’s

One of my favorite stores but it gets pretty depressing to shop there. You see maybe like 2 employees on the entire floor. Products are often never organized and the fitting rooms are even worse. Clothes just dropped on the floor and no one ever checks how many clothes you go in with or what you truly do inside… some macys are better but many are really bad. Feels like a complete ghost town

Image credits: Soup_and_Rice

#11

McAfee

Image credits: inkyblinkypinkysue

#12

Yahoo. They've been through a lot and are still staying alive.

Image credits: RyzRx

#13

I hope they don't but Arizona Ice Tea has cost the same my whole life. Good on them.

Image credits: Kuuzie

#14

I'm convinced that when the nuclear apocalypse finally happens there will only be two things left on this earth: cockroaches and Frontier Communications

Image credits: Lyn1987

#15

KFC. They lowered their quality so much I can’t eat there. I actually have a Colonel Sanders tattoo. So, you can say I'm a fan. I'm really a fan of the man himself. He failed over and over and died a household name. Look him up. It's a cool story. 

Image credits: bigpoppa973

#16

Those adult video stores.

Image credits: Tiny_Thumbs

#17

AOL

AOL's 2022 revenue was $7.4 billion. AOL has 10,350 employees, and the revenue per employee ratio is $714,975 per.

?

Image credits: JustSomeApparition

#18

The Chinese buffet across the parking lot from the coffee shop where I work. My boss saw them defrosting fish fillets on the roof of a car once. Directly on the car. I don’t know how many times we’ve had to call the health department on them.

They leave the dumpsters looking like a war crime, too

Image credits: queenstower

#19

Tim Hortons. It used to sell decent fare but they expanded their selection of food in 2006, got bought out and took an absolute nosedive in food quality. The only people who seem to like it are younger Canadians with no memory of the "before" times and newcomers to the country.

Image credits: nikkesen

#20

Nestle - with all the negative press about the terrible things they've done, surprised anyone still buys their products.

#21

Every Psychic shop I’ve ever driven by.

Image credits: Wallaby_Realistic

#22

Burlington. Place is basically Goodwill with clothes people haven't worn yet.

Image credits: ImInOverMyHead95

#23

Chuck E. Cheese’s, lost its hay day years ago, business sucks, shows aren’t that good, animatronics mostly gone at this point. And debt. Lots of it. Surprised they’re still around even though they just filed for bankruptcy three years ago.

Image credits: DabbinBingel

#24

All the mattress stores that are somehow across the street from each other and never have any customers but open new locations down the street all the time.

Image credits: GrayWarriorKnight

#25

Mary Kay

Image credits: TemperatureTop246

#26

All those awful kiosks in malls that sell stuff no one honestly needs

Image credits: blakey426

#27

F**k Ticketmaster

Image credits: ollie1313

#28

Tv guide still exists In print, not just the channel.

Image credits: dorkimoe

#29

Papa Johns. Horrible food that somehow gets worse every year. In the 90's they rocked.

#30

Dippin' dots. Disgusting tiny ice cream balls that I've never seen anyone eat (aside from myself one time because I thought I'd try it)

#31

Office Depot

#32

JC Penny

#33

Equifax -- they could hardly be doing less to take data security seriously, yet they continue to exist as a for-profit entity with tremendous influence and no effective federal oversight.

#34

Best Buy. I thought they would have gone the way of Fry’s, The Good Guys or RadioShack

#35

MyPillow

#36

It feels like they have been saying Claire's is on the edge of bankruptcy for 20 years.

#37

applebees

why are people going there

why are people working there

Image credits: lawlpony

#38

Uber. After 14 years and $32bn of cumulative losses, they have only just this year started to turn a profit.

Image credits: LucyVialli

#39

Subway! Quiznos and Blimpie have better sandwiches!

#40

Honestly? F****n Netflix

They upped the price, cracked down on password sharing, and there’s talk about them adding ads.

They don’t have any big or popular franchises anymore, there’s like 5 things worth watching, and don’t bother with any of the original content they spend literal millions of dollars on every year because no matter how good or well received the show is it will be canceled in the first or second season.

The only thing people consistently tune in to Netflix for is Stranger Things, so they’ll probably have a spike in 5 years when the next season comes out.

#41

Boston Market

#42

British chain Frankie and Benny's.

Shockingly bad food, cooked by people unfamiliar with the concept of taste, in the kind of atmosphere you expect from a motorway services. All for the bargin price of a lot of money.

So many casual dining chains have gone under over the last few years. How the f**k was Frankie and Benny's not one of them?

Image credits: RedundantSwine

#43

Kmart and Sears. They're on their last leg, and I'm going to be sad for them to go, but how there's still two Kmarts left and a couple dozen Sears left is shocking

#44

Hardees. The only time I ever see customers there is for their breakfast. I’ve never seen more than a car or two in the parking lot after 11 a.m.

#45

Mapquest

#46

Spirit Airlines

#47

Amway!

#48

Counting the days for Lularoe to call it quits

#49

Chipotle.

They had a severe ecoli outbreak that spread to at least 13 states.

#50

Twitter.

Image credits: EvenSpoonier

#51

FitBit. I had one years ago, but I am really surprised they are still around considering you can get more full featured smart watches for the price.

#52

comicxposure. Bought some comics and never got them. Checked BBB and this is a common occurrence. They never reply to anybody on their main site or social media. They never answer the phone either. Absolutely no way of getting in contact with them.

That was years ago. Checked their site today, and they're somehow still up. It's mind-boggling. They can just take your money, never send out anything with no replies what so ever and still remain in business.

Google their name and you'll see countless people warning you to avoid them like the plague.

#53

Crumbl Cookies strike me as a business that is absolutely going to collapse within a couple years. Comes across as a fad; far too aggressive with their outreach (almost 1000 locations have opened since they were founded in 2017 and the vast majority of them popped up within the past 3 years alone); they’ve gotten in trouble with the *federal government* due to child labor law violations. They’re also a run by a bunch of Mormons and former employees flat out say that you can’t get promoted if you aren’t one. Comes across as a terrible investment

#54

Stitchfix, I have trouble believing that many people would rather pay to have an algo choose their outfit than pick it themselves.

#55

HP. Specifically their printers but not just their printers. They are so shamelessly anti-consumer that I don't know why anyone would buy HP. They don't have brand appeal like an Apple or Tesla, and competitors offer better versions of everything they sell.

#56

Redbox

#57

DoorDash somehow loses money on every transaction. Not clear how that’s sustainable for any kind of growth

#58

Burger King. I never see anyone inside them, the parking lot and drive thru are always empty. When was the last you or anyone you know ate there? How are they still around?

#59

Long John Silvers. Why do people eat that c**p?

#60

Buffalo Wild Wings.

Hear me out:

Music so loud you can't hear yourself think, wings that taste meh at best, and an insane price tag to boot.

#61

Rent A Center

#62

Party City.

Huge stores with thousands of skus and I don't think I've ever seen more than 10 people inside one.

#63

Quiznos. All Quiznos where I live have gone out of business get some still exist in my state. Gods I miss the place...

#64

There’s a vacuum store in my town that’s been open for as long as I can remember. With the ease of new stick vacuums and just in general idk who would ever need to go in there

#65

Carvana.

They offered me $300 for a car I sold for $6k... they can get f****d.

#66

Hot topic

#67

Every single cryptocurrency related company

#68

BetterHelp. So many ethical issues?

#69

I'm honestly surprised every "Check cashing" and "payday loan" and "title loan" place hasn't been shut down due to violence against their staff, yet. Every single one of those places is a detriment to their community and the fact that nobody is throwing molotovs in to them on a regular basis astounds me.

#70

Soap Opera Digest. There are four shows left.

#71

National Post.


A major conservative Canadian Newspaper that failed to turn a profit for the first thirteen years of operation. It’s not propaganda though. Couldn’t be.

#72

Panera bread.

Went to both Chik Fil a and Panera on the same weekend (busy weekend) and got, nearly the same thing at each....

Panera was twice as much, asked for a tip, waited forever to order and get my food, and I had to do all the "waitering" myself.

Chik Fil a was half as much, asked for no tip, and had extra employees Takiing orders, bringing you your food, etc.

#73

Golden Corral - everything there tastes old and bad.

#74

Staples.

The mismanagement and insane pay of the incompetent is outrageous. They are incredibly top heavy with mid to upper level employees making $100k + bonuses who contribute maybe $15k worth of actual effort.

#75

Oracle. I have no idea what they are doing, they seem to have exactly one product, a database engine that is severely outdated, but somehow they are still raking in billions.