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30 Brands Millennials Are Putting Out Of Business

Who doesn't love going out for a good time? It's always nice to be able to go to a restaurant and eat a delicious meal that someone else prepared, cooked, and cleaned up after. A refreshing pint compliments dinner nicely, doesn't it? And let's not forget the amazing luxury of putting a diamond engagement ring on a beloved's finger. These are just a few of the things we can enjoy in the 21st century, and most of us recognize how fortunate we are. However, those dang millennials are at it again and taking away the things we love. 

Other than destroying the housing market, ruining the sacred pact of marriage, and being all-around ungrateful for everything the boomer generation set up for them, millennials are investing more in their avocado toast and tipping their servers too much to be contributing members of society. Thanks to their generation, we can kiss goodbye to department stores, chain restaurants, and grandchildren. If we're not careful, this snowflake generation will end up destroying everything we built for them. 

These kids don't seem to remember who paved the way for civil and LGBT rights, current fashion trends, technological advancements, and being kind to your elders. In addition to being rude and entitled, the millennial generation is changing the retail world as we know it. Well-loved brand names are heading to the grave, and there isn't much we can do to stop them. Keep reading to discover 30 big-name brands that will soon be gone forever. 

Applebee’s

Applebee’s

Applebee's has been serving up nice food such as salads, pasta, burgers, and their signature riblets since 1980. Millennials are spitting in the restaurant's 38 years of success, though, and the brand is suffering. 

Now, 135 locations have closed despite trying to please the younger generation. Who knows how long it'll be before this one is gone forever?

Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sam Adams

Sam Adams

We never would have thought millennials would kill the beer industry and yet here we are. They drink less alcohol than other generations in general but also prefer wine and spirits over beer. 

Sam Adams, in particular, has complained about a drop in sales recently thanks to the snowflake generation. 

Steve Cukrov - stock.adobe.com

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks

We can't really blame millennials for hating gross restaurants like Twin Peaks. This chain was established in 2005 and has been serving up southwestern cuisine with an obscene view. 

Since then pretty much everyone, especially millennials, has been avoiding the "breastaurant."

Jenny Poole, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kellogg's

Kellogg's

You can start mourning your favorite breakfast cereal because it might not be around for long. Cereal sales have dropped almost 5% since 2009, which isn't a huge number, but it's also worth worrying about. 

The worst part is why millennials are ditching their morning corn flakes: it's too inconvenient for breakfast because they have to clean up after eating it!

Rusty - stock.adobe.com

Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson

Please don't take the Harleys! Not only are millennials neglecting to invest in the future and buy a home, but they're also not buying many vehicles either. If they won't even get a car, they're certainly not buying motorcycles. 

Even if you don't ride one, everyone can agree that Harley-Davidson has been an iconic brand since 1903. Kids these days just don't respect historical value!

OceanProd - stock.adobe.com

Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings has been one of America's favorite places to get a variety of flavorful wings since 1982. Since the rise of the millennial generation, dozens of restaurants have been forced to close their doors. 

Apparently, the younger generation prefers cooking at home. Who would ever want to prepare, cook, and clean up after a family meal of dozens of hot wings is beyond me! 

wolterke - stock.adobe.com

Downy

Downy

Millennials aren't even washing their clothes right these days, and laundry detergent sales are proof. Since 2007, Downy has suffered a 26% decline in sales. 

The only explanation is that millennials don't know what laundry detergent is for, which is disgusting! You better start stockpiling your soaps before millennials stop bathing altogether. 

MichaelVi - stock.adobe.com

Campbell's Soup

Campbell's Soup

More processed foods are dropping in popularity, which might sound like a good thing, until you realize everything in a package or can on the shelf means "processed" to these millennials. 

Soon, we're only going to be able to make food from what we grow in gardens because millennials are so obsessed with "health" foods (like their overpriced avocado toast).

Choi2451, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

McDonald's

McDonald's

Not even McDonald's is safe from the clutches of Millennials. The chain has been around since 1940, but apparently, that history doesn't mean much anymore. McDonald's has even been adding more health-conscious items with higher-quality ingredients since the snowflake generation has been killing their sales. 

That doesn't mean anything to millennials, however, because the company is struggling through its worst sales period in the past 10 years. 

Andrei Armiagov - stock.adobe.com

Macy's

Macy's

Soon we won't even be able to go into a department store to pick out a nice set of clothes. Millennials have embraced the online shopping world with startling quickness, as you can tell by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' staggering $111 billion net worth.  

Not even high-end brands like Macy's will be able to survive the rise of the millennial.

Felipe Sanchez - stock.adobe.com

Newman's Own

Newman's Own

Newman's Own doesn't seem like a brand millennials would want to be putting out of business, but this well-loved company isn't safe either. 

Even though Newman's Own has been donating 100% of its profits to charity since 1982, millennials are choosing off-brand products with lower quality ingredients just because they're cheaper. 

Glearybarsim, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday

Much like poor old Applebee's and Buffalo Wild Wings, the beloved chain restaurant Ruby Tuesday has been closing down many locations in recent years. Millennials just prefer cooking at home or grabbing a quick bite over dining in a sit-down establishment. 

If this keeps up we won't have any restaurants to go to soon!

Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany & Co.

Millennials are known for not buying houses or investing in practical pursuits, but they also aren't buying diamonds anymore. 

Other than the fact that most of the people in that generation seem to have an aversion to marriage, they don't think diamonds are worth the cost. 

Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch

Okay, so we aren't too upset to see this clothing brand fading away. The clothes were mostly expensive basics with the company's name on it, which gets boring fast. 

Millennials seem to have also caught on to how pointless this brand is and Abercrombie & Fitch's sales are reflecting that. 

Rowanlovescars, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

De Beers Jewellers

De Beers Jewellers

De Beers is an international corporation that specializes in mining diamonds and creating stunning pieces of jewelry with those precious stones. This company also faced controversy over blood diamonds, and millennials began demanding ethically sourced jewels.  

However, De Beers reported in 2018 that sales are picking up since they've changed up their business practices.

DiaLMs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Yoplait

Yoplait

Who doesn't love a good bowl of yogurt and granola? It's a hearty and healthy breakfast, but somehow Yoplait and other yogurt companies are reporting a decrease in sales. 

Millennials are known for skipping breakfast but we never thought we'd see the possibility that yogurt would disappear from store shelves.

(Image via Walmart)

Bed Bath & Beyond

Bed Bath & Beyond

Bed Bath & Beyond is a well-loved store that anyone could spend hours in. There are so many great products there but for some reason, millennials just don't see the appeal. 

Bed Bath & Beyond has been experiencing massive drops in revenue thanks to our favorite generation. Say goodbye to your favorite home goods store!

JHVEPhoto - stock.adobe.com

Home Chef

Home Chef

You'd think with how much millennials love cooking at home, that they would be obsessed with meal kit delivery services. However, these convenient deliveries still aren't good enough for them, and companies like Home Chef are quickly and quietly disappearing. 

Go ahead and stock up on your favorite recipes from these companies, because they might all be gone soon. 

Ojosdemar - stock.adobe.com

J. Crew

J. Crew

J. Crew offers clothes for everyone and used to have a pretty strong retail presence. This company is desperately trying to turn things around, but nothing is working for them. 

Millennials hate going to stores to shop, so they prefer online shopping. Unfortunately, J. Crew is just one of the many victims of the millennial generation. 

Rowanlovescars, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The NFL

The NFL

A survey conducted by Sports Business Journal in 2014 revealed that over half of millennials think of the NFL as a sleazy organization, don’t trust the NFL players, and feel that the organization is anti-gay. 

Millennial cancel culture is taking yet another victim, and this time it’s a defining feature of American culture.

krisandapril, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hallmark

Hallmark

While greeting cards themselves are not dying, Hallmark and other brands that thrive on selling greeting cards are being killed by millennials who would much rather have a personalized card that they could buy online than a convenient and more generic card from the store. 

It also doesn’t help that physical mail is just not something they want to deal with.

Ameiall Leissa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut has not evolved as swiftly as Domino’s in fitting the needs of millennials, and this is showing in their slowly dying brand. Domino’s has easy online and delivery services, which millennials prefer to Pizza Hut’s dine-in style. 

They’d much rather have their food brought to them while sitting in front of the TV, streaming Netflix.

Ed! at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Subway

Subway

Subway locations have been shutting down across the nation, and one reason for that might be the millennials who value ambiance, uniqueness and craft over what a fast-food restaurant like Subway offers. 

Millenials prefer small businesses to large chains. Subway just isn’t at the top of their priority list, even though it likely fueled much of their childhood.

TAC PlazaMaster, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Kmart

Kmart

Department stores in general are hurting greatly under the hands of the millennials. Kmart is definitely not an exception. Millennials seem to prefer going to Walmart and Target, and they really like shopping online from brands like Amazon. 

They are not willing to pay the prices many department stores charge for their items and would rather buy from cheaper and more "fashion-forward" retailers.

Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

General Mills

General Mills

Millennials are causing tons of brands to rethink their branding, and General Mills is trying its best to adapt. Millennials are not eating as much cereal for breakfast as their parents, or even their younger siblings. 

They either opt for something that is easier to take on-the-go, or they just skip breakfast altogether. Are the days of sitting down for breakfast gone?

Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gillette

Gillette

Gillette is also noticing a trend with millennials skipping things—this time: shaving. Millennials don’t shave as often as older generations, so the sales for disposable razors has gone down. 

Plus, alternative options such as Harry’s or Dollar Shave Club that are available to order online and are shipped to your door are preferred. Are they also killing basic hygiene?

Javier Rapoport, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola

Millennials are more concerned with being “healthy” than their parents and grandparents had been, and with paleo, keto, and Whole30 diets being all the rage, they are killing classic American brands as well. 

These diets promote a zero sugar lifestyle, so brands like Coca-Cola are scrambling to adapt and create zero sugar lines of their drinks in order to stay afloat.

thayra83 - stock.adobe.com

Michael Kors

Michael Kors

Designer brands like Michael Kors are just not as popular among millennials. Millennials are in more debt than their parents were at their age, and they just don’t prioritize spending what money they do have on designer brands. 

This is forcing designer brands to mark down their prices and have sales just to survive!

Kristina Blokhin - stock.adobe.com

Home Depot

Home Depot

With millennials choosing to delay starting their lives by getting married and moving out of their parents’ houses, or even by choosing to rent longer-term rather than prioritizing buying a house, home improvement stores like Home Depot are taking a hit from this demographic. 

Maybe the rise in trendy fixer-uppers will convince them to return back to these stores, but they might still buy their tools online instead, killing yet another beloved institution.

Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons