People Are Calling Out Things That Used To Be "Good" Unti…

The article discusses various aspects of life and entertainment that have been negatively impacted by increased popularity, as shared by readers. Key themes include: 1. **Camping**: Campgrounds are becoming expensive and dominated by luxury RVs. 2. **Conventions**: Autographs and entry fees at conventions have skyrocketed. 3. **Cable TV**: More commercial interruptions than before despite higher monthly fees. 4. **Food Prices**: Popular items like chicken wings and seafood have become unaffordable. 5. **Tourist Spots**: Locally loved places are overcrowded with tourists, ruining their appeal. 6. **Rise of AI**: The internet's research capability declined due to advertisement focus and AI constraints. 7. **Streaming Costs**: Streaming services are perceived as too expensive. 8. **Local Culture**: Places like Santa Cruz and Sedona have lost their original charm due to gentrification. 9. **Dining Out**: Basic meals and services have become overly priced. 10. **Gratuity Culture**

\ \ by Liz RichardsonBuzzFeedBuzzFeed Staff\ \ As a Senior Staff Writer at BuzzFeed, I cover real-life stories that explore relationships, lifestyle (including travel and beauty), and the internet's most fascinating trends.

We recently wrote a post where people revealed things that used to be "good," until they were ruined by popularity. In the comments, readers shared other things that were completely ruined after too many people did them, and it's ridiculously accurate. Here's what they had to say:

1."Campgrounds! These days, the rich folks reserve all the spots ahead of time, and then frequently don’t even show up. Even if you can find a spot in summer, asking $75 to park for the night is ridiculous. Not to mention the 'campgrounds' are filled with luxury RVs and campers with all their over-the-top gear!"

—Anonymous, 61, Washington

Tent set up in a forested campsite with a camping chair and a small dog exploring the ground

u/mjzim9022 / Via reddit.com

2."Autographs at conventions are getting way too expensive. All the 'celebrities' making appearances, and THEN charging $50 just for an autograph, or $40 just to take a pic with them. Then again, like so many other things, they've become corporatized. Many of the little fan-run shows are fading out. At many of the 'corporate cons,' it's $60 just to get in the door, and THEN, you have the $50 a pop for autos? I'm sorry, I've got BILLS to pay first!!!"

— jwsiegel1272

3."Cable. Your monthly fee paid their costs, so there were no commercials during the programs. Just a few minutes between shows. Now cable has more commercials embedded in all of its content than broadcast TV."

—Anonymous, 69, Minnesota

4."The price of chicken wings! We use to go to the bars and get chicken wing pieces for 5 to 10 cents each. Even in the grocery stores, a large tray was like $2–4 dollars."

—Anonymous

Plates of buffalo wings with celery sticks and a basket of fries on a checkered table

u/gravepact_ / Via reddit.com

5."Florida has completely changed since the late 70s when it became cheaper to have air conditioners in your house. Since then, people mostly from up north have literally taken over the state. The cost of living has gone way up, and more people were born outside of the state than true Floridians living here."

"The funny thing is that instead of being outside enjoying all that Florida has to offer, they sit around inside, only going out when they have to. Then, they spend the whole time complaining about the heat and storms, or just trying to make it more like wherever they came from. Look closer next time, most of the idiots in the Florida Man stories aren't really Floridians."

—Anonymous

6."Instagram has ruined all the 'local spots' on rivers and lakes. Waterfalls are a joke now, overrun by 'influencers' that add nothing of value to the world and are so fake. We love people coming to our town, but come because you genuinely want to disappear into the mountains, not to monetize our backyard."

—Anonymous, 45, California

7."Public beach access points along coastal Carolina. It used to be free parking, but after COVID, they charge $6/hour, and it's not a reserved spot. There are no bathrooms, so guess where people must go? Lose your paid parking spot or pee in the ocean!"

—Anonymous, North Carolina

Sign with the text: "Every vehicle must pay for parking to avoid a citation," against a sky backdrop

Bloomberg via Getty Images

8."Fall and holiday craft shows. Used to be able to park up close, and all the vendors sold unique, handmade items. Now, you have to park so far away, and it's overly crowded. Vendors are just reselling manufactured items, and the charm is completely gone."

—Anonymous

9."Santa Cruz, California. It used to be this scruffy little surf town with cheap beach shacks, a downtown with 'Hippy Corner,' and little traffic. If you wanted to get to the beach, you roughed it down a crumbly dirt cliff to get there. Then, Silicon Valley tech millionaires found it, and everything changed. The little beach cottages that used to house artists, surfers, and working-class families are now million-dollar homes. The 'secret' backroads locals used to take are packed with Teslas and tourists, and a drive across town that used to take 15 minutes can easily take 45 now."

"My parents moved here in the ’70s and raised two kids on the income of a landscaper and a retail worker. That version of Santa Cruz basically doesn’t exist anymore. A lot of people who grew up here are getting pushed out because we simply can’t afford to stay."

—Anonymous, 47, California

10."Vegetarian food! Certain brands used to offer GREAT meatless options that cooked, tasted, and chewed like meat. Then, 'plant-based' became the new tag line for vegetarian food, and ridiculous price hikes and ugly green packaging became the rage. The food prices doubled, and recipes changed to something barely edible. One brand's hot dogs, which plumped when cooked, just like the real thing, are now creepy, tasteless, cocktail-sized weiners that aren't fully cooked inside unless burned and hard on the outside. Just awful how great products are changed and repackaged to follow a popular trend that will disappear shortly."

—Anonymous, 50, New York

Hot dog topped with melted cheese, pickles, and herbs on a bun, served on a white tray

u/blarlan / Via reddit.com

11."Local breweries. Whatever happened to 'we can make it better and cheaper?' Now, it's 'oh, we got popular? Let’s up the price!"

—Anonymous, 56, Colorado

12."The internet before AI. It had already become an advertising vehicle and had lost all of its research capability. With AI, you can't get past the three words you put in the search line; if you put more than three, it says it can't find anything that matches, and offers to find you what it's trying to sell you."

—Anonymous

13."Pickleball. It was a fun driveway sport with a wiffle ball that nobody took too seriously. Now, it's overrun with overly serious, overly competitive jags who delight in making it impossible to actually volley or enjoy the game. It's a wiffle ball, guys. A WIFFLE ball."

—Anonymous, 47, Oregon

Person holding a pickleball paddle and yellow ball on an outdoor court

Unaihuiziphotography / Getty Images

14."Sedona, Arizona. Traffic is congested. There's no quaint town feel anymore. Try to find a restroom; in a gas station, you have to buy gas."

—Anonymous

15."Paintball. My first time playing was in 1988. We all used Splattermaster paintball pistols (10 shots, then reload and change the CO2 cartridge). These were fun games. A true survival game. When you had the chance to capture the flag, you had to find a way to get back to your station fast. It was so fun and exciting, and out in the woods, you never knew what to expect. Then, during the '90s, companies started making full-auto and large-capacity models so they could sell more paintballs. Not fun anymore."

"I haven't played in over 30 years. It just became a high-capacity shoot-out: no strategy, no stealth tactics, no fun. Maybe if I had never experienced paintball so early in its time, I might think what became of it was good, maybe. I miss the '80s."

—Anonymous, 59, Massachusetts

16."Thrift stores! We grew up poor and would get most of our clothing from thrift stores or yard sales. Now, there are so many people, and the prices have shot up. Goodwill keeps going up. Gesh."

—Anonymous, 41, Georgia

Pair of pants with two price tags: one showing thrift price $14.99, with an old tag showing $12

u/Megan_nicole_93 / Via reddit.com

17."Road trips aren't worth it anymore. Gas prices, hotel rates (including deposits, parking fees, and resort fees), eating at restaurants or fast-food places, entertainment, etc. Just one person can spend $1,000 or more in one week."

—Anonymous

18."Streaming is too expensive. The nice thing is it will drive more and more people away from television, thus saving family telationships!"

—Anonymous, 70, Nevada

19."Seafood. Once upon a time, shrimp, clams, oysters, and crab were poor people's food. Once the more well-to-do found out how delicious it was, we couldn't afford to eat it anymore."

—Anonymous, 55, Alabama

Packages of wild cooked red king crab legs displayed for sale, priced at $69.99 per pound

u/optamastic / Via reddit.com

20."Formula One. When the race came to Long Beach, everything was accessible; you could see the cars close up in the garages. The drivers were available to chat, and you could get in on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for almost nothing. Now, it's hundreds of dollars for just one day. Most people who enjoy the sport will never see it in person. Popularity ruined this spectacular event."

—Anonymous, California

21."Comic-Con. I was about comics, hard-to-find posters of science fiction, monsters, and toys. It was about attending panels to see and talk to writers and artists of comics, magazines, and cartoons, to get personalized sketches from illustrators, and to meet fellow readers and gamers. The occasional star that you could get an autograph from for cheap. No lines to get to anything. Tickets to go were abundant. Now, it’s just massive lines to see and do anything if you are lucky enough to win the lottery to get tickets to get in. People waste their whole day(s) waiting in line to get a glimpse of a movie star, missing out on all that Comic-Con still has to offer. The crowds are just so massive. Many just go to get a selfie and say how they went to Comic-Con."

—Anonymous, 59, California

22."Screens in cars. A small screen was okay and occasionally helpful, but when the whole dashboard is a screen, and you have to tap the screen to turn on the AC/heat, it becomes an accident waiting to happen."

—Anonymous

Interior of a Tesla with a large touchscreen display showing maps

Sjoerd Van Der Wal / Getty Images

23."Going out for breakfast. It's wild to me that a simple meal like an omelet and potatoes now costs $25, and they charge $5 for a cup of coffee. It's now just as expensive as going out to dinner, and most of the food these restaurants serve is stuff you could make way better at home. Really disappointing."

—Anonymous, 52, Arizona

24."Nail salons. You could get a mani and pedi for $40, and now, it's a minimum of $80 since it became so popular."

—Anonymous, 30, New York

And finally...

25."Tips and tipping. I used to like leaving a nice tip in a restaurant or for a haircut, but now everyone I run into in any business wants a tip. And the audacity to flip over a little POS screen (point of sales, not piece of sh*t) and suggest tip amounts because you handed me a baked item? Hmmm, let's see...$2.00. What? It's all gone too far."

—Anonymous, Vermont

A touchscreen point-of-sale system prompts for a tip selection: 15%, 20%, 25%, custom, or no tip

Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images

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.

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People Are Calling Out Things That Used To Be "Good" Until They Were Ruined By Popularity

We recently wrote a post where people revealed things that used to be "good," until they were ruined by popularity. In the comments, readers shared other things that were completely ruined after too many people did them, and it's ridiculously accurate. Here's what they had to say:

3."Cable. Your monthly fee paid their costs, so there were no commercials during the programs. Just a few minutes between shows. Now cable has more commercials embedded in all of its content than broadcast TV."

4."The price of chicken wings! We use to go to the bars and get chicken wing pieces for 5 to 10 cents each. Even in the grocery stores, a large tray was like $2–4 dollars."

7."Public beach access points along coastal Carolina. It used to be free parking, but after COVID, they charge $6/hour, and it's not a reserved spot. There are no bathrooms, so guess where people must go? Lose your paid parking spot or pee in the ocean!"

8."Fall and holiday craft shows. Used to be able to park up close, and all the vendors sold unique, handmade items. Now, you have to park so far away, and it's overly crowded. Vendors are just reselling manufactured items, and the charm is completely gone."

11."Local breweries. Whatever happened to 'we can make it better and cheaper?' Now, it's 'oh, we got popular? Let’s up the price!"

13."Pickleball. It was a fun driveway sport with a wiffle ball that nobody took too seriously. Now, it's overrun with overly serious, overly competitive jags who delight in making it impossible to actually volley or enjoy the game. It's a wiffle ball, guys. A WIFFLE ball."

14."Sedona, Arizona. Traffic is congested. There's no quaint town feel anymore. Try to find a restroom; in a gas station, you have to buy gas."

16."Thrift stores! We grew up poor and would get most of our clothing from thrift stores or yard sales. Now, there are so many people, and the prices have shot up. Goodwill keeps going up. Gesh."

17."Road trips aren't worth it anymore. Gas prices, hotel rates (including deposits, parking fees, and resort fees), eating at restaurants or fast-food places, entertainment, etc. Just one person can spend $1,000 or more in one week."

18."Streaming is too expensive. The nice thing is it will drive more and more people away from television, thus saving family telationships!"

19."Seafood. Once upon a time, shrimp, clams, oysters, and crab were poor people's food. Once the more well-to-do found out how delicious it was, we couldn't afford to eat it anymore."

22."Screens in cars. A small screen was okay and occasionally helpful, but when the whole dashboard is a screen, and you have to tap the screen to turn on the AC/heat, it becomes an accident waiting to happen."

24."Nail salons. You could get a mani and pedi for $40, and now, it's a minimum of $80 since it became so popular."

And finally...

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

Comments