Happy weekend all! Short week next week for me. I'm off Thursday AND Friday. Will be traveling Thursday to see some family I haven't seen in a few years. Should be a good time. The holiday season stalks us like a jungle rat...
I think someone will pick up the rights to, and production of, this product.
People don't know what they've got until they lose it. Whoever brings back the Twinkie will be seen as the savior of an American icon.
I'm not a huge fan, I would eat them every now and again and I enjoyed them when I did. Unfortunately they were increasingly harder to find in my regular travels in the Philly area (mostly Tastykake country, who recently gave up & was sold to Bimbo).
Twinkie the Kid will ride again, just on a different horse...
"If the arabs (muslims) put down their weapons today there would be no more violence. If the Israelis put down their weapons today there would be no more Israel".
Sadly, I feel Twinkies will be around for several decades even though they have stopped production.
This is depressing for me.. I eat those little debbie cakes once every now and then but the other stuff i love and i really hate seeing it go, it sucks. I know about diabetes and i know about over weight and all that junk but i love Hostess food products, i'll never let the feeling go, i am not over weight and im not a psycho over this food but i just love it so bad.
When I dunk my doughnut(s) into pure dairy milk, it tastes so darn good or a cookie(: either one taste greattttt
After working like dogs for the past 3 weeks in Western Maryland on storm damage to the railroad I finally get my usual 3 days off. Short week next week to boot and on top of it I now have LTE service in my part of the styx here in starting this afternoon. Finally can do something with my computer other than fight at&ts 24k lousy dialup! Have a nice weekend all time for a beer!
The Twinkie is definitely an American icon but I wonder what the recipe was that got it that way. The last Twinkie I had (probably back in the 80's) left me with the strange feeling that not a single ingredient in what I had just eaten was natural. When the first Twinkies were produced in the 30's, I suspect they tasted a little different than they do today.
Sadly, I feel Twinkies will be around for several decades even though they have stopped production.
Being that there isn't a single natural ingredient in them, they can never spoil LOL. It's sad that another 18,500 jobs have left the country never to return. The company tried their best to stay afloat even offering the unions a 25% stake in the company and a seat on the Board of Directors, but the unions were hell bent on closing the company and killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. I hope they are happy now.
One side will say the unions killed the company. Other side will say the executives mismanaged it into the ground & decided it was time to take the money and run.
As with any argument, the truth often lies in the center of the debate. The unions played a part, but the company suffered from competition with stronger consolidated entities in the marketplace. In addition to slipping into bankruptcy protection twice in the past decade, Hostess faced significant headwinds such as the recent economic downturn & the impact of rising commodity prices. They had a chance to make a go of it a few years ago, but when the economic "bones" rolled things just didn't work out.
The negotiations between Hostess & the union that represented a fraction of their workplace didn't work out, and both parties decided they were better off parted.
Hostess will liquidate, and the employees involved will be forced to seek employment elsewhere. This is the free market in action, and I seriously don't think either side is to blame...
Honestly that whole region is a mess that will likely finalize as a radioactive glassy mess sometime in the near future. and I mean the middle eastern region as a whole.
Actually, the way I heard it, they had already given concessions three years ago in another bankruptcy claim. The new management was asking for further concessions while the last CEO got a big fat bonus and left the company. The workers weren't willing to sacrifice anymore but I highly doubt they intentionally wanted to close the company.
Apple Inc, the largest U.S. stock by market value, was headed toward its eighth straight week of declines on Friday
Since hitting a record high of $705.07 a share in September, Apple has lost about a quarter of its value. The stock's descent has vastly outpaced those of the S&P 500, which is down just under 7 percent in the same time frame.
Apple's stock has been below both its 14-day and 50-day moving average for over a month, suggesting both the short- and mid-term momentum is negative.
Actually, the way I heard it, they had already given concessions three years ago in another bankruptcy claim. The new management was asking for further concessions while the last CEO got a big fat bonus and left the company. The workers weren't willing to sacrifice anymore but I highly doubt they intentionally wanted to close the company.
Hostess got caught in a tug-of-war of greed.
Yes they had already given concessions for three years, but in this particular case, management was trying to keep the goose alive. The retail price of their products had DOUBLED over the last two years. I, as a consumer who used to regularly enjoy their products, stopped buying them entirely. I couldn't AFFORD THEM! I was NOT alone.
The company offered the unions a 25% stake in the company, a seat on the Board of directors, and MANY OTHER concessions. Rather than teaming up with the company for the good of BOTH, the UNIONS chose to strike and drive the company OUT OF BUSINESS. This is one of those RARE cases where the Company really tried.
18,500 jobs have gone poof! Forever gone. Are those employees better off now? I understand that good jobs are plentiful... so it's a great time to be greedy. THOSE jobs are gone.
It's the old monkey trap. Small hole in a coconut tied to a tree. Monkey reaches in to grab some coconut, makes a fist, and can't get the hand out the hole. Is it smart enough to relax the fist and let the coconut meat go? Nope. Neither were the union employees.
Hostess could have weathered the unions and upper management if the War-on-Junk-Food hadn't sent it on a death march.
The last Hostess product I ate were Snowballs back in the early 90s. Mostly I didn't care for their product line; it wasn't much better than Little Debbie. When I did eat commercial snacks I liked stuff by Dolly Madison and Tastykake.
But nowadays the only pastries I eat are home made, gluten free and beyond tasty. (Though I still have to choose between them and losing weight)
Cya Hostess. Can't say I'll miss you but it's always a little sad to lose an American icon.
Geee... A LOT of the brands you talk about were OWNED by Hostess. They're gone, with a whole lotta jobs. Dolly Madison, Drakes, Wonder Bread... All gone.
Oh Yeah... they ALSO did a lot of baking for many local.regional companies, which are now SOL. More jobs gone. Look at the wrappers of your favorites that say "Interstate Brands". Yep, was baked by Hostess... it's gone.
Yes they had already given concessions for three years, but in this particular case, management was trying to keep the goose alive.
I agree, in the end, the union could have made massive concessions to try and bring the company back from the death plunge. Maybe they could have saved the company and maybe they couldn't have. Realistically, who is going to take the wheel when someone else has pushed the plane to within a few feet of the ground and it is pointed straight down?
Giving a union a stake in the company and a seat on the board of directors is a great thing... companies should be doing it NOW, before they get into trouble. And by 'union' I mean the workers standing together, not their often corrupt leaders. As long as there remains an adversarial relationship between management and labor, you will have an inefficient system with a tendency to crash. Labor should be treated as the business partners they really are.
You can't beat the goose to within an inch of its life then rush it to the vet.
You can't beat the goose to within an inch of its life then rush it to the vet.
We've talked before and I know you're a reasonable and intelligent person, so to you... this goes without saying. It's a two way street. You can't beat the goose to within an inch of its life and complain you're being given a nearly dead goose. I think had reasonable people like you and I had been running things...We'd have a healthy, happy goose.
I agree, in the end, the union could have made massive concessions to try and bring the company back from the death plunge. Maybe they could have saved the company and maybe they couldn't have. Realistically, who is going to take the wheel when someone else has pushed the plane to within a few feet of the ground and it is pointed straight down?
Don't forget that the other union which represented Hostess workers, the Teamsters, agreed to concessions, and they were practically begging the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union (BCTGM) to do the same.
This is how unions for airlines operate... they give back benefits when times are bad and they fight hard for benefits when times are good. The company stays in business and the employees get paid. Would the BCTGM giving in saved the company? Nobody will know now, but as someone who took a pay cut as opposed to losing my job, I'd definitely have taken the pay cut.
Of course, it isn't Thanksgiving up there in Canada, they celebrate their Thanksgiving in October.
Fortunately, it looks like a pretty nice week weather-wise for the northeast and eastern Canada. Sunny and not too cold, which sure beats the snow and ice I've had to deal with on previous Thanksgiving's.
I think it's too early for Montreal to have their Xmas lights up though, which is a shame. They do a spectacular job with the Xmas lights, and the Hudson Bay Company Christmas store window displays are wonderful, much like Macy's windows in NYC.
I hope everyone here has a nice weekend, and a Happy Thanksgiving!