Death of the Twinkie?

I haven't had a Twinkie for at least 10 years. Might have to have one before they are all gone.
 
I hadn't either, so I went out and bought a 2-pack a few months ago when this possibility first surfaced. It was pretty awful, and DW declined even tasting hers, it went in the trash uneaten.

Look at the bright side, you could go out and buy a box of Twinkies today and it would still be "fresh" in 30 years...might even be a collectors item.
 
The situation seems crazy. I'll bet someone will buy the brand names (not just the Hostess ones, but Wonder Bread and Nature's Pride) --they are worth something due to decades of brand building. The new owners will operate profitably and workers will have jobs again. But they probably won't be the same workers. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
 
samclem said:
The situation seems crazy. I'll bet someone will buy the brand names (not just the Hostess ones, but Wonder Bread and Nature's Pride) --they are worth something due to decades of brand building. The new owners will operate profitably and workers will have jobs again. But they probably won't be the same workers. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Click to expand...

I agree. Someone will pick up the name, recipes, etc in the liquidation process, and take the company private.

JDARNELL
 
JPatrick said:
Pretty darn depressing, but I'd bet the Twinkie brand will live on.
Click to expand...
Maybe, but if not, buying up a supply could be a way to diversify your AA. With the growing trend of decriminalizing marijuana,
values could go through the roof. :)
 
Last edited:
samclem said:
The situation seems crazy. I'll bet someone will buy the brand names (not just the Hostess ones, but Wonder Bread and Nature's Pride) --they are worth something due to decades of brand building. The new owners will operate profitably and workers will have jobs again. But they probably won't be the same workers. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Click to expand...
Already happened in 2009. This would be the second time.
 
Just seemed fitting...
twinkie.jpg
 
Yet another sad American Corporate story...

Hedge funds takeover and pilage a viable company.

Union workers then won't work for industry-competive wages.

The business goes down the tubes...


This story reminds me of the plight of Eastern Airlines.... Another tragic American story.
 
The brands will be purchased by a business who will hire folks for $8 per hour and no benefits to make them. And the cost probably won't go down.
 
ziggy29 said:
The brands will be purchased by a business who will hire folks for $8 per hour and no benefits to make them. And the cost probably won't go down.
Click to expand...

And when the price of some product or service you buy goes down, you decide to return the difference back to the provider, rather than pocket it and call yourself a 'smart consumer'?

I'm sure they will charge whatever the market will bear for Twinkies.

.... I skimmed the article, some interesting points - Hostess has been in/out of bankruptcy, it sure sounds like they just can't afford to pay union wages/benefits and stay in business. They have an unlikely supporter in that:

In September, one of its major unions, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, voted narrowly to accept a new contract with reduced wages and benefits. The Bakers' union rejected the deal, ...

The Teamsters union, which represents 7,500 Hostess workers, has been sharply critical of the smaller Bakers' decision to strike, saying it was forcing the company to the cusp of liquidation. ...
Click to expand...

So if they want to save those jobs, seems like some compromise is in order. If they don't want to compromise, then they should not whine when they get replaced by people who might willingly prefer an $8 no benefit job (or whatever) over unemployment.

Better yet, they should use their organisational powers to start their own company, start making competitive products that people want to buy, and pay great wages and benefits. No one is stopping them.

-ERD50
 
ERD50 said:
If they don't want to compromise, then they should not whine when they get replaced by people who might willingly prefer an $8 no benefit job (or whatever) over unemployment.

Better yet, they should use their organisational powers to start their own company, start making competitive products that people want to buy, and pay great wages and benefits. No one is stopping them.

-ERD50
Click to expand...

The story isn't as simple as you posted...

Evidently the hedge funds took so much money out of the company and loaded it up with debt that it just couldn't function anymore. The unions, as usual, weren't flexible enough to keep it going.

There is lots of blame to go around on both sides.
 
Of course, it is possible that after the first bankruptcy and reorganization concessions were made and the owners decided they wanted more. Because this is a private company there is no public reporting, so we will never know what brought them to this point.

If the investors are heavily leveraged, the lenders and employees lose but the owners may not.
 
MasterBlaster said:
The story isn't as simple as you posted...

Evidently the hedge funds took so much money out of the company and loaded it up with debt that it just couldn't function anymore. The unions, as usual, weren't flexible enough to keep it going.

There is lots of blame to go around on both sides.
Click to expand...
At least no one else is being asked to bail out all the folks who took risk in various ways. The pain is residing where it should.

Everyone is getting their just desserts. (sorry-couldn't help it.)
 
ERD50 said:
And when the price of some product or service you buy goes down, you decide to return the difference back to the provider, rather than pocket it and call yourself a 'smart consumer'?
Click to expand...

I know you take it upon yourself to be this board's "staunch defender of the free market" -- but just because someone says they don't like the economic trends the "free market" is taking us doesn't mean they are advocating that government intervention you are so keen in arguing against.

Just a thought.
 
MasterBlaster said:
Evidently the hedge funds took so much money out of the company and loaded it up with debt that it just couldn't function anymore. The unions, as usual, weren't flexible enough to keep it going.
Click to expand...

Really? I have not been able to find any references to the hedge funds making money.

One of the best articles on this is from last summer in Fortune Magazine.
I do think that in the end Hostess will be sold, probably to Bimbo (owners of Sara Lee, Ball Park (buns), Entenmann's and many others), unfortunately, I also think the manufacturing will be opened as a non-union shop or out of the country.

I do agree with you that there is a lot of blame to go around.
 
The Bimbo bear makes me smile. I was driving behind a Bimbo truck the other day and couldn't stop smiling. I'm serious! A very clever icon.

Question: does NAFTA or any other law allow free exchange of baked goods in trade? It seems like you don't see much of that. Maybe some stuff made in the Northern US looks like it was targeted for Canada with the bilingual packaging. ("President's Choice", which I think is a Canadian brand.)

But I don't see anything from Mexico in mainline products, only specialty. If Bimbo bought the brand would they just make here in the US?
 
GrayHare said:
Old twinkies don't die, and they don't just fade away. This science teacher has had one in the classroom for over 30 years USATODAY.com - 30-year-old Twinkie soon to become teacher's legacy

Then there are Tests With Inorganic Noxious Kakes In Extreme Situations The T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project
Click to expand...

But you can go to the "Health Food" store and buy a product with centuries-long shelf life.

from wiki:

Because of its unique composition and chemical properties, honey is suitable for long-term storage, and is easily assimilated even after long preservation. Honey, and objects immersed in honey, have been preserved for decades and even centuries.
Click to expand...


-ERD50
 
MasterBlaster said:
Yet another sad American Corporate story...

Hedge funds takeover and pilage a viable company.

Union workers then won't work for industry-competive wages.

The business goes down the tubes...


This story reminds me of the plight of Eastern Airlines.... Another tragic American story.
Click to expand...

Not sure where you get your info... from the little that I can see, it was not a viable company without major changes or it would not have gone into BK...

What did the hedge funds pilage:confused: Maybe they did, but without facts this is just BS...


IIRC, Eastern Airlines also went down because the workers would not accept lower wages to keep it going.... sure, as an employee you have the right to not accept the lower wages, and it can be because of bad management.... but like this, they were told what would happen if they did not accept lower wages and their gamble did not work...
 
ziggy29 said:
I know you take it upon yourself to be this board's "staunch defender of the free market" -- but just because someone says they don't like the economic trends the "free market" is taking us doesn't mean they are advocating that government intervention you are so keen in arguing against.

Just a thought.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure where the jump to 'government intervention' came in?

I'm merely pointing out that businesses act the same as us consumers do. We look for the best value at the best price point for our needs. That holds for buying labor, or buying dessert. I have trouble criticizing a business for acting as I do.

That should not be taken to mean we always go for the lowest price for everything no matter what. I might choose to pay a worker $20/hour if I know he will do a better job than the workers I can get for $15. I try to support some little mom/pop shops when I can, even if it might cost a bit more, as I value having them around as it gives me another option when shopping. It's all about value, not simply lowest $.

IME, I have seen very few cases where the free market was not the best solution for allocating resources. Why not defend it?

-ERD50
 
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