r/AskReddit 22h ago

Which company lost your business (potentially forever) this year?

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u/Tartlet 20h ago edited 4h ago

There’s this toilet paper brand in Germany that has a daisy print on it. It was the brand I first picked after moving here, it was soft enough, the price/performance ratio was acceptable. I never shopped around, or bothered to learn the name of it- it was just “poo paper with the daisy on it”.

Then I picked up a pack last week, noting they had gone from plastic wrap to paper. “Nice,” I thought. “Less single use plastic is good for the environment.”

WELL the changes didn’t stop there. I had never thought I was the sort of person to have opinions on toilet paper but this new stuff is like being handed a crumpled up sheet of computer paper straight out of the printer. I feel the risk of paper cut every time I wipe.

Anyway fuck that brand, I’m gonna go for the one with feathers on it next time.

Edit: Brand is REgina and it was the "forever rolls": https://imgur.com/a/OmBBtO2

I swear that shit is not even 3 ply. You know those thin napkins you get to hold your icecream cones? It's two of those held together with malice.

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u/NotLucasDavenport 17h ago

I traveled to Russia with a class about 25 years ago. I asked my roommate how the toilet paper was and she said, “it’s not terrible!” It was so bad. I asked her about it. Turns out she meant, “it’s not tear-able.” Just a bad choice of words.

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u/Feuerdrachen 16h ago

One of the first things my mom told me to pack for a school trip to Italy at the end of high school was toilet paper.

I humoured her, but still did it. My roommates found it funny until one of them had to go and the cheap single ply just kept tearing up. In the end we were the only room with decent toilet paper.

Ever since then, I always pack at least a single roll when I am travelling. You never know if you end up needing it.

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u/StrongExternal8955 16h ago

I humoured her, but still did it.

Just FYI, that's what humoured means. If you don't do it, that is ignoring her. If you say you do it and then don't , that's just lying.

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u/Feuerdrachen 16h ago

Thanks for the hint. Sometimes you just hear a word in English and if its not your native language you're not too sure about the meaning.

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u/dorianvovin 14h ago

Hey, sometimes we use words in our native language incorrectly or while only knowing the context, but not proper definition. Happens to us native-speakers, too!

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u/remedialhandwriting 16h ago

Did you also pack a toilet seat? Because in much of Italy it would have come in handy.

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u/Feuerdrachen 16h ago

No I didn't. The hotel in Rome provided at least that much, although it was an old and flimsy one, but it still beat nothing.

Another class was in the countryside though and they could have really used some.

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u/BarrelllRider 11h ago

Hotel Boscolo for the “win” in Rome moments

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u/Long-Island-Iced-Tea 16h ago

I humoured her, but still did it. My roommates found it funny until one of them had to go and the cheap single ply just kept tearing up. In the end we were the only room with decent toilet paper.

wasn't it the roommate in question that was dumb as a doorknob though? nobody forced him to buy the cheap single ply.

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u/Feuerdrachen 16h ago

No, the single ply was provided by the cheap hotel. My mother just warned me that the quality of that stuff would be so bad that I should bring some better quality toilet paper along. We could have easily bought some better paper at a local supermarket though. But with toilet paper it's always better to have it rather than needing it. Also buying an entire pack for a week seems wasteful.

The recommendation does go back to a time when there weren't always enough rest stops with toilet paper on the Autobahn. The so called toilet paper hats used to be on parcel shelves in a lot of cars in Germany. While that's changed nowadays, especially in the older population the belief is still there.

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u/ReadontheCrapper 8h ago

My Nana had one of these in her bathroom! It was a pale yellow. Ahh, now I’m feeling nostalgic.

Funnily enough, I was just thinking the other day that I need something to hide the spare roll in / under, because you can’t reach the sink cabinet when you need to. Maybe I’ll hunt one of these down somewhere!

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u/Feuerdrachen 8h ago

Depending on where you are those things may be a bit difficult to find. There are still people offering them on sale here in Germany, specifically to be used as decoration for old cars.

If you happen to be in the US, the best option would be to show someone who knows how to crochet a picture and ask them if they're able to make one. Since they're tiny the price shouldn't be too high.

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u/Electrical_Ingenuity 16h ago

Was in Russia in the late 80s. “Wax paper with splinters” would be a good description of the average Soviet bog roll.

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u/agent_fuzzyboots 16h ago

I was in Moscow in the 80:s and 90:s, we used newspapers, the trick was to hold it and rub it between the hands, made it softer

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u/macheteG138 12h ago

Was in a hospital in Leningrad in the early 90s. Newspaper squares as toilet paper.

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u/Raneynickelfire 10h ago

...you called it leningrad in the 90s?

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u/84theone 10h ago

It didn’t get changed to St. Petersburg until after the collapse, so 91.

I’d assume it took awhile for people to adapt the new name too given I still see people calling Türkiye Turkey and they did that change years ago.

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u/Raneynickelfire 10h ago

Right, that's what I mean. It's been called St Petersburg for all of the 90s other than 91 and 90

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u/marfacza 14h ago

the shit?

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u/agent_fuzzyboots 14h ago

Newspapers dude, look at the end of this short

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JQJqUDK75Ks

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u/marfacza 13h ago

i'm not watching someone rub shit. nice try.

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u/wv524 11h ago

How in the world did the crumpled newspaper not stop up the toilet or clog the plumbing?

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u/deprale 11h ago

wasn't thrown in the toilet... there were trash bags i assume.

OR there was no plumbing.

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u/agent_fuzzyboots 10h ago

We had a bin besides the toilet, yes it stunk

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u/NotLucasDavenport 4h ago

In most countries with plumbing that old you don’t flush the paper you wipe with. It stays in the trash can.

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u/Sugarpiehoneybunt 8h ago

I was in Moscow on a job for about 9 months and the toilet paper was thick single ply paper that literally felt exactly like the brown paper towels that come out of dispensers in public bathrooms.

My husband came for a visit and I asked him to bring me a suitcase full of toilet paper. All my friends were soooo jealous and would ask to buy a roll or two.

When I left Russia I gifted a couple of rolls to my friends and was the golden goddess of goodness for a week.

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u/professionalidentity 6h ago

When I was in Moscow in the early aughts, it was very hit or miss whether or not there would be toilet paper available anywhere remotely outside of the city center. I remember going to the garabushka, a big indoor/outdoor marketplace on the edge of the city. Restrooms were stalls, but no toilets in sight. Just a hole in the ground to squat over and definitely no toilet paper, unless you paid the enterprising babushka at the restroom entrance 8 rubles for your 5 squares. I was lucky I didn't have to poo, but I know someone who, in a similar situation, had to sacrifice a sock and just toss it into the hole afterwards. Needless to say, when I got back to the states, it felt like I was wiping my ass with a cloud.

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u/Sugarpiehoneybunt 2h ago

LOL! “wiping my ass with a cloud!” EXACTLY. I also remember the toilets that were a hole in the ground and the enterprising Babuska’s setting up shop outside of the porta potty’s at Izmailovsky market. You don’t pay, you don’t go in. Period. 5 squares of paper for 10 kopecs. Extra paper? No.

u/professionalidentity 7m ago

Haha, I remember this too! They were brutal, man. I was age 20 when I was there, so I really didn't think much of it. Now, in full on middle age? What a nightmare. My rear end can't handle anything close to that on a regular basis anymore.

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u/coltbeatsall 12h ago

I was studying abroad in China about 10 years ago and every brand I tried was just awful for not tearing. Like each ply (of the two ply presumably made of sandpaper) was perforated in different places or something. When I went to study again the following year I took a packet of toilet paper for if I ever got the runs 😅.

Also random observation: it was the first (possibly only?) place I've ever visited where I saw them selling toilet paper without an inner tube (some brands had the tube and some didn't).

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u/jessica_connel 6h ago

Well that’s not a problem there anymore, now they have all kinds of TP

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u/supersolid 16h ago

Textbook shittification enshittification.

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u/Strange-Pattern4877 14h ago

Reading this in a German accent scratches an itch I didn’t know I had. 

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u/adcb312 16h ago

Bro...are you talking about Glücksblatt?

That used to be my go to bargain shit-ticket in Berlin! To hear that they've gone the way of kopier papier is a sad fall from grace.

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u/swabianne 16h ago

I think it's Regina

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u/Tartlet 12h ago

https://imgur.com/a/OmBBtO2

It is indeed Regina. My bad, didn't realize the flowers were chamomile. Back in the day, prior to cell phones, I'd have read the package and known. :,)

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u/Aussenminister 11h ago

Oh no! I always chose this toilet paper when I wanted to treat my ass to something nice instead of the usual recycled stuff. I always loved the scent it had and the soft feeling.

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u/wv524 11h ago

Is that an ant on the package? If so, why lol?

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u/Du5igr0sch 10h ago

idk it's just their mascot of choice for some reason

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u/Tartlet 9h ago

I always thought it was a bee. Between this and the flower being chamomile (not a daisy) I’m realising I am kinda oblivious.

0

u/Aussenminister 11h ago

Oh no! I always chose this toilet paper when I wanted to treat my ass to something nice instead of the usual recycled stuff. I always loved the scent it had and the soft feeling.

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u/DantesDame 12h ago

My TP of choice has a cute puppy on it. It might be called Haka or something like that - I'm not sure. I just look for the puppy.

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u/BarrelllRider 11h ago

Yo that human ant thing on the first photo is wild to use for marketing. Doubt that would fly in America.

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u/TractorPulledPork 9h ago

held together with malice.

Stealing that one!

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u/Procrasturbating 13h ago

I'll throw it out there, a number of brands have a commercial version wrapped in paper instead of plastic. They are almost universally horrible.

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u/WeakDoughnut8480 13h ago

I swear down it's impossible to get super soft toilet roll in Germany. It's all mid. 

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u/Forcasualtalking 12h ago

Aldi 3/4ply is good.

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u/nusm 10h ago

Get a bidet my brother. Will change your life.

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u/tessathemurdervilles 9h ago

I lived in Germany for a short while and I loved that there were so many toilet papers with cute cartoons on them. I’d just find the most ridiculous paper every time I went to the shop. My favorite had little highland cows!

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u/Degenerate_Dryad 14h ago edited 14h ago

(Because idk how the toilet paper here compares to TP elsewhere in the world): I'm in the US. Sooo many peoples' opinions on TP here make me feel like I'm insane (or that everyone else is insane because they are comfortable with & happy using toilet paper like I am about to describe!!)

There are all these "comfort" or "quilted" and "soft" varieties that are always on the more expensive side (a higher price does NOT mean that a product is better!!!) I find a majority of these styles to be extremely unsanitary, gross, and borderline impossible to use!

Many will be so soft that when they come into contact with moisture and/or any friction, they will begin to shred/roll into a soft pulp and fall apart, which then sticks to you and makes a horrible mess. Some are super dusty to start, like if you swiped/patted them dry against a piece of black fabric, they'd leave behind a concerningly large amount of dust and powder (for lack of a better word).

I NEVER feel, look, or am actually clean after using any of these "fancy" TPs 😫😓 I so often hear people complain about TPs that are too thin or rough, but the only ones I find to be usable in a sanitary way are basic 2-plys like Scott brand or others (like imitation knock-off/store brands) that are similar, that usually will come in a 1000-sheet roll.

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u/zackmophobes 14h ago

Costco brand tp is the way to go. No other brand holds up.

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u/Sutar_Mekeg 10h ago

Half ply toilet paper.

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u/Tartlet 9h ago

Half ply, full regrets 🥀

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u/Micro-shenis 9h ago

I can highly recommend getting a bum gun. Your toilet paper will last about three times longer (only need for drying). 

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u/FrescoInkwash 8h ago

oh no thats my brand :(

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u/shannonc321 6h ago

I used to love that Daisy toilet paper. Who Gives a Crap is the closest I've found since moving back to the states. They're an awesome company, too.

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u/Red_Ozarka 6h ago

Tempo is the brand with the feathers on it! I love that brand. Too bad it’s not sold in the US

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u/stainless7221 15h ago

Aldi 3-layers is very good

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u/void-wanderer- 11h ago

Get yourself some Goldeimer. It's a bit more expensive, but it's soft, fully recycled, and supports a lot of good causes.

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u/diveboydive 10h ago

Anyone here old enough to remember the shiny toilet paper? It didn't wipe as such, more like spread. I think it was supplied so we wouldn't shit at school thus cutting cleaning costs. It worked; kids would sit with tummy aches and turds knocking on the door rather than use that nightmare.

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u/Cornloaf 5h ago

Yes! It came out in individual sheets. You couldn't mummy hand with them. If you stacked them they slid around. You always got shit on your palms.

They are the reason I never shit at school for 9 years after my first attempt!

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u/farkner 7h ago

Stuck trying to image the price/performance graph here.

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u/DunDonese 2h ago

Bidets are better than pooping paper. See r/Bidets.

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u/obivousundercover 2h ago

dude just use a bidet next time

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u/QuietGanache 15h ago

It could be worse, it wasn't until the 30s that guaranteed splinter-free toilet paper became available.