Daniel E. Markle's Blog

Corporate treachery has become commonplace in current society, but it is especially sad to see when it hits close to home. Obvious in retrospect, Eldon Dieffenbach's purchase of Gibble's from Martin's was simply an acquisition to shut it down and secure private label contracts. It's not clear whether to blame him or Martin's for callously tossing away a local tradition.

I fail to understand the modern business theory of shutting down profitable product lines to 'focus on core products.' This rarely does anything but reduce overall profits, especially in cases like this where there was no avenue to re-purpose the product line or employees for more profitable ventures. Such tactics make sense when product lines are losing money, but in cases like this where the profit was simply 'less than our main product line' it is unclear what positive impact management was trying to achieve.

The only plus side here is the potential to improve my health, as these were one of the last potato chip brands I find worth reaching for. I'll certainly enjoy this last bag.