11 Things That Used To Feel Fancy & Special Just A Few Years Ago But Are Now A Horrible Experience
Things just aren't the way they used to be.
Nicoleta Ionescu / Shutterstock The time period from the early 2000s to the 2010s was a golden era in which you could have all kinds of fancy, special experiences while spending little. People back then could buy an outfit without thinking about whether or not they could afford to buy eggs, or they could go on a cruise without completely despising the entire experience.
Unfortunately, that era of affordable luxury seems long gone. Instead, several things that used to feel fancy and special just a few years ago, are now a horrible experience that leaves a bitter taste in people's mouths. As a result, many of us have all but given up on doing things we once loved, trading them for cheaper, arguably more relaxing alternatives.
These are 11 things that used to feel fancy and special just a few years ago but are now a horrible experience
1. Going somewhere on an airplane
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The first thing that used to feel fancy and special just a few years ago, but is now a horrible experience is flying on airplanes. Before 2020, the experience of flying on an airplane was fairly special. Most people found them to be fairly relaxing as they eat their snacks, threw on their blankets, and watched TV.
Unfortunately, things have long changed since then. According to Travel Pulse, seats have shrunken by as much as four inches over the last 30 years and has left seats as narrow as 16 inches in width. Not only that, but the meals are practically nonexistent as now, all people get are small little snacks and if they're lucky, a drink.
All in all, an experience that once felt more relaxing has become increasingly stressful as staff are often overworked and as a result, snappy with customers.
Now, is this necessarily their fault? No, people should remember how many of them died or risked their lives during the pandemic. However, the luxurious feeling of flying on an airplane is now a horrible experience for many, as people are jam-packed together with little comfort.
2. Going shopping
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Back in the early 2000s, people could grab a $20 bill and buy a full outfit at Ross. Feeling beautiful, luxurious, and special, these individuals enjoyed the experience of shopping as their stress all but faded away.
Nowadays, clothing has seemingly gotten more expensive with little improvement. What once was a stress-free and fun experience has now become a nightmare as people rake the sales racks hoping to find clothing at a discounted price.
According to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, garment production has doubled since the 2000s, and the average person is now purchasing 60% more clothing than they did 17 years ago. Though the production of clothing has increased globally, the quality has continued to lower, causing a once luxurious and carefree shopping experience to become increasingly stressful and frankly, annoying.
3. Going on a cruise
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The thrilling experience of festivities, music, and amazing food when you're on a cruise is a luxurious one that many people were willing to spend serious money on. Unfortunately, this feeling has recently changed, as many people now find it to be a horrible experience to go on cruises.
Overcrowding and limited time to explore ports have all caused the cruise experience to feel less luxurious and more like a headache. On top of that, the food is now of lower quality. The new norm for a cruise is buffet-style dining that someone could probably find at Golden Corral.
Even worse are the hidden fees and rigid schedules that offer zero flexibility for those who spend thousands of dollars for this once-in-a-blue-moon experience. As a result, people who do find themselves going on a cruise are often left underwhelmed as the promised luxury experience feels more and more like an expensive ripoff.
The author and traveler who runs a YouTube channel called Tips for Travelers explained that the cruise experience has gotten so bad, that 20 out of 25 cruises are being rated lower than ever before.
So, if someone is thinking about going on a cruise, they may want to either save their money or do extensive research, as going on a cruise nowadays isn't always worth it.
4. Going out to eat
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Going out to eat used to be an amazing experience. Filled with endless chatter, great service, and even better meals, this special feeling was topped by the fact that reasonable pricing used to be the standard. Unfortunately, going out to eat is one of the things that used to feel fancy and special just a few years ago but is now often a horrible experience.
People who go out to fine dining all the time shouldn't necessarily bat an eyelash at expensive prices. After all, it's called fine dining for a reason. However, there's a huge difference between prices that are expensive and absolutely appalling.
Vericast’s 2024 Restaurant TrendWatch reports that despite inflation going down, prices climbed to 5.1% at restaurants compared to grocery prices which climbed 1.2%.
Additionally, people can't discuss the horrible experience of dining without first addressing the elephant in the room: small portions of lower quality food. Many people's favorite restaurants have begun serving smaller plates, which for some, wouldn't be a problem if only they kept quality and service the same.
But overall, what once was a relaxing and fun experience has turned into a complete headache as dining out went from feeling financial to now being absolutely horrible. Combined with the fact that everywhere people go things just taste blander, is it any wonder why cooking at home might feel more relaxing now than going out?
5. Getting your nails done
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Most women (and some men) love getting their nails done. Wanting to feel beautiful and confident in themselves, people aren't afraid to cough up some serious money in order to get the perfect pearl nails. Now, however, one thing that used to feel fancy and special just a few years ago but is now a horrible experience is getting your nails done.
There are a lot of reasons why getting your nails done can be absolutely miserable. For starters, the customer service at many nail salons is questionable at best and straight-up disrespectful at its worst. Besides hounding customers to spend extra money, lots of people feel like they can't talk to their nail tech without being scolded or having their hands yanked harshly in the process.
And that's not even the worst part. Every woman remembers that getting their nails done used to cost around $30 to $40. Now, for the same design, people are spending upwards of $60 to $70 — if they're lucky.
Understandably, the cost of living has increased and as a result, materials and salon rents have also likely hit an all-time high. But combined with longer waiting times, feelings of pain as they roughly saw away at people's nails, and not even feeling comfortable enough to speak up when something looks wrong, is it any wonder so many people now view getting their nails done as an uncomfortable experience?
6. Staying at a hotel
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Another thing that used to feel fancy and special just a few years ago, but is now a horrible experience is staying at a hotel. When going on vacation, staying at a hotel used to be fun. With excellent room service, clean rooms, and even cleaner bathrooms, nobody had to worry about checking for hidden cameras or bringing their own cleaning supplies.
Unfortunately, times have changed. According to Swift Report, hotel rates have risen by 20% since 2019 and this is without taking inflation into account. On top of that, many hotels are no longer safe. With people breaking into hotels and stealing or worse, hurting people, some have become wary of traveling to hotels without adding an extra lock to their door. Additionally, many people the cleaning services at many hotels seems to have hit an all-time low.
As a result, people have slowly taken comfort in using Airbnb when they travel. Not only is this option often less expensive but in some cases, it's truly better than staying at a regular Holiday Inn on every level.
7. Going to the farmers' market
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People used to search the internet in hopes of finding a place that sold cheaper groceries. With little hope, people finally found comfort in going to small marketplaces that sold plenty of goods. However, going to farmers' markets is one thing that used to feel fancy and special just a few years ago but is now a horrible experience.
Remember when people could buy an astounding amount of fruit or vegetables for a very affordable price? Well, thanks to influencers and Pinterest, the purpose of going to farmer's markets is less about affordability and more about aesthetics. Carrying their cute basket and having their hair in a headband, people have completely changed the original purpose of what farmers' markets used to be about.
As a result, prices have increased and now, prices are even more expensive than going to a regular grocery store. And for struggling families that are barely making it by, this transition has been costly and straight-up dangerous, to say the least.
8. Getting snacks and treats
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As kids, most people remember having plenty of food in the pantry. Whenever they were hungry or needed a little treat, they'd simply open up their pantry and look at the endless options they had. That said, a thing that used to feel fancy and special just a few years ago but is now a horrible experience is getting snacks and treats due to the ridiculous grocery prices.
Most people know that inflation and price gouging have caused grocery stores to be expensive. And besides being more expensive, the quality of the snacks has all but disappeared. Now filled with questionable mystery ingredients, people can't even get their favorite Cheeto flavor without worrying if it'll cause them to get sick later.
On top of that, the size of most snack items have decreased in the last few years. With chip bags filled with more air than chips, is it any wonder buying snacks is simply a horrible experience?
9. Food delivery apps
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Everyone has their lazy days. After working ten-plus hours and coming home to clean and do their laundry, most people don't want to think about what they're going to eat. That said, a thing that used to feel fancy and special just a few years ago but is now a horrible experience is using food delivery apps.
Getting food delivered to their door used to be a fun moment that made people feel a little fancy. Not having to drive through the rain, these individuals could get whatever their hearts desired with a push of a button. But as most people know, food delivery apps are unreliable and too expensive nowadays.
Without getting into the fact that many of these apps surprise their customers with hidden fees. As a result, getting food delivered has begun to feel like less of a fancy experience and more like a nightmare as people gawk at the atrocious prices that their DoorDash pass seemingly never fixed.
Now, do Americans still love their fast food? Absolutely! According to a Lending Tree survey, three in four Americans eat fast food at least once a week. But at the same time, 62% say they're eating it less due to rising prices.
10. Buying expensive coffee
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The next thing that used to feel fancy and special just a few years ago but are now a horrible experience is buying expensive coffee. Now, don't get it twisted: people adore buying coffee. After rushing out of the house, most people need a little pick me up to get through their busy day.
In the past, people would stop by Starbucks to get their inexpensive coffee. Unfortunately, as most people very well know, Starbucks has become even more expensive than it used to be. According to Liberty Univeristy, Starbucks menu prices have increased by a whopping 39% since 2014. On top of that, in 2023, Starbucks generated a gross profit of $24.567 billion.
Because of this, the fancy feeling of getting coffee now feels like dread as people wonder just how much their favorite drink has increased. As a result, people have begun cutting off Starbucks and instead, have been looking elsewhere for good coffee. Whether that's at local coffee shops or making it at home one thing is for certain: at least they'll be saving hundreds of dollars in the end.
11. Going to Disneyland
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Finally, the last thing that used to feel fancy and special just a few years ago but is now a horrible experience is going to Disney. Remember when Disney passes used to be a fun, fancy, and magical experience?
Well, times have drastically changed since then. For instance, according to Walt Disney World, getting a Disney Sorcerer pass is $1,079 a year. Not only that, services at Disney have honestly hit an all-time low. Back then, Disney used to go all out with the experiences and families could enjoy an immersive dinner for a relatively inexpensive price. Now, the only experience families get is watching as they spend $30 per person on a meal they could have spent on McDonalds instead.
Knowing this, people in general have become less inclined to go to Disney and more inclined to go to other parks that are still enjoyable and most importantly, headache-free.
Marielisa Reyes is a writer with a bachelor's degree in psychology who covers self-help, relationships, career, family, and astrology topics.