Hostess may soon be another lost childhood memory

[HardyGirl]

I'll keep that in mind next time I'm visiting my family.

We support local and there is a place called PIE that makes amazing fruit, and meat pies. They are tiny sized pies that fit on the palm of your hand but pack a flavorful punch. They recently opened one up in Seattle Center so if you visit the needle, make sure to stop by the Armory and hit up PIE.

[Bruce Banner]

I grew up on Hostess stuff... it was one of the staples of my childhood.
I was hoping they'd have sorted out their financial problems by now.

But yeah... their products are expensive these days.
And as for the very few import stores which carry Hostess products in the UK... the prices are sky high.

[VintageMike]

Even if they liquidate, someone will buy the assets. In addition to Famous snacks like Twinkies they also own things like Wonder bread. So there is money there, but it's the usual case of their business no longer being sustainable under the current setup.

[MIB41]

Well, it's official. Hostess is going under.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/hostess-close-cites-nationwide-worker-123953115.html

[toys2cool]

No more Twinkie Cowboy?

Where are you, you spongy, yellow, delicious *******s?

[toys2cool]

That sucks i'll miss that company

[megomania]

At least in the Seattle area there's a run on Twinkies and not really any other product. Local radio show had people calling in from grocery stores and convenience stores reporting on how much stuff was left. Apparently people are buying Twinkies buy the boatload and leaving everything else. They are already hitting ebay..

-Chris

[CrimsonGhost]

Every 6 months or a year or so, I get a craving for a Twinkie and every time I'm disgusted at how awful they are. Then I forget and do it again. I'd rather just get a real piece of cake.

[HardyGirl]

And didn't they buy out Dolly Madison stuff as well? So no more Zingers either?

[ODBJBG]

Even though they're really going out of business... I'm pretty sure this is a marketing ploy.

The people putting them off to liquidation, isn't the people running the company, it's the debt lenders AKA vulture capitalists.

Kind of seems to me that this is all a bunch of crap to get people to suddenly want Twinkies and very little else, to make it so that when these debt sharks start selling the assets they can make money hand over fist, with these popular and "beloved" brands. It's much easier (and more profitable) to get out of the bakery business that's been struggling for close to a decade, dump the employees all the while giving them the blame so as to not look bad and then trumpet the brand while working on deals to sell the profitable parts (name, recipes, etc) during this time of heightened nostalgia for Hostess.

On the way home, I bought some Donettes, which I haven't had in years, but used to love. They're dreadful.

[Boshek]

I can't imagine not having any more Drake's Cakes.

[Bruce Banner]

Twinkies going for crazy amounts on Ebay?
And I thought they were expensive over here!

From Yahoo:

Boxes of Twinkies are being auctioned for up to $1,000 after the firm behind the iconic American snack said it is going out of business.

Hostess Brands is to lay off all of its 18,500 workers after a national strike crippled its operations.

Chief executive Gregory Rayburn said the company had "no alternative" but to wind down its operations. He added that all employees will eventually lose their jobs, "some sooner than others".

Within hours, people flocked to supermarkets to fill their shopping baskets with the cream-filled sponge cakes.

Boxes of the cakes later appeared for sale on websites such as eBay and Craigslist.

Greg Edmonds, 50, from Sherman, Texas, listed three boxes of the cakes for $300 (£189).

"I could really use the extra money since I'm unemployed. I figure I better sell them pretty quickly because I am not sure how long this novelty is going to last."

The retail price for a box of 10 Twinkies is roughly $5 (£3.10).

John Stansel, 40, from Tampa, Florida, spent about $100 (£63) for 20 boxes of Twinkies, and plans to sell them on for $1,000 (£630).

The keep-fit enthusiast said he would put the money to good use: "Maybe I will hire a personal trainer for myself or go do some shopping at Whole Foods or donate the money to a charity to fight diabetes.

"No matter what, I figure I am getting sugar off the streets."

However while Hostess is closing down, it is still possible that Twinkies could make a comeback.

The firm's brands and other assets will be auctioned, and analysts believe a potential buyer could swoop.

[Nostalgiabuff]

all the stores I checked have nothing left

[MIB41]

I checked the completed Ebay listings and just laughed my arse off. One idiot paid nearly $80.00 for three boxes of Twinkies. People are strange.

[galaxyexplorer42]

"Laid-off Hostess employee forced to look for cream-injecting job elsewhere"
-the Onion