Tupperware parties were a thing; once so iconic that they symbolized an entire cultural movement of work-from-home (mostly) female entrepreneurs in a time when opportunities for women to run and own their own businesses were rare. Today the company is in rapid decline and the public shift away from plastic food containers is only one reason for it. A larger reason is the brand’s steadfast refusal to update its product line or direct sales-centric business model.
As it stands, the slow demise of the brand is likely to become a case study in business schools (if it hasn’t already). This is a brand that could have made a shift, rediscovered its heritage, leveraged the nostalgic trend that has resurrected many other flailing brands and exploded during a pandemic time when more people than ever were stuck cooking (and storing leftovers) at home. Instead, the brand is near dead and unlikely to come back.