Leo Gillick
I understand that watching Cracker Barrel wipe any kind of personality from their branding might be disappointing because of what it signifies, but breaking down in a tearful rant just isn’t it, fam.
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Capitalism has this weird kind of hold over some people. They become emotionally attached to a brand, a faceless corporation that has no interest in them as an individual at all. Companies like Disney, Apple, and apparently Cracker Barrel have managed to trick people into thinking they have some kind of importance in their lives at a personal level.
Since the Cracker Barrel remodel, there has been public outcry. However, most people are saddened by the general ensh–tification of the world around us. The store’s remodel is just another example of a company stripping away its personality due to the decisions of a committee.
But one woman has taken the Cracker Barrel rebrand personally, feeling genuine pain at their changes.
Cracker Barrel Conundrum
On a TikTok profile now made private, a woman can be seen breaking down over the changes Cracker Barrel has made in its remodel. As she explains, they were a big part of her childhood. And, now, as they switch things up, she feels like she’s losing something dear to her.
“Cracker Barrel is like my childhood,” she began. “At spring break, we would always go with my grandparents. I heard today that the peg games they changed, and they don’t have the original rules on them. This game was like a core memory.”
She weepily goes on to explain that a Cracker Barrel employee managed to find her one of the old games. Before the rebrand rolls out completely, she nabbed some classic, limited-edition merch.
But the real problem here goes deeper than just the whitewashing of a classic American brand. Sure, that’s gross and indicative of the ugly future we’re rolling towards. But, for this woman, a dangerous and dependent attachment has been made to a corporation.
However, the woman’s emotions tapped into the outrage many Americans are feeling. As one person wrote, “Give her a break, it means something to her, it reminds her of her grandparents. She is just nostalgic, and that goes a long way in being human in my book.”
Brands are just that, brands. It’s okay to be upset with them when they do something heinous like fund a genocide or use child labor. But ultimately, they don’t deserve our tears.
