Quilted Northern is Not What it Used to Be

I remember growing up with Quilted Northern toilet paper. Compared to my memories of it, today's Quilted Northern falls quite short of what it once was.

Then: A decade or two ago, Quilted Northern was visibly quilted. It was slightly puffy in all the inner areas of the "stitching", giving it a true appearance of a quilt.

Now: Quilted Northern's signature quilted look now appears to be stamped on with a roller. It barely even makes an impression in the paper.

Then: The plies were thicker and when you pulled them apart they clung together at the "stitches." You had to pull harder to get them to completely separate.

Now: The plies are thin and take almost no effort to pull them apart.

Then: The thicker plies mean thicker and stronger toilet paper. You didn't need a ton for one use.

Now: The quality has gone down drastically. The toilet paper feels so thin that it reminds you of the commercially cheap stuff you find in many public bathrooms. In fact, at my workplace we tried Quilted Northern's product ordered through an office supply company, and it was almost exactly like public bathroom toilet paper. It was even worse than what you can buy for your home!

Then: I sure remember toilet paper being nice and soft.

Now: Since the thickness has gone down, so has the softness. Even though they try to say their toilet paper is soft, it fails in that category. Compared to generics even, the softness is at the bottom end of the scale.

It is frustrating to see brands that we know continually make changes that increase their profits but shrink what they give to us, the consumers. Whatever happened to keeping the consumer happy to keep your profits up? I give Quilted Northern kudos for giving more sheet count in their rolls, but unfortunately it does not make up for what is now lacking in quality.

My family is so disappointed in the quality of Quilted Northern that we are going back to Charmin Ultra, even though it costs more and shrank its sheet count.