We have had a little, rechargeable LED flashlight in the front closet for years. Although handy in an emergency, we primarily leave it plugged into an outlet there so we don't have to hunt around for a light when needed. The former device must be more than a decade old. Yesterday I noticed it wasn't working well. All batteries do have a finite life expectancy even if rarely used. I unscrewed the yellowing battery cover to discover three AA cells. I could have replaced them by buying a set of four new ones for about $CA 12 or get a whole new flashlight for $CA 14.
What a throw-away society we have become.