used to go like a bomb

[vectra]

Hello,

These are the lines from a student's story he made up as part of the module test he was taking:

- Hi John, I haven`t been at the last Board meeting as I have been to our subsidiary for two months. Could you, please, put me in the picture. What`s going on in the HQ?
- Oh, it was something! I have never seen our MD so furious with Sales and Marketing .
- What`s up? We aren`t making profits any more? According to all reports our goods used to go like a bomb
- They did. But the marketing people decided we could milk much more out of it through brandstretching.

First, grammar. I disagreed with him on using Present Perfect in the first sentence-I haven't been at the last Board meeting. If it is the previous meeting, Past Simple is the tense that should be used here.
Second, I pointed out that if we leave the part "used to go like a bomb" as it is, it means the company's products are no longer popular with customers. I think it would be better to change it into-our goods go like a bomb or our goods have been going like a bomb.
Then the idioms. Our book of idioms gives the following definitions:
brand-stretching-extension of a popular brand recognition and reputation on a new type of product
to milk-to gain profit
to go like a bomb-to sell very well

I can't say why, but something tells me not all of the sentences sound natural. Am I right?

Thank you for the time and help.

 

[Rover_KE]

I agree that your suggested changes would improve those sentences, vectra.

Apart from the unnecessary commas around please, the rest of them sound natural enough to me.

Rover

 

[JMurray]

According to all reports our goods used to go like a bomb.

In NZ "to go like a bomb" used to mean "to go very well", "to be a great success" and this seems to be the meaning in the example quoted. However, I think this usage has fallen away somewhat, possibly due to the "bomb" phrases to do with failure becoming prevalent: "that show really bombed", "that old car's a bit of a bomb" etc.

not a teacher