I've actually had very good red/golden delicious when picking them myself at a local orchard. Not sure if they degrade so quickly that freshness was the difference or if the local farm was growing a slightly different varietal less designed for transport and storage.
Whatever truth there is to the rapid degradation, for at least red delicious there’s a long time for degradation because they’re staples in mass markets which don’t otherwise stock fresh fruit (eg schools, convenience stores). Who knows how long those apples have traveled or rested waiting to be consumed.
