The shrinking package

[I earned it]

I remember there was a organization that kept track of shrinking package sizes, and I would read the posts in the newspaper, the one I remember the best was that the certain popular size pack of m&m's had 1 or 2 less per pack. This was all pre computer days. Is there such a site? I'll start it off with what I remember, can on tuna 8 oz, now it's 5. Pound can of coffee 11-13 ounces. Jar of peanut butter forget it its down to half. 5 pounds of sugar now it's 4. Orange juice no half gallon 59 ounces, ice cream half gallon is 48 ounces . The only thing that went up was the crowd pleaser bottle of soda went from 64 ounces to 2 liter, but it doesn't have sugar corn syrup now.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

It's true. I did a quick google and found this (oh, you don't mean that package size. Need to be careful what I click on). I notice another trick is something like "five for five dollars!" What a deal! Maybe there are enough people who struggle with simple math. I do think there's an attempt to confuse shoppers. Like package sizes in fractional weights. The stores around here also show the price per unit (like price per oz), but it's in a very small font, and you have to look closely.

 

[I earned it]

Thank you, this was a weekly article in the paper, but the article is exactly the type of stuff it printed, also a pound cake was originally called that because it had a pound of butter, my last loaf pound cake weighed in at 15 ounces, not even the size of one of the ingrediants

 

[rodi]

FWIW - the Kirkland branded vanilla Ice Cream (Costco) is still 1/2 gallon. I think it's the last ice cream brand that this is true for.

I just checked our peanut butter (again, Kirkland brand - natural, so nothing but peanuts and salt) - 40 oz. - so 2.5 lbs. I remember when my mom used to by 3 lb jars of peanut butter when my brother was a teen - she let him have unlimited PB sandwiches - in an attempt to keep him OUT of the dinner ingredients. We're repeating this with our boys - PB sandwiches and apples are allowed in unlimited quantities.... but stay away from what we plan to use for dinner.

 

[friar1610]

I sure hope a can of beer is never reduced to 10 1/2 ounces or something similar!


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[NW-Bound]

I believe merchants do this out of good intentions.

They cut the portion sizes so that Americans will lose weight.

 

[I earned it]

Can anyone add to the list of smaller packages for the same price? The weekly article was called something like "the bean counter". I'll use ur smaller items in my rant next time there is a lull in the conversation . The bride will love it haha

 

[marko]

Did anyone else read the title "The Shrinking Package" and think of something else?

 

[I earned it]

Please don't kill my question

Did anyone else read the title "The Shrinking Package" and think of something else?

I would like some more items , and a website that tracks this if you can think of a new title I'll try to rename it

 

[Animorph]

Potato chips are my current favorite. Used to be 16 oz, now it's like 10 oz. Actually, I don't think we can get through a 16 oz bag of chips any more anyway, but the price still looks the same.

 

[jetpack]

I noticed in the $1 dollar stores that they offer sizes so they can sell it for a dollar.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Tuna fish. I don't use it often but it used to be 6 oz. Now with the water removed it weighs in at 4 oz. Same with canned clams.


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[I earned it]

Potato chips are my current favorite. Used to be 16 oz, now it's like 10 oz. Actually, I don't think we can get through a 16 oz bag of chips any more anyway, but the price still looks the same.

Yeah I remember the big bag of wise chips actually had two separate sleeves of chips inside of it. I talked the bride into making some onion dip for us (me). I put a hurting on the family bag, but as u stated it has shrunk to 10 ounces

 

[Amethyst]

Some British merchants were actually touting this "benefit" of smaller packages when we lived in the UK 2004-2007.

I believe merchants do this out of good intentions.

They cut the portion sizes so that Americans will lose weight.

 

[Davis65]

And cups of coffee have been shrunk from 6 oz to a measly 20 oz!

 

[scrabbler1]

I bought a bag of 8 hamburger rolls recently and this brand now had a weight of only 12 ounces instead f the usual 16 ounces (1 pound). All the buns were smaller which made my 5-ounce Omaha Steaks burgers hang off the edge of them. Somewhat annoying.


But I happened to check out packages of my usual brands and to my dismay I found they are now only 15 ounces, not 16. So they, too, will not contain the burgers as well as they used to, but better than the ones I have now.


Other annoying downsizes I have spotted recently were my chocolate chip cookies (number of cookies dropped from 30 to 27 to 24 in the last few years) and my canned gravies lost nearly an ounce in their "new and improved" format.

 

[Amethyst]

Package Redesign is a particular annoyance of mine. It is calculated deception, and I don't like that. I would rather pay more for the same amount.

An item we love to buy in large packages - Triscuit crackers, say - will disappear from the box-store shelves, and reappear months later in a newly redesigned short, squat package that looks bulky, yet contains about the same weight as the grocery store package used to hold. Meanwhile, the grocery store package has shrunk to child-size.

 

[I earned it]

I'm glad you brought up the hamburger rolls, that's my latest rant. Hotdogs no more pound of hotdogs. Somewhere 11-14 ounces. They get lost in the bun. And I got only 7 hotdogs in the last pack not happy

 

[EastWest Gal]

At our grocery store grapes have become HUGE.


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[supernova72]

I was thinking the opposite is true for some snack groups? I recall as a kid that a 12oz soda was "normal" size. Then 16oz was the normal size. Then 20oz. Now 22oz?


Basically what David65 says about coffee (I live in coffee central Seattle WA). Beer too sort of...

 

[easysurfer]

At the grocery store the other day and noticed a bottle of bleach about about 2 quarts instead of the usual gallon.

 

[calmloki]

Did anyone else read the title "The Shrinking Package" and think of something else?

Winter is on the way. Phrasing...

I know the last loaf of bread I made was undersized - think the gluten chains got chopped up through over-enthusiastic kitchenaid mixer use.

 

[JoeWras]

FWIW - the Kirkland branded vanilla Ice Cream (Costco) is still 1/2 gallon. I think it's the last ice cream brand that this is true for.

This subject came up year around this time because of holiday recipes.

The shrinking ice cream 1/2 gallon has ruined recipes!

There's a foamy kind of jello mould a lot of people make during the holidays. Well, let me tell you, the recipe is ruined if you go and get a "box of ice cream". It needs to be 1/2 gallon, and none of them are anymore. (Except for Kirkland, I guess.)

 

[NW-Bound]

Stop complaining, people. Everything shrinks nowadays, and it is not just because of the cold weather.

A concurrent thread talks about SS means testing. Yep, your future SS check may be shrinking soon. You'd better get used to it.

 

[Davis65]

I know the last loaf of bread I made was undersized - think the gluten chains got chopped up through over-enthusiastic kitchenaid mixer use.

You're lucky you even got gluten. Half the time they leave the gluten out these days. ;-)