Witnessed Shrinkflation Up Close Today

[easysurfer]

Was over at the grocery store in the morning.

Saw a loaf of bread for about $3.30. The saw a 1/2 loaf of bread for about $2.30. Oh there were also shrinkflationed hamburger buns too.

I guess this is like when folks can't afford a full tank of gas, so fill only 1/4 or 1/2 tank. Still costs the same. Or in the case of shrunken groceries, maybe costs even more.

Maybe you’ve noticed that your bag of chips from the grocery store just doesn’t seem as full, or the roll of toilet paper doesn’t last as long, but yet the price on the product hasn’t risen like everything else, so that’s a good thing, right?
Experts are saying that this might just be the way that companies are cutting costs without consumers recognizing it using a tactic called “shrinkflation,” which is a phrase that is easily described as package downsizing. It is done in a manner in which manufacturers quietly shrink package sizes without lowering prices.
Shrinkflation usually increases in times of high inflation as companies are grasping with higher costs themselves and with the added high gas prices, some are looking to make up the difference somehow.
Most of the time this strategy works as manufacturers know consumers are more likely to notice price increases, but don’t always catch the smaller details like a slight change to the amount of tissues in a box or the weight of a bag of chips.

https://www.weatherforddemocrat.com...cle_19ccd674-a674-56ab-83bd-86bcdcb4b5b2.html

 

[aja8888]

RE: my post a while back on Walmart no-name bleach going for $4.12 a jug. Pre-pandemic price was $0.89. But the jug is not a gallon like it used to be....it's 81 ounces (5/8 of a gallon).

 

[NW-Bound]

Was over at the grocery store in the morning.

Saw a loaf of bread for about $3.30. The saw a 1/2 loaf of bread for about $2.30. Oh there were also shrinkflationed hamburger buns too.

I guess this is like when folks can't afford a full tank of gas, so fill only 1/4 or 1/2 tank. Still costs the same. Or in the case of shrunken groceries, maybe costs even more.

https://www.weatherforddemocrat.com...cle_19ccd674-a674-56ab-83bd-86bcdcb4b5b2.html

It's for our health.

Will see if Americans lose weigh in the days ahead.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

I'm waiting for gas stations to start listing prices by the liter.

 

[CaptTom]

The market does exactly what we let it.

If, for example, we had not bought the brands of ice cream which started selling slightly less than half-gallon sizes years ago, they'd have quickly gone back to the old packaging.

But we stupidly kept buying them every time the amount of product in a carton got smaller. I don't even know what it's down to now for the "large" cartons.

You can never overestimate the stupidity of the average person. I don't blame the manufacturers for taking advantage of that. I try to avoid the shrunken packages, hoping others will do the same. It hasn't happened yet.

 

[marko]

Can't swear to it but I seem to recall past packages of Italian sausage having six pieces. Last week there were only five.

 

[easysurfer]

RE: my post a while back on Walmart no-name bleach going for $4.12 a jug. Pre-pandemic price was $0.89. But the jug is not a gallon like it used to be....it's 81 ounces (5/8 of a gallon).

Bleach I can see less than a gallon as may take awhile to go through a gallon. Even milk, I'll accept 3/4 gallon of milk. But 1/2 loaf of bread ... a couple of bites and time for another half loaf. Regardless, not at shrinkflation prices... ouch!

 

[Surewhitey]

Yeah, this week's Sam's trip pretty much everything was inflated. Coffee was up another $2/bag, 4 avacados vs the prior 5, half & half ($1.80 to $2.40 in the past couple of months) & bacon up again... Seems like a 10% across everything but steak.

 

[JoeWras]

Can't swear to it but I seem to recall past packages of Italian sausage having six pieces. Last week there were only five.

Yes! This hit me. I buy the stuff once a year when DW goes away and get to grill whatever I want.

Only 5 this time!

I don't typically get ice cream but I decided to walk through the isle. All the cartons looked like a bunch of miniatures. Lady in front of me grabbed a carton of ice cream and what came out was what we used to get with a standard yogurt cup.

 

[euro]

Somehow, I expected a different thread after reading the title…. More like that Seinfeld episode….

 

[arcyallen]

If, for example, we had not bought the brands of ice cream which started selling slightly less than half-gallon sizes years ago, they'd have quickly gone back to the old packaging.

But we stupidly kept buying them every time the amount of product in a carton got smaller. I don't even know what it's down to now for the "large" cartons.

You can never overestimate the stupidity of the average person.

I'm not stupid. I just really, really, really love ice cream But I agree, we tell the market what we want by what we buy. That's why I don't buy things in stores on holidays (including gas) - I'd rather they be closed for their employees.

BTW - Costco still sells 1/2 gallons (x2) of ice cream and that's my primary source. Ben and Jerry's quality at Costco prices!

 

[Stormy Kromer]

When a case of beer doesn't have 24 bottles it will get my attention.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

When a case of beer doesn't have 24 bottles it will get my attention.

This.

Although 4-packs of craft beers have become the norm. A norm I don't like.

Maybe I should get off my lazy butt and make beer (again).

 

[Born2Fish]

Somehow, I expected a different thread after reading the title…. More like that Seinfeld episode….

Same here!

 

[Car-Guy]

When a case of beer doesn't have 24 bottles it will get my attention.

So is this okay? Still 24 bottles but only 7oz each and not the usual 12oz.

 

[easysurfer]

Somehow, I expected a different thread after reading the title…. More like that Seinfeld episode….

Same here!

Not that there's anything wrong with that .

 

[JoeWras]

When a case of beer doesn't have 24 bottles it will get my attention.

18s are a thing now.

 

[GenXguy]

I don't typically get ice cream but I decided to walk through the isle. All the cartons looked like a bunch of miniatures. Lady in front of me grabbed a carton of ice cream and what came out was what we used to get with a standard yogurt cup.

And those yogurts seem to keep getting smaller than they used to be.

 

[JoeWras]

And those yogurts seem to keep getting smaller than they used to be.

Used to be all 8oz. New standard is 6 and 4.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

If they are going to downsize at least drop it to a size that divides evenly into the old size so I can keep recipe proportions correct! I guess it would be too obvious if the 16oz can became 8, 4, or 2oz! I'm not fooled by the cost increase but it's really irritating in the kitchen.

 

[Koolau]

It's for our health.

Will see if Americans lose weigh in the days ahead.

Ahhh, yes. Shrinkflation will make us eat less just like high gas prices will make us all drive Teslas. It's all for our own good. I'll believe it if you will.

 

[Chuckanut]

Can't swear to it but I seem to recall past packages of Italian sausage having six pieces. Last week there were only five.

A 'pound' of my favorite Italian sausages or British Bangers now weighs only 13 ounces. Same price.

The smaller 1/2 gallon ice cream containers are a mixed blessing. At 1.5 quarts they take up less space in the freezer and hold a lot less calories.

I still haven't figured out what a 'big gallon' is, but there are things I can buy in a big gallon rather than an ordinary gallon. Who knew?

 

[euro]

I still haven't figured out what a 'big gallon' is, but there are things I can buy in a big gallon rather than an ordinary gallon. Who knew?

Imperial gallon? Imported stuff from the UK?

 

[JoeWras]

If they are going to downsize at least drop it to a size that divides evenly into the old size so I can keep recipe proportions correct! I guess it would be too obvious if the 16oz can became 8, 4, or 2oz! I'm not fooled by the cost increase but it's really irritating in the kitchen.

Well my sister's famous jello dessert started tasting bad a few years ago, and she was mad. It finally dawned on her: the half gallon of ice cream was now 3/8 gallon. She used mom's recipe which said "Add a carton of vanilla ice cream." Mom didn't anticipate this problem.

Big sis fixed the issue and the dessert is delicious again.

 

[Koolau]

A 'pound' of my favorite Italian sausages or British Bangers now weighs only 13 ounces. Same price.

The smaller 1/2 gallon ice cream containers are a mixed blessing. At 1.5 quarts they take up less space in the freezer and hold a lot less calories.

I still haven't figured out what a 'big gallon' is, but there are things I can buy in a big gallon rather than an ordinary gallon. Who knew?

I'm looking for gas stations to begin selling in liters. Imagine driving along and seeing your "favorite" gas station's big sign saying $1.49. There would likely be accidents as people whipped their cars around to que up, only to realize they were buying liters and the per-gallon price was actually about $5.63.

That sort of happened to me the last time I was in Canada a few years back. I saw signs for $1.05 and thought, wow, gas is really cheap up here until I saw that it was in liters. Even with the spread dollar to dollar, it was more than in the USA at the time. YMMV