Witnessed Shrinkflation Up Close Today

[CaptTom]

The best way to fight back on the cutbacks is to not buy them.

I totally agree. There are lots of things I just refuse to buy any more.

But you and I can't do it alone. Businesses do these things because they can get away with it. Most people just don't care enough to compare prices and quantities, or even read the label.

 

[Phroig]

I got a 24 pack of Stella at Costco a few weeks ago. It was the only thing I could find that was not much over $1 a can/bottle ($1.07). I had been getting a Session 12 pack for $11. It's now $14. Too far over $1 a bottle. And that's for an 11 oz can. No go.

The best deal at our Costco is a 24 pack of Sapporo (12 oz cans) for $20. They also have Warsteiner for a bit more.

 

[djsander]

Blue Bell ice cream has “Still 1/2 gallon” on their ice cream. They’ve had it on their for a long time since the ice cream makers made the half gallons less than that. At least you can still get a half gallon of ice cream from someone and it’s good ice cream.

 

[Koolau]

What I've seen at our Costco is that they simply stop selling many brands that they have sold for years. I'm only assuming they refuse to take smaller packages of the same thing. I do miss some of these items, but if that is the reason they're no longer selling them, I heartily agree with it. YMMV

 

[Chuckanut]

The best deal at our Costco is a 24 pack of Sapporo (12 oz cans) for $20. They also have Warsteiner for a bit more.

Prices will vary at Costco especially considering the different state tax rates on alcohol. I don't recall seeing Sapporo at my local Costco, but I will look harder the next time.

FWIW, I have not had Hamm's beer in decades, but if this inflation persists I may give the cheaper non-craft beers a try to see if any are worth drinking. Even the Stella was a bit of a gamble for me. I recall it being good, but not a great beer. I sure do wish the price of the Session beer would come down. Great stuff even if it's only an 11 oz can.

 

[Badger]

I totally agree. There are lots of things I just refuse to buy any more.

But you and I can't do it alone. Businesses do these things because they can get away with it. Most people just don't care enough to compare prices and quantities, or even read the label.

+1 But this isn't anything new. This kind of behavior applies to most things and not just things that we buy.

Cheers!

 

[Koolau]

I just saw a piece on one of the cable news programs showing how some restaurants are now using smaller wine glasses for individual servings of wine. With the mark up on alcoholic beverages, you'd think shrinkflation would hit by-the-glass wine sales last. I guess I would be wrong on that but YMMV.

 

[GTFan]

Went to Kroger for a sale on half boneless ribeye yesterday ($6.99/lb, about as good as you can get now) and was going to pick up some sliced cheese. The '8 slices' listed had magically gone from 8oz to 6oz at a higher sale price than before.

Moved on to Aldi, still the same there for same money.

 

[6miths]

Went to my favourite fish place for some Great Lake whitefish and one 'piece' which used to be one fillet is now one half of a fillet! Still as delicious as ever.

 

[JoeWras]

Looks like we all are going to lose weight.

 

[Koolau]

Looks like we all are going to lose weight.

If it were only true.

 

[NW-Bound]

Looks like we all are going to lose weight.

Only if we do not switch to lower-cost junk food.

Stay with high-quality food, but eat less.

 

[NW-Bound]

I remember that when I was talking about ER at the lunch table, a coworker asked how I could afford that.

I answered jokingly: "I just eat less". What I meant was just a metaphor for reducing consumption or expenses in all categories.

He took it literally, and said "But food is just a small part of the budget".

 

[athena53]

Only if we do not switch to lower-cost junk food.

Stay with high-quality food, but eat less.

And go with non-meat protein forms- quinoa, pasta made with black beans or edamame, hummus, chickpeas, etc. They're going up, too, but apparently not s fast as the price of meat.

 

[prudent_one]

I just saw a piece on one of the cable news programs showing how some restaurants are now using smaller wine glasses for individual servings of wine. With the mark up on alcoholic beverages, you'd think shrinkflation would hit by-the-glass wine sales last. I guess I would be wrong on that but YMMV.

My guess is they still have solid profits on wine but since it's so hard to squeeze out more profit quietly anywhere else, that's where they raised prices. And it seems many places need to make more money to stay open. I hear a lot of people at work talking about food prices both in restaurants and in the supermarkets, perhaps a smaller glass of wine goes unnoticed most of the time.

 

[JoeWras]

More cheerful news coming on future shortages and inflation. /s

The spotted lanternfly continues to make progress in invading everywhere. The impact to wine could be catastrophic.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/t...-again-heres-what-you-need-to-know/ar-AAYBEjz

There's reason to worry about the arrival of the spotted lanternfly in wine production-rich California. A study published earlier this month in the journal Communications Biology predicts that the spotted lanternfly (SLF) could reach grape-producing counties in California as early as 2027, but likely by 2033.
It's not just grapes at risk, according to study completed by researchers at North Carolina State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Other crops "considered at risk from SLF infection" include almonds, apples, walnuts, cherries, hops, peaches, plums, and apricots, they said.

 

[FindingForward]

And go with non-meat protein forms- quinoa, pasta made with black beans or edamame, hummus, chickpeas, etc. They're going up, too, but apparently not s fast as the price of meat.

I often see this advice - to use non-meat proteins as prices rise and it's very good advice. Except, unfortunately, for many who suffer from IBS or other digestive related conditions who can't tolerate beans, legumes, and many other non-meat options. Pastas are good, but they are higher/denser in calories and not really a complete nutritional offering.

As pricey as it gets, lean fish, chicken, etc is healthy, nutrient packed and often kinder/gentler on sensitive digestive systems. But luckily there's Aldi's, Walmart and others who are managing to keep most prices in the reasonable range - aaaand of course smaller portions of the protein help

 

[Koolau]

^^^^^^^^

I'm sure there are some health reasons to make such substitutions but I'm not doing it to save money. I'll switch around sources of protein (beef, pork, poultry) but I won't switch to non-animal protein for the cost savings. YMMV

 

[NW-Bound]

We don't eat enough to worry about food costs. Besides, I have not seen meat costing more here.

Just now glancing through the weekly ads of local stores, I see NY steak for $4.99, hamburger for $1.99, large shrimp for $5, country-style pork ribs for $0.97, etc...

So, what's going on?

 

[MichaelB]

The most egregious example of shrinkflation I’ve experienced began before the pandemic. Local stores changed the label size for avocados. What was medium before was now being labeled - and priced - as large, and priced higher, and the new medium size are definitely much smaller than before. The larger the fruit the higher the price. Even the produce section workers agree with me on this.

 

[aja8888]

We don't eat enough to worry about food costs. Besides, I have not seen meat costing more here.

Just now glancing through the weekly ads of local stores, I see NY steak for $4.99, hamburger for $1.99, large shrimp for $5, country-style pork ribs for $0.97, etc...

So, what's going on?

Those prices are "come on's" to get you in the store. When you see the package, there will be a service charge added for butchering, packaging, and an inflation adder. That hamburger will be $3.25/ lb. And the shrimp will be with heads on and a fuel adjustment charge for the delivery to the store!

 

[Koolau]

The most egregious example of shrinkflation I’ve experienced began before the pandemic. Local stores changed the label size for avocados. What was medium before was now being labeled - and priced - as large, and priced higher, and the new medium size are definitely much smaller than before. The larger the fruit the higher the price. Even the produce section workers agree with me on this.

Here I thought words like "large" or "medium" were a USDA term with a template or other device to size produce. What was I thinking??

 

[tmm99]

I'm on a diet that helps heal psoriasis and for whatever reason, it bans ingredients that aggrevate gout, like beef and shellfish. It also limits the amount of protein you can eat (most protein including fish are acid forming and this diet wants you to eat more veggies and fruit (except nightshade veggies) that are more alkaline in nature). Anyway, my grocery spending has gone down a lot.

I also use an app called Flashfood which lets me buy over-ripedend or damaged fruit and veggies for the fraction of the normal price. I am sure you can find a similar app in your town as well. It's so grocery stores won't have to waste food that they normally might not sell. I just go to the app, see what's available (they post photos of each box) and buy the box I want by paying usually $5 per box. One time I bought a full box of maybe 15 bananas (some were very ripe but some were just not in a bunch and semi green) for $1 CAD. They had two boxes available at the time, so I bought them both (30 bananas for $2CAD) and chopped them and froze tons of them. My DH add them to his oatmeal. I also get boxes of mixed fruits (could be apples, pears, mangoes, oranges, etc) and mixed veggies. It's kind of fun and very very cost effective. Nice ones (usually mixed fruit boxes) go very quickly so i check the app quite often. They also put out cheeses, meats and other things like bread and perishable dips, etc that are ready to expire but I won't touch those.

Also, some stores are more generous with their boxes than others, so you may have to look around for better deals.

 

[cyber888]

Looks like we all are going to lose weight.

That’s the whole idea during recessions. You gain 10 lbs in the bull market, now you need to lose 15 lbs and get healthy in the bear market [emoji3]

 

[jollystomper]

I often see this advice - to use non-meat proteins as prices rise and it's very good advice. Except, unfortunately, for many who suffer from IBS or other digestive related conditions who can't tolerate beans, legumes, and many other non-meat options. Pastas are good, but they are higher/denser in calories and not really a complete nutritional offering.

As pricey as it gets, lean fish, chicken, etc is healthy, nutrient packed and often kinder/gentler on sensitive digestive systems. But luckily there's Aldi's, Walmart and others who are managing to keep most prices in the reasonable range - aaaand of course smaller portions of the protein help

I agree. I have a severe pea/bean allergy hat impacts me with any foods containing pea and plant protein. So I have to stick to fish/chicken/evil red meats for my protein .