Companies are loath to raise prices for fear of falling sales -- so they make them smaller
If you think youre getting snookered by manufacturers that are giving you less and charging you more, youre probably right.
Here we are in May, 2024, months after U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the "Shrinkflation Prevention Act of 2024" and not a darn thing is happening to turn it around in the consumers favor.
Casey didnt pull any punches in going after companies like Nabisco and PepsiCo. He claims that between 2020 and 2022, corporate profits rose by 75%five times as fast as inflation, and that 41% of inflation was due solely to corporate-profit making.
American families are getting less and corporations are making more, he said.
From Family Size Double Stuf Oreos gettin smallerand Kleenex tissues dwindling from 65 sheets to 60 sheets in a box, consumers are paying the same if not more for less, truth be known. If those products bigwigs would tell shoppers, that would be nice, but transparency is not on many of their daily to-do lists.
Whos shrinkin you?
Short of making you compare the unit priceand the net weight/quantity for an accurate assessment of the situation, ConsumerAffairs thought it might be helpful to research what companies and products have been found to be shrinkflators, so you can make a point of watching those products and looking for comparatively better deals the next time you go shopping.
Here are almost 30 specific examples of shrinkflation that we found:
Paper products
Bounty Paper Towels: Paper products are often reported as being involved in shrinkflation. For example, the used to be with the Select-a-Size rolls was that they had 120 sheets per roll; now, reportedly, many varieties contain only 100 sheets.
Charmin Toilet Paper: Shrinkflation watchers on Reddit have been all over Charmin shrinkflation, reporting that products like Mega rolls have decreased from 264 sheets per roll to 244 sheets per roll.
Scott Toilet Paper: More paper! 1000-sheet rolls have decreased to 900 sheets in some instances.
Angel Soft Toilet Paper: A near 10% decrease here Mega rolls shrank from 425 sheets to 380 sheets.
Kleenex: Tissue boxes have seen a reduction in the number of tissues included.
Drinks
Folgers Coffee: On Reddit, one user posted a photo of what appears to be two nearly identical packages of Folgers ground coffee. The head scratcher here is that the labels on both claim they can make up to 400 six-ounce cups of coffee, but the older Folgers containers hold 51 ounces of coffee grinds, while the new bottles have 43.5 ounces of coffee.
The Sun reached out to the company for an explanation and Folgers said, "We have implemented anew, expert roasting technology that makes the most out of every bean resulting in lighter-weight coffee grounds that deliver the same taste consumers love without sacrificing the number of servings when following the brewing recommendations."
Gatorade: Two things going on here: First, according to sources, some Gatorade now costs more, but also the 32-ounce bottles are now usually 28-ounces, with little to no change in price.
Tropicana Orange Juice: 64-ounce cartons have shrunk down 12 ounces to 52 ounces in some markets.
Snacks and candy
Nabisco Family Size Crackers (Ritz, Wheat Thins, etc.): If youre a big family that eats a lot of crackers, Nabisisco products could be problematic. The "family size" boxes have decreased in overall size and now contain fewer crackers, says Casey. The box and sleeve size of regular Ritz Crackers have decreased slightly, too.
Triscuits: Another trickster. Seems like the box size has decreased while the price has stayed pretty much the same.
Keebler Cookies: Certain varieties like Fudge Stripes now contain fewer cookies per package.
Fritos Scoops: Bags have decreased in size while the price remains similar.
Cheetos: Some varieties have seen bag size reductions.
M&Ms: Sharing size bags have gotten smaller little by little over time.
Snickers: The iconic candy bar has notably shrunk in size compared to years past.
Cadbury Dairy Milk: Another candy size shrinker, the shape and size of this chocolate bar have changed, resulting in less chocolate per bar.
Dairy
Tillamook Ice Cream: Many flavors went from 56-ounce containers to 48 ounces.
Breyers Ice Cream: Their standard cartons were once 64 ounces (half-gallon) but have shrunk to 48 ounces.
Chobani Greek Yogurt: A 16% reduction here, with single-serve containers decreasing from 5.3 ounces to 4.5 ounces.
Household
Ziploc Bags: Box counts have decreased while prices have remained similar.
Finish Dishwasher Tabs: Some packaging sizes have decreased.
Clorox Wipes: The number of wipes in the canisters may be less than before.
Downy Fabric Softener: Roughly 20% reduction here, with bottles decreasing from 51 ounces to 41 ounces, .
Dove Body Wash: Bottles were reduced from 24 ounces to 22 ounces.
Food
Quaker Instant Oatmeal Packets: The count of items in a box hasdropped in a lot of situations. For example, the variety packs of packets in Quaker Instant Oatmeal decreased from a 10-count box to an 8-count box.
Kellogg's Pop-Tarts: Boxes decreased from 12 pastries to 8.
Tuna Cans: Standard 5-ounce cans have decreased to 4.5 ounces or less in many brands.
Pasta: Many standard boxes have gone from 16 ounces to 12 ounces.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2024-05-06 18:37:42
