Supermarket Shrinkage?

I found this interesting....you will, too:

by Jeff Rossen and Avni Patel  TODAY

May 19, 2014 at 7:42 AM ET

Supermarket shrinkage? It's not your imagination, experts say

Have you noticed that some of your favorite brands are downsizing, giving you less and less while charging you the same price, or even more? Some experts say companies are getting sly in how they do it.

From cereal to cookies, paper towels to peanut butter, you can find it in supermarkets everywhere: Some of the most trusted brands getting smaller, the price tag not so much. "It's a very sneaky way to raise the price of a product," said consumer crusader Edgar Dworsky, who runs the website, consumerworld.com.

One tactic: the "optical illusion." Dworsky showed us two boxes of Apple Jacks side by side. Back in 2008 the product went from 11 ounces to 8.7 ounces, but from the front, the two boxes appeared the same; only when they were turned to the side did it become apparent that one was "much narrower," according to Dworsky. "That's one of the tricks of the trade," he said.

Dworsky also showed us two 8-giant-roll packs of Bounty paper towels that looked almost identical. But one had 72 sheets per roll, the other only 66 sheets per roll. "You think you're getting the same thing, but you're really losing like, two-thirds of a roll," he said.

...

Click to expand...

Yeah it is annoying and I feel like they are trying to put something over on consumers.  The first thing that I noticed this being done to was ice cream, now it seems like it is being done to almost all packaged products.

Denice said:

 
Yeah it is annoying and I feel like they are trying to put something over on consumers.  The first thing that I noticed this being done to was ice cream, now it seems like it is being done to almost all packaged products.

Click to expand...

It sure does!  Especially when costs went up too.

This happened just yesterday at Costco.

Hubby was helping, as we had a sizable list to gather.  So he went off to get the soft soap.  When He came back, I had to do a double take, and I asked "Was that the only size?".  He looked at me like I was nutty, and said, "This is the normal size... about the same as always."  Maybe I am a little nutty, but I do remember those things being larger.  I'm wondering if they just incrementally downsized them over the last couple years.

Another trick I just "love", is when they put things in smaller packages then call them "concentrated".  hrmmph!  my @$#.

Omigosh that is so true!!!  When you compare the cap of the old to the new, it isn't a lot of difference.  Except to my pocketbook.

the contact paper that you line shelves with has gotten thinner too. if you stick it to anything that's not one color you can still see through it

goonie said:

 
the contact paper that you line shelves with has gotten thinner too. if you stick it to anything that's not one color you can still see through it

Click to expand...

You know, since we had a jeans thread going, I remember when the material for jeans was much thicker.  Shoot, you can't hand-me-down the jeans they make these days if kids played outside like we did.

peaches08 said:

You know, since we had a jeans thread going, I remember when the material for jeans was much thicker.  Shoot, you can't hand-me-down the jeans they make these days if kids played outside like we did.

Click to expand...

true, I find I have to replace my jeans more often since they get worn out between my thighs.. or maybe I just need to lose weight.

The one that really angered me was baking chocolate. How can they call it "improved" packaging when the size was cut in half? Baking chocolate went from 8 ounces down to 4 ounces! 4 ounces! But the price is still the same. I am now paying double for baking chocolate. What a crock. I was absolutely furious over that one at the store. And yeah, you may say, "Oh, it's just baking chocolate." But combine that with everything else and well, grocery shopping has gotten to be ridiculous. I see that Land O Lakes has started packaging 1/2-pound butter now, too (I have a coupon for it). So far they still have the pound containers. 4-pound bags of sugar instead of five. These are staples; these are not luxury items. Sugar, butter, flour....I consider them staples in any kitchen.

So basically, til I'm done with the ingredients I need to bake a cake, well, heck, I might as well just buy the cake mix and be done with it. Oh wait, I can't.   Now I need to buy two cake mixes to get the 18.25 ounces I need for my cake because cake mixes were reduced to 15 ounces now.  It's just frustrating.

Winchester said:

 
The one that really angered me was baking chocolate. How can they call it "improved" packaging when the size was cut in half? Baking chocolate went from 8 ounces down to 4 ounces! 4 ounces! But the price is still the same. I am now paying double for baking chocolate. What a crock. I was absolutely furious over that one at the store. And yeah, you may say, "Oh, it's just baking chocolate." But combine that with everything else and well, grocery shopping has gotten to be ridiculous. I see that Land O Lakes has started packaging 1/2-pound butter now, too (I have a coupon for it). So far they still have the pound containers. 4-pound bags of sugar instead of five. These are staples; these are not luxury items. Sugar, butter, flour....I consider them staples in any kitchen.

So basically, til I'm done with the ingredients I need to bake a cake, well, heck, I might as well just buy the cake mix and be done with it. Oh wait, I can't.

  Now I need to buy two cake mixes to get the 18.25 ounces I need for my cake because cake mixes were reduced to 15 ounces now.

 It's just frustrating.

Click to expand...

I understand completely.  Even the grocery store brands of butter and such "staples" have gone through the roof.  I can understand some things going up but geez....until I can start work, going onto "the system" gets more and more appealing.

I even noticed with Chip Ahoy cookies. I normally don't buy them, but when I did last week, I was surprised at how small the cookies were.. "Family size" my rear.

I always notice it.   My Brand of coffee went from a pound/16 ounces and ounce by ounce is down to 11 ounces a bag now.  Do any of us slightly old folk remember how big a herseys chocolate bar was when we were kids?  And Hostess cherry pies. My fav as a kid. now they are a hollow shell with a bit of gel and and 4 cherries. Another thing is salty chip snacks. I always look at the quantity. You might think you are getting a good sale price but you are getting a bag of air.

Orange juice and ice cream are smaller too.

binkyhoo said:

 
I always notice it.   My Brand of coffee went from a pound/16 ounces and ounce by ounce is down to 11 ounces a bag now.  Do any of us slightly old folk remember how big a herseys chocolate bar was when we were kids?  And Hostess cherry pies. My fav as a kid. now they are a hollow shell with a bit of gel and and 4 cherries. Another thing is salty chip snacks. I always look at the quantity. You might think you are getting a good sale price but you are getting a bag of air.

Click to expand...

I remember when candy bars were 5 cents.  Then 3 Musketeers had two candy bars, one was a nickel the other was a dime.  It wasn't long before they dropped the nickel size.

blueyedgirl5946 said:

Orange juice and ice cream are smaller too.

Click to expand...

I can still buy it in gallon jugs, but it's $5.99 for the store brand.  It a good thing I like water. 

Winchester said:

 
I found this interesting....you will, too:

Click to expand...

wow! i only have two pet peeves, and this is one of them!

i started noticed this "trend" with the ice cream containers shrinking, but when they started shrinking the boxed cake mixes i did something about it. i found a homemade cake mix recipe that is just great. depending on what i add when making the actual cake i can make yellow cake, spice cake, or white cake. i make a batch of mix that gives me three cake mixes, then freeze them in 3 portions. ha! no need to buy the shrunken boxed cake mixes!

and as i've noticed this trend become an accepted (by the grocery store industry) practice, i've been making more and more homemade versions of items. i simply refuse to support this kind of sneaky and underhanded way of raising prices. i'm also dead set against the 4 lb bags of flour and sugar. i'm a home baker, i never buy store bought baked items (including bread), so i buy my white sugar in 25 lb bags and my flours come in 50 lb bags (which i store in my second fridge).

in the end, at least in my case, the grocery stores will lose out because i end up finding a less costly way to buy the products and find recipes to make homemade versions.

I was at Shoprite today and one guy was commenting to who he had come with "look at the pizzas they are so much smaller" and I thought of this thread.

mickNsnicks2mom said:

 
in the end, at least in my case, the grocery stores will lose out because i end up finding a less costly way to buy the products and find recipes to make homemade versions.

Click to expand...

I keep a starter in my fridge for bread... all kinds of breads.... sandwich loaves, english muffins, rolls (sweet and dinner), focaccia, lavash (flat bread).  And no, I don't do gluten free, "Sorry Charlie". 

I also make my own salsa, mayonaise, teriyaki sauce, salad dressings, chili, soups...

I invested in a pressure cooker last year, yay!  I am buying fewer and fewer canned goods.

I buy staples in bulk as much as possible:  flour, sugar, butter (freezable!).  And if I only need a bit of something in particular, I try to hit the bulk food aisle at Winco (cue angel chorus).

Still, I can't make everything, so .... yeah, the shrinkage has not escaped notice. 

mickNsnicks2mom said:

 
wow! i only have two pet peeves, and this is one of them!

i started noticed this "trend" with the ice cream containers shrinking, but when they started shrinking the boxed cake mixes i did something about it. i found a homemade cake mix recipe that is just great. depending on what i add when making the actual cake i can make yellow cake, spice cake, or white cake. i make a batch of mix that gives me three cake mixes, then freeze them in 3 portions. ha! no need to buy the shrunken boxed cake mixes!

and as i've noticed this trend become an accepted (by the grocery store industry) practice, i've been making more and more homemade versions of items. i simply refuse to support this kind of sneaky and underhanded way of raising prices. i'm also dead set against the 4 lb bags of flour and sugar. i'm a home baker, i never buy store bought baked items (including bread), so i buy my white sugar in 25 lb bags and my flours come in 50 lb bags (which i store in my second fridge).

in the end, at least in my case, the grocery stores will lose out because i end up finding a less costly way to buy the products and find recipes to make homemade versions.

Click to expand...

I started buying 25-pound bags of sugar last year when I started making my own pickles. I store the sugar, in its bag, in my grandmother's large tin can. Same with flour; I store that in the freezer.

I've been making things from scratch forever and a day....I try to stay away from all mixes and packages of stuff. It's very expensive and, in the long run, it's not good for you. A while back, we talked here about Jell-O puddings going from a 6-pack to a 4-pack. I haven't bought it since. I make my own chocolate pudding and I make homemade tapioca pudding or rice pudding for Rick for his lunch. We have some 4-ounce plastic containers that are perfect for him to take in his lunch box and on Sunday nights, I'll make pudding for him for the week. Rick is a big applesauce fan, too, and he will often take applesauce in his lunch. I make applesauce every fall and stick it into the freezer for him throughout the year. 

Furmonster Mom said:

 

I keep a starter in my fridge for bread... all kinds of breads.... sandwich loaves, english muffins, rolls (sweet and dinner), focaccia, lavash (flat bread).  And no, I don't do gluten free, "Sorry Charlie". 

I also make my own salsa, mayonaise, teriyaki sauce, salad dressings, chili, soups...

I invested in a pressure cooker last year, yay!  I am buying fewer and fewer canned goods.

I buy staples in bulk as much as possible:  flour, sugar, butter (freezable!).  And if I only need a bit of something in particular, I try to hit the bulk food aisle at Winco (cue angel chorus).

Still, I can't make everything, so .... yeah, the shrinkage has not escaped notice. 

Click to expand...

Do you have a sourdough starter?

We have a thread here somewhere about pressure cookers. And we also have a thread in the Recipe Exchange for recipes for pressure cookers, but I'm not sure what all is in there. If you'd like, please add your favorite recipes for your pressure cooker. I'm always interested in recipes...love using my pc.

Also my crock pots...nothing like having dinner all ready when I get home from work.

My kids bought me a food dehydrator several years ago and I'm having a ball experimenting with dehydrating food. If you've ever eaten a fresh raisin, you'll never go back to the boxes, trust me. Same with dried pineapple. Mushrooms. Onions. Just delicious. I can eat dehydrated onions as a snack!   But boy, the onions can really stink the house up while they're drying. Whew! One batch I made almost brought tears to Rick's eyes.

I always make my own salad dressings, too. They're better than what you can buy and often, they're lower in fat or calories, too. 

But even making things from scratch will bite you because when the prices of staples increase, you pay more anyway. You can't win. Still I make as much from scratch as I can.

Furmonster Mom said:

 

I keep a starter in my fridge for bread... all kinds of breads.... sandwich loaves, english muffins, rolls (sweet and dinner), focaccia, lavash (flat bread).  And no, I don't do gluten free, "Sorry Charlie". 

I also make my own salsa, mayonaise, teriyaki sauce, salad dressings, chili, soups...

I invested in a pressure cooker last year, yay!  I am buying fewer and fewer canned goods.

I buy staples in bulk as much as possible:  flour, sugar, butter (freezable!).  And if I only need a bit of something in particular, I try to hit the bulk food aisle at Winco (cue angel chorus).

Still, I can't make everything, so .... yeah, the shrinkage has not escaped notice. 

Click to expand...

that sounds like a wonderful idea! i don't do gluten free either.

ahhhh, a pressure cooker! i've got one on my things to buy list.