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The Chatterbox
News and views from the staff of FamilyEducation.
 

April 14, 2009

Products shrink but prices skyrocket

I am not a fan of grocery shopping, and I usually do this chore in a "Supermarket Sweep" style. You know, grab my cart and race through the aisles as fast as I can while loading up on everything I can get my hands on that will last for at least three months. But this last time, I decided to mosey, to supervise my spending and buy products I only needed, not wanted. As I was leaning on my cart, dragging my feet down the cookie aisle, I found a childhood favorite; Kudos. I wasn’t surprised when there was an open box on the shelf, so I took a peak and...my heart sunk. I swear these bars were so BIG when I was younger; they aren’t even the size of my palm now! Maybe this is because everything seems bigger when you are a kid, or maybe it’s because products are magically shrinking while the prices stay the same.

A lot of companies are downsizing their products while charging the same or more! A little trim on the packaging, a nip off a bar of soap, narrowing toilet paper, and shrinking container sizes is the newest fad for companies to save money. It’s like plastic surgery, they are giving their products a little nip-tuck and hoping no one will notice!

Snack bars that came six in a box now only have five, juice containers are smaller, even produce is bundled in smaller quantities. Peanut butter jars have a larger divot in the bottom to cut ounces without any obvious changes to the packaging. Those sneaky lil...

Here are a couple products that have shrunk in size:

  • Hershey's Special Dark chocolate bar 8oz now 6.8oz
  • Breyer's ice cream 1/2 gallon to 1.75 qts. to 1.5 qts
  • Kellogg's Froot Loops cereal 19.7oz to 17oz
  • Dial bar soap 4.5oz to 4oz
  • Skippy creamy peanut butter 18oz to 16.3oz
  • Iams cat food 6oz to 5.5oz
  • Tropicana orange juice 96oz to 89oz
  • Hellman's mayonnaise 32oz to 30oz
  • Nabisco Chips Ahoy cookies 16oz to 15.25oz
  • I Can't Believe It's Not Butter(and others) 16oz to 15 oz
  • Scott and Northern TP the rolls are shorter by 1/4"
  • Tuna- 6oz to 5oz
  • Wrigley's Gum- 17 sticks to 15 sticks

Have you noticed any changes to your favorite products? Will you stop buying certain products if you notice you are getting less for your money?

That explains why I can no longer get two solid sandwiches out of a can of tuna.


109 people found this comment helpful

you could always add more mayo?! haha :)


111 people found this comment helpful

Unless I'm mistaken, bags of chocolate chips have gone from 12 oz to 11 oz. Does that mean my chocolate chip cookies will have less chips in them?? Not acceptable!


109 people found this comment helpful