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Thanks for Nothing – Spring 2024

A few times a year we spotlight offers from companies that are real head-scratchers, are actually less generous than they appear, are just plain outrageous, or may simply elicit a chuckle. Here’s the new crop.

JetBlue Adopts Surge Pricing for Baggage

Jumping on the surge pricing bandwagon, JetBlue just began charging more for checked baggage during peak travel times. This is on top of a higher price for checked bags paid for within 24 hours of your flight. And it is also just after the airline implemented another baggage fee increase only a couple of months ago.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Jet Blue luggage fees

Thanks for nothing, JetBlue.

Rakuten’s 15% Cash Back Offer

On April first, Rakuten sent an email promising 15-percent cash back seemingly at a whole bunch of stores.

Rakuten 15% cash back

But, when visiting the website, the offer all of a sudden changed to only 12-percent back.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Rakuten 12% back at stores

Only about half a dozen stores were offering 15-percent back among the dozens offering 12-percent cash back.

Thanks for nothing, Rakuten, except that this week (May 6 – 13) Rakuten is offering a real 15% back at about 500 stores, and on May 6th only, 20% back at several dozen stores. New members get an extra 10% back for purchases the first week. [Consumer World may earn a commission on certain purchases from this link.]

Russell Stover Valentine’s Heart

Last year before Valentine’s Day, we featured two heart-shaped boxes of candy from Russell Stover and Whitman’s that were about 10-inches high by 9-inches wide, but they only contained between nine and eleven pieces of chocolate inside. This year, we found what looked like the same size box, but for this variety of chocolate, it only had five pieces of candy inside.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Russell Stover heart

Talk about over-packaging to make you think there is more candy inside than there really is. Thanks for nothing, Russell Stover.

90% Off Everything at Temu?

Temu.com has captured bargain hunters’ attention with its incredible low prices. And when they recently sent an email promising that everything was 90-percent off shoppers couldn’t wait to clickthrough. Of course, the old adage, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” applies here.

*MOUSE PRINT:

temu up to 90% off

“Up to 90% off” is far different, so thanks for nothing, Temu.

Malk – $7.99 a Quart?

Grocery prices have just gotten out of hand. For example, a quart of Malk brand almond milk is $7.99.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Malk - 32 oz.

Eight bucks for a quart of fake milk? MrConsumer paid it but only because he was going to get a full price rebate. What excuse does everyone else have for paying such an outrageous price?

Thanks for nothing, Malk Organics.

Pizza Hut – Any Pizza $12?

Pizza Hut says the word “any” a lot in this emailed advertisement for $12 pizzas. ANY pizza… ANY toppings… ANY recipe.

Pizza Hut $12

But Greg L. complained about the smaller print which excluded extra cheese and also their stuffed crust pizza variety. We guess “any” really doesn’t mean “every” in Pizza Hut-lingo.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Pizza Hut exclusions

If you find an advertisement appropriate for this section, please pass it along to Edgar(at)ConsumerWorld.org .

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Here We Shrink Again – Spring 2024 – Part 2

We continue our spring fling this week with six more products that have been subject to shrinkflation recently.

Crest 3D White

P&G has been downsizing toothpaste repeatedly. The tubes are getting smaller, but somehow the packaging seems to stay about the same. The latest change was found by Richard G who sent these pictures. The 3.8 oz. tubes of Crest 3D White recently went down half an ounce to 3.3 oz. Tom B. also reported that Crest Enamel Repair was downsized to 3.7 oz. from 4.1 oz.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Crest 3D White

Dove Dark Chocolate

Once upon a time, these bags were over 10 ounces, now Dove dark chocolate bags are only 7.61 ounces. Thanks again to Richard G. for spotting this item.

*MOUSE PRINT:
Dove Dark Chocolate

Tide

P&G appears to have removed some of the water from Tide Free & Gentle because bottles went from 92 oz. to 84 oz. but each one still claims to be able to do 64 loads of laundry. Thanks to Shannon R. for this picture.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Tide Free & Gentle

And to add insult to injury, P&G downsized the big jugs of Tide Oxi Odor AGAIN. This time it lost another 14 ounces, but magically you still get 94 loads theoretically from the new version. Thanks to Brendan B. for spotting this.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Tide Oxi Odor

Trader Joe’s Sparkling Water

Zhora V. spotted a big change in Trader Joe’s Sparkling water because the bottles didn’t feel as hefty as they used to. No wonder… the new ones are 8.5 ounces less. And it was now plain water instead of mineral water. What isn’t clear is how the price changed and when the new size was introduced.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Trader Joe's sparkling water

Walmart Equate Shampoo

Many brands of shampoo shrink over time, and store brands are no exception. If you see Head & Shoulders downsize, the retailer’s own brand can’t be far behind. Here, Walmart has removed an ounce from its Equate dandruff shampoo and conditioner.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Equate shampoo

If you find a product recently hit by shrinkflation, please take side-by-side pictures of the old and new, including the net weight or net count and email them to Edgar(at)ConsumerWorld.org . Thanks!

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France to Require Warnings on Downsized Products

In a major move, France is requiring stores to flag products on store shelves that have been subject to shrinkflation where the quantity decreases without a commensurate price drop. Until now, Brazil was believed to be the only country with a disclosure requirement.

In particular, according to a press release from the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention, the requirement covers:

*MOUSE PRINT:

… from July 1, 2024 , for consumer products which have undergone a downward change in weight or volume leading to an increase in price per unit of measurement. specific obligation to inform consumers, relating to these developments. This information must be provided by distributors in large and medium-sized stores, in the immediate vicinity of the products concerned. It must appear in these physical stores during the two months following the marketing date of the industrial food and non-food products concerned (bottles of soda, packets of rice, laundry detergent or cans, for example), and this, whether national brand or private label products. Not affected by these provisions are prepackaged foodstuffs, the quantity of which may vary during preparation (deli section for example) and foodstuffs sold in bulk.

In other words, shoppers can expect to see signs on product displays whenever a product has been downsized but the price has stayed the same unit price or has been increaesed. The signs will have to be posted for two months. And some exemptions apply. (See NY Times story for additional background.)

What a great step forward for shoppers in France. Would something like this ever become law here on a national scale? Not a chance.

(Next week, we’ll resume our two-part series spotlighting products recently subject to shrinkflation.)

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