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Everyone’s Complaining About Toothpaste!

Over the past several months, we have received more complaints about toothpaste than any other product category.

The first complaints are about the consistency getting thinner.

I believe that toothpaste has been diluted from how I remember it to be. My recollection is having to use some effort squeezing the paste out of the tube. Now it seems like it’s barely a paste… –Ralph

CREST toothpaste pro-health 4.6 oz doesn’t say PASTE anymore and its consistency is more liquid and diluted than before. –Danilo D.

And of course, there are examples of shrinkflation.

*MOUSE PRINT:

We had purchased a multi-pack of Crest brand toothpaste at Costco, probably over a year ago. We did so again recently. Note the difference in net weight. –Paul R.

Crest shrinks

Verner E. also had a complaint about the new smaller Crest tubes from Costco.

I purchased a package of 5 tubes from Costco. When I used the first tube it felt like there was a lot of air in it. Same with the 2nd tube. The next tube I did an experiment by weighing the full tube and then subtracting the weight of an empty tube. I discovered that the contents only weighed 4.5 oz. while the tube advertises a net 5.2 oz. This is only 86.5 % of what is advertised on the tube. I called P&G to notify them of this rip-off but all they wanted to do was send me a coupon .

Here are additional “more air in tubes, less paste” complaints.

The photo attached is of a Crest Toothpaste tube after one squeeze which released about a pea sized amount of paste. It took many squeezes to get the toothpaste to the opening. Apparently the top third was filled with air. –CV

Crest empty space

When half used, you will notice air pocket in center of tube. — Kevin & Margaret C.

I’ll add my own complaint about a sample of Crest Gum Detoxify that I got from my dentist. It made the soft bristles on my toothbrush stiff!

We asked P&G, the maker of Crest, to comment on these complaints, but they did not.

Feel free to chime in with your toothpaste gripes in the comments.

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Here We Shrink Again – Early Spring 2023

Since the New York Times story about shrinkflation, we have gotten many more tips than usual about products downsizing. So, here is another round of them.

Green Giant Frozen Vegetables

Mark H. reported to us that in late summer he noticed various varieties of Green Giant frozen vegetables had downsized from 10 ounces to only eight, yet they still claimed two (skimpy) servings. Sure enough, most of their varieties are now only eight ounces.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Green Giant veggies

Duke’s Mayonnaise

Historically, mayonnaise came in quart-size jars, but in 2006, Hellmann’s introduced the 30-ounce size to replace that. And almost everyone else followed suit sooner or later. Not Duke’s. It refused to downsize and trumpeted that fact on their label noting that it was still 32 ounces. But Duke’s acknowledged on their website that last September that jar was now 30 ounces. Of course, the new jars are not labeled “now 30 ounces.” Thanks to Whit W., Richard G., and Steve E. for submitting this change.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Duke's mayo

Goodman’s Macaroons

Just in time for Passover 2023, the traditional 10-ounce can of Goodman’s macaroons has morphed into a nine-ounce bag. A customer service rep for the company confirmed the product has been reduced by 10-percent. Other brands still come in the familiar 10-ounce size but are moving to bags also.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Goodman's macaroons

Pepperidge Farm Cookies

Several varieties of Pepperidge Farm cookies have been reduced in size repeatedly over the years. Thanks to Joan D. and James M. for raising this issue. Here is one such change where Milano cookies went from 6.25 ounces to just six.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Pepperidge Farm Milano

Dove Body Wash

Unilever seems to be nickel and diming customers with repeated reductions in the size of their Dove body wash. In this case, it has gone from 24 ounces to 22 ounces to now just 20 ounces. And reader Joyce M. lamented over a year ago, that so much lotion sticks to the inside of the 22-ounce Dove container, that she cut one open and has gotten two extra weeks of use just from the residual lotion.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Dove Body Wash

Werther’s Original Hard Caramels

Candy is one of the categories of products often subject to shrinkflation. Darnell K. wrote to us about Werther’s hard candy resenting their product shrinkage and saying the practice is just plain shady. Here, their large size went from 34 ounces down to 30 ounces. It is unclear when the change occurred but likely it was a while ago.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Werther caramel

If you spot a product that has been recently downsized, please take a sharp picture of the old product and new product side-by-side (old on the left) with the net weight or net count showing. You can email it to Edgar (at symbol) ConsumerWorld.org . Thanks!

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Target and TripAdvisor Botch Free Membership Offer

Last week, Target offered Target Circle members a free one-year membership to TripAdvisor Plus (regularly $99) — a plan that provides special travel deals, discounts, and other perks. Consumer World even made it part of our “Bargain of the Week.”

TripAdvisor+ offer

Mindful of how many memberships work, we were concerned that the plan should not automatically self-renew after a year and stick readers with an unexpected $99 charge. Target explicitly allayed our concerns in the details of the promotion:

*MOUSE PRINT:

Target/TripAdvisor terms

Despite these assurances, the way TripAdvisor implemented the offer was the exact opposite of this. On the sign-up page, TripAdvisor not only explicitly said that the membership would auto-renew after the first year, but they also required you to provide your credit card number.

*MOUSE PRINT:

auto-renew and credit card

When advised by a reader what TripAdvisor was doing, we immediately contacted Target executives and PR folks. Later that day, a day-and-a-half into the promotion, Target called to say that TripAdvisor had changed their fine print to say that the membership would NOT self-renew. But looking at the revised sign-up page, they still were requiring a credit card in order to receive the free travel club membership. So, we asked TripAdvisor’s PR folks multiple times to justify why the company was still requiring a credit card to sign up. They did not respond, but their fine print explained it this way:

*MOUSE PRINT:

Your credit card information provided at checkout will be saved to enable more seamless hotel booking.

In our view it is totally inappropriate for a company to require a credit card when they are giving away a totally free service. If and when a member makes a reservation and buys a travel service, that is the time a card needs to be provided and not before.

So what do you think? Is it appropriate for TripAdvisor to require you to provide a credit card to get a year of their free service?

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