We continue this week to spotlight big brands that are shrinking their products but charging the same or more for them. Shrinkflation continues unabated.
Cottonelle |
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Just like Charmin, Cottonelle has reduced the number of sheets it provides on each roll of toilet paper depending on the variety (soft or strong). Here, the strong version of Cottonelle mega rolls has gone from 340 1-ply sheets to just 312. And the soft version went from 284 2-ply sheets to just 268. See past examples of how Cottonelle has shrunk over the years. Thanks to Richard G. for this submission.
*MOUSE PRINT:
Sun-Maid Raisins |
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Those canisters of Sun-Maid Raisins are getting smaller too. They just lost over two-and-a-half ounces each.
*MOUSE PRINT:
Chobani Yogurt |
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Remember when yogurt used to come in eight-ounce cups? Those days are long gone. Some of them aren’t even six ounces anymore. And the specialty versions with mix-ins, just got even smaller. Thanks to Richard G. who spotted this change.
*MOUSE PRINT:
Dove Body Wash |
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Like so many shampoos, body wash bottles are getting smaller too. Here, Dove Body Wash went from 24 oz. to 22.
*MOUSE PRINT:
Safeguard Soap |
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Remember when “bath size” soap was five ounces? Those days are long gone because soap has been shrinking for years. Most recently, Safeguard has gone from four ounces down to only 3.2 — just about the size of what was once considered a regular bar.
*MOUSE PRINT:
If you find an example of a product that has recently been downsized, please take a clear before and after picture, including the net weight or net count statement and send it to: Edgar (at symbol) MousePrint.org . Thanks.
Quaker Oatmeal from 10 packs per box, to 7. What the heck?
It is almost impossible at this point to be a savvy consumer without tracking unit price of the things you buy. It doesn’t help that the tags for products on the shelf are so inconsistent. You’ll see two sizes of a product and one will list price/oz on the store price tag and the other will be price/ea.
There’s so many things you buy on a regular basis, it’s effectively impossible to keep up. Worse when people get on those automated deliveries like Amazon, I wonder what Amazon’s policy is when something like this goes to a smaller size. My guess is they don’t say anything and just keep shipping you the same amount for the same price…
THIS. I always look at the price per unit of measure, and SO OFTEN one product will be per ounce, another per pound, another something else. And this is for the same product, same size, just different brands. It’s ridiculous. I often refuse to buy a product just because I know they’re trying to be deceptive. Like cans of tuna – after the first time I bought what I thought were the “normal” size, only to get home and realize they were much smaller, I won’t buy them at the regular store, only at Costco where they still have the 7.5 oz size.
for some reason i was sure that it was supposed to be one size for price per.. i hate when one is per pound and other is per 100..
very difficult to compare
Mouse Print stories typically reveal corporations trying to financially screw us consumers, of which shrinkflation is a major tool for doing this.
I think Chobani was one of (if not THE) first to drop yogurt sizes below 6 oz. And now they’ve lowered it yet again, contributing to higher profits and more packaging trash. It wouldn’t surprise me if their endgame is to sell packages of individual spoons, each with a 0.5oz dollop of yogurt on it.
3.2 oz for a bar of soap… OMG. This is why I’ve learned to make my own body soap. A superior product, and an 8 OUNCE BAR!
Pedigree dog food went from 50lbs to 44lbs
Prices of food and sundries are affected by costs of FUEL, both in their manufacture and, obviously, in shipping them to market. Retailers have long-used “shrinkflation” as a way to mask price increases, as in a lot of cases, there’s a pricing point at which the item becomes much less attractive. I recall this from when I was a “yoot”, and would spend my hard-earning monies mowing lawns for neighbors to buy comic books and candy at the local convenience store. All you had to do was to look at the size of the Hershey Bar, but it was always a quarter (this was 1974!), but soon, along with Jerry Ford’s “WIN” buttons (Whip Inflation Now), the normal 2 oz. bar got down to about 1.3 ounces!
I’ve seen those smaller soap bars at the dollar stores. Now that the smaller size is the “regular” size what will the dollar store sell? Those little bars you get at the motel?