Over the last few years, specialty milks like A2 milk, ultra-filtered milk like Fairway, extra protein milk, and plant-based products like soy and almond milk often started coming in unconventional size cartons like 52 or 59 ounces. But regular milk has reliably been sold only by the quart, half gallon, and gallon. Not anymore.
In a reversal of a standard that many thought was sacrosanct, one dairy cooperative in the Pacific Northwest has done the unthinkable. They downsized their half-gallon cartons of regular ultra-pasteurized milk to just 59 ounces.
*MOUSE PRINT:
Darigold’s cartons of “classic” whole, 2-percent, 1-percent, and fat-free milk all are now five ounces less. And the dimensions of the new cartons look virtually identical to the old ones, best we can tell, but for being less than a quarter of an inch shorter. Of course that raises the question of possible slack-fill.
How are customers reacting? We think most have not noticed the change. One of our readers, Katie G., said she was alerted to the change because some stores in her area have posted signs warning that the new smaller milk containers don’t qualify under their state’s WIC program for low income folks with children.
And some consumers are telling the company on its website they are not pleased.
*MOUSE PRINT:
Putting the screws to us milk drinkers! Went to buy a half gallon, nope! 59 ounces! Are you nuts? I switched brands for the first time in 30 years!
On reddit, hundreds of shoppers complained, saying things like:
I just let them know why I will no longer be purchasing their products…
Since it used to be a true half gallon, and it’s next to other half-gallon brands in the same container at the store, most consumers would never know the difference. Pretty clever. I’m glad it’s backfiring on them.
Where are the yellers and screamers to protest Darigold on behalf of WIC participants? This makes me angry and I can easily never buy darigold again.
We asked the company to explain why they downsized, how they have responded to complaints, whether they lowered prices to compensate for the lessened quantity, etc. A company spokesperson replied, in part:
We made this change in packaging size at the beginning of the year largely as response to higher production costs for ESL [ultra-pasteurized] milk. Rather than passing along the full impact of inflation to consumers, we opted to make the container slightly smaller and take a smaller price increase.
He also noted that their regular milk sold in conventional translucent plastic containers was still the traditional size.
The question is, what’s next when it comes to shrinkflation? Eleven eggs in a carton?
Astute shoppers know unit pricing is where it’s at. That way, size and scan price never matter. For example, you’d never buy a “tank” of gas, you’d always ask “how much PER gallon”? Or, like fruits and vegetables, “how much PER pound”?
Train yourself of the unit prices, and you’re forever done with the manufacturers monkeying around with the package sizes.
Personally, I’ve done this my entire adult life. I think most people don’t hesitate to spend more for less cost per unit. Unfortunately, manufacturers and retailers know this and will purposefully try to obfuscate that unit price – Bounty paper towels are an excellent example of this. Another great example is cereal where it can often be cheaper to buy multiple smaller boxes (usually only when “on special†or with a coupon) than to buy the single giant box.
The company spokesperson said, “Rather than passing along the full impact of inflation to consumers, we opted to make the container slightly smaller and take a smaller price increase.”
So spokesperson tell me this: Why didn’t your company say that on the package?
“…make the container slightly smaller (7.8% less content)take (taking) a smaller price increase and take a smaller (unknown amount) price increase.” That’s a double consumer whammy they’d rather you not calculate. If they did, they would have retained the traditional sizes and raised their price accordingly.
“We made this change in packaging size at the beginning of the year largely as response to higher production costs for ESL [ultra-pasteurized] milk. Rather than passing along the full impact of inflation to consumers, we opted to make the container slightly smaller and take a smaller price increase.”
Flat out BS weasel words. If the price of the product stays the same the consumer is still feeling the full impact of the price increase. It just means they have to buy 11 cartons to do what 10 cartons did last year.
Eggs was my first thought too, though I doubt they ever change the size of an egg carton because that is one of the few things consumers buy that is directly apparent as to how many are in the package and how large the package is.
I seriously doubt that they’ll downsize egg cartons by one egg, but what’s to stop them from downsizing the eggs? Will large eggs be labeled as extra large and small eggs labeled as large? I suppose the current extra large can be intermixed with jumbo.
Speaking of unit pricing and the expectation of larger than smaller being the better deal – Price Chopper (and others, I’m sure) already sell half-dozen cartons of eggs. This week’s online flyer has the same Large Grade A advertised as follows: Half dozen @ $1.69 (.28 per egg) x 2 = $3.38 per dozen equivalent. They then advertise a full dozen of same at $3.49 (.29 per egg).
Several months ago found the 18-count egg carton cost more per egg than a 12-count carton. So much for “more is cheaper” — Publix in Florida.
You dont want my comment,
But here it is.
Frozen veggies. Those pound bags have been getting lighter. And strange things on labels Like STEAMABLE and making them even Smaller.
I used to be able to find the prices on the stock market, but it keeps getting hidden deeper. Find the pages where Potato’s are $3 per 100lb.($0.03 per pound). Last I looked and did allot of figuring, All of our grains, and fruits and veggies tended to be around $0.03 per pound(had fun finding out a Bushel price is variable and actual weights).
The only thing I see matching up with inflation tends to be Top wages, and raises EVERY YEAR. To bad the low Paid workers dont get paid like the boss’s, it would Double the prices even more. But 10% raise for a person at $10 per hour, ISNT that much, compared to a person getting almost $1 million getting that 10% raise. For the Cost of that 1 Top earners RAISE, could give 100,000 $10 workers a 10% raise.
I brought this up to Andrew Yang when he was running for President in 2020 with a slogan, “Make America Think Harder”. Why doesn’t Congress stop letting the States force grocers to post unit prices per pound when everybody with correct opinions agrees the metric system is overwhelmingly superior?
https://www.youtube.com/embed/TiYQ9Mrwpk8?start=1475&end=1630
A bit off topic I think, but pounds versus grams isn’t what’s causing confusing with customers here. There are advantages to both systems and even though the imperial system isn’t base 10, there are useful reasons for why it was setup that way.
Probably will be TEN eggs in a carton, not eleven. The claim will be, “Joining the world in going metric.”.
not always easy to check prices with unit pricing.
some go by lb othees by oz.
some go per package others per sheet but when sizes are different, its hard to figure out. if you can figure out paper towel and toilet paper pricing you are brilliant.
jello pudding cups are smaller and come 4 to a pack.
swiss miss cups are larger and 6 to a pack.
jello price is cheaper per pack but swiss miss cheaper per oz.
so most just go by retail price and end up paying more.
i find prices at walmart for name brands much cheaper than supermarkets. also i pay $2.69 for 1/2 gallon of diet snapple at local iga.
same bottle goes for $3.79 at stop and shop.
Next, a dozen eggs per carton will be touted giddily as reduced to 11.7 eggs/carton. That just shows how stupid they think consumers are.
Can’t they just make slack fill ten-egg cartons that look the same as the dozens?
This is another way for government to show a smaller inflation rate so ss increase will be smaller. product cost dont go up but size is smaller. any way to screw people.