Some big brands are continuing to downsize their products despite some easing of the inflation rate… so shrinkflation continues. Here is the latest batch of products that have gotten smaller, and next week we’ll feature more.
| Tropicana Orange Juice |
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This is a big one in a category that has seen so many downsizings over the years. Remember when you could always buy half a gallon of orange juice? Those days are long gone (except for a few store brands). Tropicana has gone from 64 ounces to 59 ounces to 52 ounces and now to 46 ounces, depending on which size the retailer wants to stock.
*MOUSE PRINT:
Here, they don’t even pretend to keep the carafe looking roughly the same. In their current product line, they have eliminated the 52-ounce carafe and substituted a 46-ounce unimaginative bottle. These are all the container sizes they are now offering:
Thanks to Edward E. who was the first to spot the Tropicana change, and to Barry R. for the photograph.
And it is not just their orange juice that has downsized… other beverages lost six ounces also, like this limeade.
| Kashi Go Cereal |
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People may think of Kashi as a new-age type of company but with old-fashioned values. They are actually owned by Kellogg’s, which has been playing cereal shrinkflation games full time in the past several months. This example comes from Sean M. (Boston Globe readers may be able to figure out who he is) who was distressed to find that his favorite morning cereal went from 13 ounces down to just 9.7 ounces. While you used to get six bowls of cereal out of every box, now there are only four.
*MOUSE PRINT:
At the same time the company shrank the product, they also reformulated it. And consumers are not very happy — posting nearly four dozen one-star reviews on their website.
| Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets |
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Bruce B. forwarded an email to us from Chewy announcing that Purina was downsizing its kidney function dry dog food in the next couple of months:
That’s a 26-percent reduction with no decrease in price. Yikes.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats |
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Leif S. and Phil K. discovered that Kellogg’s removed two ounces from Frosted Mini Wheats between the middle of June and the beginning of July. Thanks for this picture that we annotated.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Walmart Whole Almonds |
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Our ace shrinkflation spotter, Richard G., found a major size reduction on Walmart’s Great Value Whole Almonds. They went from a 30-ounce bag to one that was only 25 ounces. And the price stayed the same at $7.98. The one-pound bag also lost two ounces.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Downy Fabric Softener |
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Brendan B. found a big change in Downy fabric softener at Sam’s Club. The old one was 170 ounces and provided 251 loads. The new version was the same price, with 20 fewer ounces. but supposedly provided 257 loads. The new equation must be less = more.
*MOUSE PRINT:
And who knows what “5x softening power” and “7x softening power” really mean. Further, to add to the confusion, in conventional stores like Target, there is a 140-ounce size of Downy and it only gets 190 loads. That’s 67 fewer loads with only a 10-oz. loss of liquid?
| Kellogg’s Fruit and Yogurt |
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Shoppers lost about a bowl of cereal in each box of Kellogg’s Fruit and Yogurt. And note how the new box is actually taller than the old box. How did they do that? They made the new box more narrow.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Clif Bars |
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Clif Bar has reduced the number of bars in each box. In the case of the old 12 packs, there are now only 10 bars. And the six bar pack is down to only five. Thanks to Richard G. for spotting this.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Signature Oatmeal Packets |
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Following Quaker’s lead, Albertson Companies’ store brand, Signature, found at their various chains around the country including Star Market and Shaw’s in the Boston area, has reduced the number of packets in their oatmeal packages from 10 to a box to just eight. And the price stayed the same.
*MOUSE PRINT:
If you spot a product that has recently downsized, please try to take a picture of the old one and the new one showing the net weight or net count statements. Then email your find to Edgar (at symbol) MousePrint.org . Thanks!
Feels like these examples are getting more and more egregious. I find myself increasingly making alternatives at home because grocery store options just keep getting worse! Quality, quantity, taste, nutrition, etc.
The Kidney Function dog food in the 25 pound bag goes for 119.99 a bag at chewy.com right now if you do not do autoship.
That is one extra expensive piece of shrinkflation.
And for the Kashi cereal I am not sure they are ever going to get enough 1 star reviews to change the product back. This is not the utter disaster that was Smart Balance Butter.
While not quite as egregious as the downsizing examples in today’s column, I found that Sara Lee Everything Bagels have lost most of the “everything”. The bagels used to be covered with “everything”, now there is just a light dusting of topping. There used to be a variety of different seeds including sunflower seeds. But now they are not to be found.
This was after they changed from six bagels to five in a bag, a while back.
Try Aldi Everything Bagels. They are loaded “and topped with seasonings including garlic, onion, salt flakes, sesame seeds, and more.” Still six in a bag, and about $2.45 per bag. https://new.aldi.us/product/l-oven-fresh-pre-sliced-everything-bagels-6-count-0000000000001551
These are just the latest of the shrinkage of these particular products. It would be interesting to compare today’s sizes with their original sizes from years ago, before several rounds of downsizing. (For example, the juice, which dropped from 52 oz to 46 oz, was originally 64 oz.)
Ironically, Coral Reef Juice Co., one of the few remaining ‘not from concentrate’ OJ companies remaining, has increased their size from the common 52oz to 59oz.
Just discovered Florida Natural’s from concentrate change for the first time tonight with it included in a grocery delivery. Rarely buy FN, usually Coral Reef, Aldi’s or Simply Orange. 🙁
Our local supermarket had a digital coupon for 50 cents off the 12 oz. size of Tropicana O.J. I “clipped” it and purchased the 11 oz. size, thinking the coupon would be deducted. SURPRISE- since the product was downsized the UPC changed, and the coupon was not deducted! I took it back and they gave me the amount of the coupon in cash. Caveat emptor.
There will continue to be an infinite supply of these shrinking examples. Literally every packaged item in your basket needs to be scrutinized every time you shop. The manufacturers know that’s just too exhausting for the average shopper; there’s no way to beat them at the game.
EXCEPT for the smartest shoppers who purchase by unit pricing. Then scan price or package size doesn’t matter, and the procurement process is seamless for those who are price conscious. It really doesn’t take long at all to educate yourself on your own ” unit price to buy at”, and then you avoid all the packaging nonsense.
Notice i said ‘packaged’ item in your basket, See how easy it is to buy broccoli, or beans or other produce? You got it– they’re unit priced. Like gasoline, which is unit priced, purchase decisions are easy-peasy. That same philosophy can apply to your whole shopping cart! Imagine your freedom when scan price and package size DO NOT MATTER– save money AND time!
I actually wrote to Tropicana about the juice sizes and got this response, so if they’re being honest then the price should be lower for the smaller bottle:
“We have optimized the size of our multi-serve bottles, moving from a 52oz to a 46 oz package. We have updated the design to modernize and make our bottle easy to open, pour and store. The cap no longer includes the induction seal therefore is easy to open, without compromising product safety, and contains 61% less plastic. The bottle also now takes up less space in the fridge and the slimmer bottle is easier to grip to pour.
“We’ve lowered the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of these new multi-serve products: $3.99 vs $4.69 for orange juice and $2.99 vs $3.39 for juice drinks. It is possible that for a brief time, retailers have not adjusted their on-shelf pricing. Please note that average costs may vary across markets and retailers, as is common with most consumer goods. “