Tide has once again downsized some its bottles of detergent. The venerable 100-ounce bottle of original Tide that was reduced to 92 ounces in 2014, and then to 84 ounces last year, now has just gone down again to 80 oz.
*MOUSE PRINT:
But miracles of miracles, it still provides enough detergent for 64 laundry loads, they say. Some water was probably removed.
We also discovered last week that the dosing cap fill lines seem to have remained the same on both the new and old bottles.
MrConsumer immediately thought “those sneaks” at P&G are tricking people into using more detergent than is necessary given the new formulation which should allow you to use less. One of our readers, Mitch M., also discovered the cap issue, but figured out what the company actually did.
In the tiniest type on the back label of the bottles, enlarged below, P&G changed the dosing instructions.
*MOUSE PRINT:
Rather than redesign a new cap, they just changed those unreadable instructions to use a certain amount less than the actual lines on the bottle. The old bottle, for example, said for medium and large loads to fill the cap to just below the line, and the new bottle says to fill it 80-percent of the way up the line. Amazingly, both the old and the new bottles had inaccurate fill lines on them.
How crazy is that? So we asked P&G why they didn’t update the cap with accurate fill lines each time they downsized Tide. The company did not respond.
Shrinkflation has also affected clothing, therefore maintaining the same load ratio. Or maybe they just lie to your face, knowing they seldom have any repercussions to deal with.
“IT’S HIGHLY CONCENTRATED ALSO, DON’TCHA KNOW.”
A 4 ounce change in the amount of liquid may not have even been enough from the company to change the bottle size.
Hardly anyone is going to read or even see that fine print though.
This is so so sneaky….
Richard… It appears the caps have not changed since at least the bottles held 92 oz. They are now 12 ounces less and that should trigger a major change in the fill lines one would think.
Same with All laundry detergent that I stated a few weeks back. I asked them about the smaller bottle with same load amount. Received this response: The change in bottle size is due to product compaction—we have removed excess water, making the detergent more concentrated. While the bottle is smaller, the number of loads per bottle remains the same because the recommended dose per load has also decreased. If you compare the dosing instructions on the packaging, you’ll see that less detergent is needed per wash, ensuring the same great cleaning power without waste.
The last time that I went shopping for a new HE washing machine, all of the salespeople from box stores to appliance only stores said to use only 1 tablespoon of liquid detergent and to measure it and not to eyeball it. Using too much soap increases the smell in HE machines.
I think the cap is the biggest crime here. You know for a fact no one is reading that and actually using “80% of the 1 line”. Which is exactly what Tide is counting on.
How is anyone supposed to know when they have poured 80% below the line on a small cap where the lines are hardly visible! I’m positive they purposely make it difficult so people use/waste more, and buy more, and their CEO and stockholders get richer and richer.
This is another example of why consumers should purchase non-branded products. Just try and be sure that the non branded products offer value and are effective in cleaning clothes.
Agree. I used both Members Mark from Sam’s and Kirkland from Costco. No difference and both deliver great results.
If you believe the concentration level story, it seems like it’s more about whether they are truly trying to help (not manipulate) the consumer rather than direct shrinkflation. Surely, the amount to be used should be made clear on the cap. Also, some washing machines dispense detergent for each load. If they don’t have adjustments to calibrate to the correct concentration level, or if users are unaware of the adjustments, more will be used than needed. In addition to the cost, excess detergent burdens washing machines, plumbing, sewer and septic systems. It is important to get this right for many reasons.
Those clear on clear fill lines are also impossible to see without a magnifying glass. I recommend using a permanent marker to make it easier to see how much to fill up.
I typically ditch the detergent cap and use a plastic portion cup that can’t be overfilled after I’ve determined the correct amount (googling/mfg&others recommendations + several test runs of my own).
i realize most people have no clue about shrinkflation and surely thats what these companies count on, but sooner or later there has to be a point where the product size cannot shrink any further.. can you have new and improved Tide with a 1oz bottle that cleans 100 loads…or softer TP with a single 1″x1″piece for $25 a “roll” even a clueless consumer will hit their breaking point and buy a different product..corporate greed is not good for consumers but no one cares..
there is no one to regulate consumers getting cheated.
we need to ban together and fight greedy corporatiins