We continue this week spotlighting some of the various products that were reduced in size recently.
| Dawn Platinum |
|---|
Dawn Platinum claims to be “new and improved” yet their claim for cleaning efficiency remains the same — “Removes 99% of grease and food residue.” One thing for sure is, the new bottle will clean fewer dishes because it went from 32 ounces to just 30.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Febreze Air Freshener |
|---|
Carolina M. didn’t want to make a stink about it but she tipped us off to some shrinking Febreze spray cans going from 8.8 ounces to 8.1 ounces.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Smucker’s Strawberry Jam |
|---|
Richard G. discovered reports that Smucker’s strawberry jam recently lost two ounces from each jar going down to 30 ounces. Maybe they need to change their slogan — “with a name like Smucker’s it is sure to be good smaller.”
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Kellogg’s Corn Pops |
|---|
Cereal is another category where shrinkflation is very common. This time the shrink ray hit Kellogg’s Corn Pops, going from 18.1 ounces down to 16.4. That’s about two fewer cups of cereal per box. The new boxes hide the drop in net weight by becoming more narrow, but look about the same size head-on in the supermarket aisle. Sneaky.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Swiffer Dusters |
|---|
Glenn S. found that there are now fewer Swiffer dusters in a box than previously. The old box of 28 has gone down to 24.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Kirkland Fabric Softener |
|---|
Store brands are not immune from shrinkflation. Here, Costco’s Kirkland brand of fabric softener dramatically downsized from 187 ounces yielding 276 loads to 150 ounces and 257 loads. Presumably the cap has changed too. Thanks to Nora F. for this submission.
*MOUSE PRINT:
If you spot a product that has been recently downsized, please take a picture of the old and the new one and send them to: Edgar(at symbol)MousePrint.org . Thanks.
The Kirkland one makes me sad because I find that Kirkland generally doesn’t downsize their products.
More and more it becomes important to be per oz or per item shopper and not a price shopper.
I wish there were still options to buy the old sizes for a higher price. At least Blue Bell is still a half gallon.
May I suggest we try keeping track of brands which we think haven’t (yet) shrunk their contents? Perhaps it could serve to express consumer appreciation, some encouragement and spread the word.
The nonprofit Cornucopia publishes scorecards which emphasize what they consider to be true organic foods, as well as a chart of formerly independent organic businesses now owned by larger corporations.
Off the top of my head, I think Organic Valley still has half-gallon milk.
Jewel brand Signature Select Rainsin Bran Crunch NET WT 18.2 OZ (1 LB 2.2 OZ) 516 g
old box 11″
new box 12 1/2″
I’ll give you another example. Cascade Complete ActionPacs. The container I bought tonight still has 16 packets of dishwasher detergent, however, the net weight is 211g or 7.4oz. Another package on the shelf said 243g or 8.5oz. So, over 16 packets, you’ve lost a ounce. The bag says “New & Improved”. Knowing P&G – they’ve skimped on something to save money.
Shockingly, the Gel Bottle is still 75oz, and the size has remained the same at Costco too. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.