Food/Groceries

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Here We Shrink Again – Spring 2026 – Part 1

We continue our never-ending series of stories spotlighting some of the various products that were reduced in size recently, otherwise known as shrinkflation.

Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Assortment

Keri M. who works in a retail store discovered that Hershey’s removed over five ounces of candy from the party size bag of dark chocolate snacks. The bags went from 29 ounces to just 23.9 ounces, but they both were priced at $19.99.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Hershey's Dark assortment

Quilted Northern Toilet Paper

Toilet paper is one of the most frequently downsized product categories. Tom G. discovered that Quilted Northern lopped off 40 sheets from each mega roll, going from 295 to just 255 sheets. In a six-pack, that removes almost a full roll of the newly downsized product.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Quilted Northern

Three years ago, the mega size went from 328 sheets on a roll to 295.

Quilted Northern strong

Iams Dog Food

Dry dog food is another category where the bags keep getting smaller and smaller. Brendan B. recently brought to our attention that Iams reduced their XL bags from 44 pounds to 38.5 — a five-and-a-half-pound reduction. (Some stores have a 40 oz. version.)

*MOUSE PRINT:

Iams dog food

Thomas’ Bagels

Bagels keep getting smaller. Factory-produced ones were once 24 ounces in a six-pack. Then they went to 22 ounces, and some reduced to 20 ounces, like Thomas’. Now those are down to 18 ounces with 30 fewer calories. Thanks to Richard G. for this submission.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Thomas' bagels

Oscar Mayer Beef Franks

It seems like frankfurters are getting smaller and smaller too. The latest brand to do that is Oscar Mayer which went from being a pound to 15 ounces.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Oscar Mayer beef franks

Great Value Ground Coffee

Even Walmart gets into the downsizing act on their store brands. Here, the old 11.3 ounce cans of ground coffee became just 9.6 ounces. You probably lost about five cups of coffee in the process. Remember when ground coffee used to come in one-pound cans?

Great Value ground coffee

If you find a popular product that has been downsized recently, please send a picture of the old and the new version to Edgar(at symbol)MousePrint.org . Thanks

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Will Grubhub Really Eat the Fees?

Grocery and food delivery services are notorious for adding on all kinds of service charges and fees when ordering from them. Now one big company has had a change of heart.

During the Super Bowl, Grubhub advertised a surprising policy change. Going forward, they said they would no longer tack on any delivery fees or service fees for restaurant orders over $50.


Only in the tiniest of type in the last frame of the commercial did the service point viewers to a website with the fine print details.

*MOUSE PRINT:

So is it true? Pretty much, except for certain regional or government imposed fees. But look at this long list of possible extra charges.

Grubhub delivery and service fee details

Of course, you still have to check whether the price offered for food on Grubhub is the same as the restaurant would charge if you walked in and ordered takeout. Grubhub says it is the restaurant that sets the prices that it offers on its website. So do double-check.

And remember, if your order is under $50, their regular fees still apply.

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WA-AG Sues Albertsons Over Deceptive Buy One, Get One Free Sales

Late last month, the Washington state attorney general sued Albertsons and Safeway alleging that they manipulated prices just before promoting buy one, get one free sales. (See complaint.)

*MOUSE PRINT:

The AG asserts:

O Organics olive oilWhen Defendants schedule a BOGO promotion, they artificially increase the price of the BOGO item in the run-up to the promotion, only to bring the price back down to the pre-BOGO level after the promotion is over.

…on August 20, 2020, the price of a 16.9 oz bottle of O Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil was $6.99 at the Albertsons on 51st Avenue in Gig Harbor, WA, but Defendants raised the price over 57% (to $10.99) for a BOGO promotion that started a week later. After the BOGO promotion ended, Defendants brought the price back down to $6.99.

Over a five-year period, the lawsuit alleges that Albertson’s overcharged consumers on more than three-million transactions, netting the company almost $20-million.

And this is not the first time the supermarket company has faced charges like this. In 2016, they paid $107-million to settle a similar class action lawsuit, and an unspecified amount in 2023 after a similar suit was settled.

The AG asserts various law violations under the state consumer protection act and seeks restitution for shoppers.

Albertsons Companies operates supermarkets under many different nameplates around the country, including Acme, Carr’s, Haggen, Jewel Osco, Lucky, Pavilions, Randall, Star Market, Shaw’s, Tom Thumb, Von’s, and more. There is no reason to believe that some of these alleged shenanigans are limited to their stores just in Washington state.

However, don’t jump to the conclusion that all their BOGO sales are bogus. There is not a single “regular” price for groceries at supermarkets. Stores offer a variety of sale prices throughout the year. The olive oil above, for example, might be offered at various sale prices during the year, such as $6.99, $9.99, or even buy one, get one free.

Certainly if the store jacks up the price the week before the BOGO sale just to discount it the next week, that is a problem. But retail and advertising laws generally allow stores to establish a “regular” by offering the product in good faith for a reasonable period of time before being allowed to discount it (and make savings claims comparing that sale price to its former price). Washington state does not appear to have specific regulations in this regard.

However, the Federal Trade Commission’s Deceptive Pricing guidelines make clear this prohibition:

Where the seller, in making such an offer, [like BOGO] increases his regular price of the article required to be bought … the consumer may be deceived.

And in a move not good for shoppers just last month, the Washington state supreme court ruled against a consumer who claimed they didn’t really save as much money as they were led to believe when the seller used a misleading regular price. The court found against the consumer saying he/she suffered no actual loss of money despite the misrepresentation.

If I had to guess, Albertsons will settle this case with the WA-AG eventually for a lot of money.