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Country Crock 3-lb Margarine Tubs Stick It to Shoppers

There are certain things we take for granted when it comes to product sizes: a carton of eggs will have a dozen eggs; milk comes in quarts, half gallons, and gallons; and margarine and butter are sold by the pound.

Cross off margarine from that list. These two “3 pound” tubs of Country Crock margarine look identical:

Country Crock

However, checking the net weight statement reveals a surprise.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Country Crock nets

The three pound tub is now three ounces short. Mouse Print* asked the company why they downsized the product. They replied:

Unilever Foods takes great pride in offering the highest quality products at reasonable and fair prices, and we apologize for the inconvenience our recent packaging change has caused.

In order to maintain price, we have reduced the size of the container for several reasons:

– Increased costs of raw materials, including ingredients and packaging materials
– Transition to Trans Fat Free products
– Tamper resistant containers

[In a separate letter, the company added:] A redesign of the product line was undertaken which involved packaging changes that had an impact on the net fill weight of the products. Prior to implementation, the changes were thoroughly tested with consumers to ensure optimal consumer satisfaction.

Of course, I am sure consumers applauded the company for removing three ounces from the container and not calling that fact to their attention. This is how some sneaky manufacturers opt to pass on a hidden price increase by just shrinking the product a little, and keeping the price same.

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Purina One: Where’s the Fish?

purina salmon Many animal owners love to pamper their pets. Whether it is with special grooming products, cutesy outfits, or special food, nothing is too good for their little furry friends.

Purina One is inviting cat owners to “see the difference” in their “exciting new kibble mixture.” It is “great nutrition”, they say, and is “made with real ingredients.”  For their salmon and tuna flavor cat food, they use real salmon and real tuna, as pictured above [and in their Valassis ad, 1/28/07].

Exactly how much salmon and tuna is in this cat food?

*MOUSE PRINT: According to the product label, which lists ingredients in the order of predominance, there is more fat in Purina One than fish. In fact, salmon and tuna are the seventh and eighth ingredients down the list, just before dried yeast. The product is actually mostly poultry-by product meal and other ground grains, rather than what the picture depicts — lots of fish and a little bit of grain.  

Poultry by-product meal, whole grain corn, brewers rice, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), salmon, tuna, brewers dried yeast, non-fat yogurt, calcium carbonate, phosphoric acid, animal digest, caramel color, salt, potassium chloride, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, choline chloride, calcium phosphate, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, taurine, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.

To try to better understand exactly how much salmon and tuna are in Purina One, MrConsumer asked the company. They responded that “the exact amount of ingredients used in our formulas is considered proprietary.”

Their website indicates that one cup of Purina One is 106 grams, and that is the largest daily portion recommended for the largest cat. Assuming all the other ingredients comprise at least 80% of the product (and that is probably a conservative assumption), then only about 20 grams — about a tablespoon and a half — of dried fish is actually in it.

Funny how some products can be fishy and not fishy at the same time.

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Hotwire: Hidden Fees in their “Complete” Prices

hotwirecar1.jpg

When it comes to shopping for travel, the price that catches your eye is not always the price you pay. And rarely is it lower than advertised.

Hotwire.com is a site that offers discounted airfares, hotel, and car reservations by not disclosing what airline, hotel or car rental agency you are contracting for until after you pay. (It is like Priceline without the price guessing games.)

On it website, Hotwire advertised car rental rates as low as “$13.95 with no hidden fees.”  Just beneath that it listed Boston with rates as low as $5.95. What a deal!  Clicking on that link brings up the typical pricing form where you enter dates of travel.

For a one day rental from March 28 to March 29, the system returned the following price:

hotwirecar2.jpg

Yes, it is $3 higher than the lowest price, but it still a great deal. The asterisk after “$8.95 per day” goes to this:

*MOUSE PRINT: 

* Rates are shown in US dollars. Total cost for Hotwire Discount rates includes applicable tax recovery charges and fees.

Indeed, this is more good news — $8.95 is price you really pay. Or is it?

*MOUSE PRINT: On the next screen, the truth is revealed:

hotwirecar3.jpg

Adding the taxes and fees makes the total cost of the car triple the advertised price!

Unfortunately, the problem of advertising incomplete prices is not limited to Hotwire. Most car rental companies, airlines, cell providers, and cable companies attract you with seemingly low priced packages only to relegate to the fine print or your first bill what the true total and complete price really is.

All these services have extraordinarily high fees, charges, and taxes added to the promoted price which can bring the total to 30%, 40% or more than advertised. Here’s a novel idea: companies should make the price you see be the price you pay! 

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