NOTE: The next new Mouse Print* story will be published on January 10.
We end the year with another round of products that have been downsized from their former larger-size packages. Of course, the new-fangled name for this is “shrinkflation.” But, no matter what you call it, it still is a sneaky way to pass on a price increase.
| Crest Toothpaste |
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I don’t know how anyone can keep track of toothpaste tube sizes these days. They just keep getting smaller and smaller. Here, Crest 3D White lost over eight percent of its contents, going from 4.1 ounces to just 3.8. Thanks to Richard G. for spotting this change.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Milky Way |
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Candy is another big category for downsizing. This time, it is Milky Way Fun Size bars that went from 11.24 oz. down to 10.65 oz. There is just a little less fun in each bag. Thanks to M.F. for spotting the change.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Twinings Tea CORRECTION |
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Even the stately boxes of Earl Grey tea by Twinings got hit by the shrink-ray, it appeared, according to reader M.F. In this case, it looked like the 25-count boxes were downsized to just 20.
*MOUSE PRINT:
However, a representative for Twinings just reached out to us to say that Twinings tea has NOT in fact been downsized. They apparently sell both the 20 and 25-count boxes of tea bags to different retailers. So depending on where you shop, you may find either the smaller box or the larger one. We regret the error.
| Gain Detergent |
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P&G apparently has been tinkering with the cup size or the formula for Gain laundry detergent. The new bottles contain 11 ounces less than the old ones, but supposedly you still get the same 107 loads out of every container. Of course, no one ever gets the number of loads promised on the label out of a bottle of detergent. That count is usually for a tiny load only when filling the cup a fraction of the way up to a line that is virtually invisible.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Aleve |
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Finally, if all these shrinking products give you a headache, don’t turn to the 100-caplet size bottles of Aleve. They now only have 90 pills.
*MOUSE PRINT:
| Kirkland Paper Towels UPsized |
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Last May, we showed you how Costco had downsized their Kirkland paper towels from 160 sheets on a roll to 140. [Original story] Well, fast-forward to this past September, and reader David F. reported that Costco had restored the missing 20 sheets to their paper towel rolls, so they are back up to 160 sheets. Perhaps it was all the bad publicity that surrounded that downsizing that convinced the company to bring back the previous larger size. In any event, hat’s off to Costco.
If you find an example of a product that has downsized, please submit a sharp photo of the old and new packages side-by-side to Edgar (at symbol) MousePrint.org . Thanks.
Last week, Delta quietly changed a policy so that basic economy class tickets purchased on or after December 9, 2021 would not longer earn frequent flier miles in their SkyMiles program. This big policy shift was not announced in a press release but rather via a fine print asterisked footnote on its website.
