20 times companies decided to give customers less for the same price
It wouldn’t hurt most of us to eat a bit less. But there’s a difference between controlling portion sizes and being given less for the same price.
Companies do all sorts of sneaky things to cut corners and make more money, and they do it with more than food.
These 20 products have shrunk over the years – or weeks! – but their prices wouldn’t give you any indication of that.
1. Double what?
Listen, if you’re going to call them double-stuffed, they’d better be twice as stuffed as they were before. And don’t you dare give us fewer cookies!
We don’t know what they cut down on over at the Oreo factory, but we do know we’re getting less than ever.
Shrinkflation strikes again, almost 8 percent less Oreo’s but sold for the same price! from r/Shrink_Flation
2. Cutting corners
Cadbury’s is famous for reducing the size of their products but not cutting costs.
But chocolate doesn’t become any healthier as a result – in fact, some of us will just buy two bars and eat them both.
In this case, their decision to change the shape of their candy bars resulted in less product per package.
Cadbury is using Shrinkflation to literally cut corners. The bottom one has 8 percent less chocolate in it from r/Shrink_Flation
3. Hey, we needed that!
Ok, say what you want about shrinking food and how that might be a good thing. But we really do need the toilet paper.
No one wants to run out a day early!
4. Spread some love
If you’re going to reduce the amount of a product, at least use less plastic to package it.
Would you even know there was a difference if they weren’t side by side?
Well, you might if you went to the store to buy a pound and ended up with 15.5oz. That’s not fun if you’re trying to follow a recipe.
5. Head and Shoulder
Apparently, you’re only getting one shoulder these days if you buy this dandruff shampoo.
You are, however, getting the same amount of plastic waste and paying the same price.
6. Bald-faced lies
No one likes to be lied to. And despite Pringles claiming that nothing has changed about the size of their chips, this evidence says otherwise.
Why can’t companies just be honest?
Please see the accompanying photographic evidence to the claim that Pringles has indeed altered its chip size… I must inform you that I will be including these findings in my highly anticipated new book, A Beginners Guide to Chip Pairing, due July 2018 on @HarperCollins pic.twitter.com/A4Q6u4cMR5
— CalamitytheKid (@CalamitytheKid) February 11, 2018
7. Subtle but troublesome
For coffee drinkers, this might be the difference between opening one or two packets.
That creates more waste AND may lead to people putting more sugar in their coffee. It’s a lose-lose for customers.
Even sweeteners aren’t save for Shrinkflation from r/Shrink_Flation
8. Sort of Mega Pack
You’ve got a lot of nerve to reduce the size of a so-called Mega Pack!
This might be an entire week’s worth of bags, sending people to the store far more often than they need to be there.
Hefty Bags went from 90 to 80 last month and the price is the same from r/Shrink_Flation
9. Head shrinking
We’re pretty sure babies heads are the same size, so why is Johnson’s baby shampoo selling 200ml LESS of their product for the same price?
Don’t parents have enough to deal with?
10. All families are different
Maybe families are smaller than they used to be, but that’s not excuse to rip them off.
It’s especially obvious when you can still find the old cartons of “family size” juice at the store to compare them.
Oh dear BIG example of #shrinkflation here with @Tropicana orange juice @Tesco how can they both be family size? #brexit pic.twitter.com/KVvNmIdfm6
— Carole Luck (@caroleluck) March 3, 2017
11. Feline fail
Ok, maybe WE don’t need to eat as much, but our animals don’t necessarily need to go on a diet.
How odd to go down to 1.9kg too.
12. 1-month difference
Companies really need to make this shrinkage more obvious.
And we understand they don’t want to put “now with less product” on the packaging, but at least cut down on the price!
@oldshopsoz prides itself as the Shoppers Friend™, so we alert you to the newest, most egregious example of #Shrinkflation we’ve yet seen.
Allen’s Kool Fruits downsized from 220gm to 150gm, purchased less than a month apart. Price remains the same.Pic and h/t Charles Stout pic.twitter.com/CIzBokpRTE
— Old Shops Australia (@oldshopsoz) May 6, 2020
13. Oreo strikes again
Listen, Oreo. Don’t make your stuff delicious and then deprive us of the amount we’re used to.
If we want to eat less, we’ll make that decision on our own.
“BRAND NEW LOOK! SAME GREAT TASTE!” oh…and maybe a little bit smaller… New stock is 12oz compared to the remaining 16oz cups. Same price. from r/Shrink_Flation
14. Et tu, beer?
Well THAT’S annoying.
If people like Stella so much, they’ll pay the increased price. But you don’t have to reduce the amount of beer on top of it!
Stella Artois DECREASED the can volume from 500ml to 473ml and INCREASED the price. A flat went from $68.35 to $71.80. #beer pic.twitter.com/jocBwkgNml
— Vidman 🇨🇦 Dan Lauckner (@vidman) September 18, 2020
15. Gone to the dogs
Don’t mess with our pets.
If you think humans noticing a smaller potato chip is bad, wait until you see how dogs react when you give them a smaller treat.
In fact, in some cases, they might not be happy until they get two of the smaller ones, so now they’ll end up eating MORE.
Not cool, Pedigree.
Shrinkflation of dogtreats, made possible by Pedigree from r/Shrink_Flation
16. No pulp, more money
Thanks a lot, Trader Joe’s. 12 ounces less for the same price?
If other companies weren’t doing the exact same thing we might switch.
Must have been cold on the delivery truck… #shrinkage #shrinkflation pic.twitter.com/j9KvsQyl7O
— Chris Patterson (@PhatBoyG) January 30, 2020
17. More drama, less pulp
See what we mean?
If you change the amount, then change the price!
And look how similar these containers look. Would you even notice you were buying less?
One of the more well hidden examples of shrinkflation from r/Shrink_Flation
18. Cheesy lies
The only thing worse than lying about dog treats is lying about cheese.
Do we really have to weigh everything now to make sure we get what we’re paying for?!
So @AldiUK what is this about?? Pretty sure you’re not supposed to sell cheese labelled 200g when the contents and packaging are 188g. Letting the side down with your #shrinkflation pic.twitter.com/3Z8BX1em3T
— Lucy Wainwright (@smallfriepie) September 8, 2020
19. 28 ounces of deception
How do both bottles claim to contain 28oz when one has 714ml and the other has 740ml? That’s not how math works.
Do they just not care if our food is bland?!
Shrinkracha! (bonus a-hole points for not reducing enough to go down a full ounce so they can still label as 28oz..) from r/Shrink_Flation
20. Small Mac
We’ll grant you that no one needs more McDonald’s food. But it’s pretty eye-opening to see the difference between this current Bic Mac and the vintage version.
It’s especially insulting when you see what they claim to look like in the commercials only to get a small one at the drive-thru.
Big Mac from r/Shrink_Flation
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Source: Reddit- r/shrinkflation, H/t: Bored Panda