Walmart beef jerky Walmart used to sell its "Great Value" beef jerky in 12-ounce packages. But last year a Consumerist reader realized that the package had shrunk to 10 ounces. The kicker? The new, smaller package was now labeled "Mega Pack." Frito-Lay chips Bags of Doritos, Tostitos, and Fritos now have 20 percent fewer chips than they did in 2009. A spokesman tells the Times that the extra chips were a "limited time" offer. Chicken of the Sea tuna The Times reports that albacore tuna cans now contain five ounces instead of six ounces, and the five-ounce cans sometimes cost more than the larger ones. http://www.theatlanticwire.com/business/2011/03/grocery-products-shrinking-your-very-eyes/36185/
Yes, I read an article where a university study determined that during recession times that people are more sensitive to price increases than they are to quantity decreases. So most companies choose to lower the quantity as a means to increase price. I am just glad that my wife is a very conscious shopper and is very aware when companies reduce quantities. If possible she will decide to start using Brand X instead.
Downsizing packages (deceptively) is a pet peeve of mine. Try to find a "pound" of coffee, or a "half-gallon" of ice cream. I saw that bacon was mostly packed in 12 oz. packages while shopping yesterday. Slick, aren't they?? I almost want to put signs or stickers on the offending products. A deli around here boasts a "20 oz. pound", but I haven't try it yet. The price seems to be 20 oz. as well.
I first noticed this in yogurt. It's impossible to find yogurt in a reasonable size (ie, 8 ounces) anymore. It's all that six-ounce B.S.
This wasn't a new phenomena when I first noticed it on candy bars forty years ago, when I was a kid. Mom had clued into it much earlier. What is really aggravating is when the "New! Larger Size!" is still much smaller than the old size the spouse and I remember.
In related news- faced with declining incomes coupled with better access to educational information on the internet, more people are owning chickens, home gardening is on the uptick and lard-asses are falling out of vogue.
Not only are package volumes shrinking, but the new improved shrinking products now cost more money. Some say that increased prices are due to rising transportation costs, but I can't believe that since food costs never declined during lower fuel prices. Some say that rising food costs are due to a bad season of weather, but food prices never go down in good growing weather either. Could it be it's another justification for corporate profit taking on both ends: smaller packages AND higher prices? Maybe.
The standard approach was to slowly shrink the size in a series of small steps. Eventually a new "Jumbo" size would be introduced along with a price increase. Once this became the normal size the shrink would start again. Tom
Why do fast food restaurants take the reverse trend? What used to be a large soda has been downgraded to medium for years; a couple of years ago it was downgraded again to small at certain chains. What is now "medium" used to be extra large, and what is now "large" actually holds more than a human stomach can hold. I assume a small child can go swimming in what is now called "extra large".
If I ate much pre-packaged, processed food I might care. As it is, a pound of vegetables is *still* a pound of vegetables, and 20 pound bags of lentils and rice remain inexpensive. Now if you want to rant about Tofu in plastic containers I'll happily join in
