I have been hearing lately that food producers are putting less quantity in their packageing and charging more.  Have you heard this?  For instance, if we are now getting 16 ounces of beans for a buck we will be getting 14 oz for the same cost or more!

What is that all about?

 

 

 They've been doing that for a long time. Years, in fact. I remember writing an article about it when one brand changed from a full gallon of bleach to 3/4 of one. Small cans of coffee used to contain a full pound, candy bars used to be bigger, etc. I guess they think we can't read. It's a good thing they have to print weights on the labels. 

A few weeks ago, the supermarket was having a sale on brand name ice cream.  I was excited as ice cream has been so expensive here that I haven't bought any in quite awhile.  Used to on sale for 2/$5 but that hasn't happened for awhile.  Anyway, there was a sale nice ice cream for 2/$6-still a lot but decided it was worth it.  Told DS we were getting ice cream and he wanted to help choose what kind.

Get there and pick up my favorite flavor only to find that the brand has shrunk their package by 25%!!  I was outraged!  The sale price is more than before for less product!  I didn't want to buy it but DS was so excited.  We chose one and now I am back to store brand (regular size still) when it goes on sale (rare).

So yes, I have definitely noticed this!!

Pat:

 It's a good thing they have to print weights on the labels. 

Isn't that the truth! Who knows what they'd try to get away with if they didn't!

yup, I've noticed it also, and with ice cream since its one thing I can't make at home (right now...some day I will get an ice cream maker though...)

I also noticed it with cereal.  I always buy the off brand in the bags but once I was looking at the name brand stuff and realized how small the boxes where...halt the product for twice the price...right...they must think I'm stupid.

I read an article about this in the paper just last weekend. While it's true manufacturers have done this for years, they're stepping it up right now as a result of rising food prices. If it costs them more to make their product, they have two options to protect their profits: 1) raise the final price to the consumer, which may lead some consumers to drop the product or buy less of it, or 2) make the package smaller and hope the consumer doesn't notice. This probably doesn't work so well with us penny-pinchers who habitually check the unit price on everything, but some people sort of shop on auto-pilot--e.g., "Let's see, we need a half gallon of Edy's vanilla ice cream," and they just grab it and throw it in the cart without ever noticing that the "half gallon" has shrunk to 1.5 quarts. (That's down from the previous standard size of 1.75 quarts. Does anyone remember the last time a half gallon really was a half gallon--two whole quarts?)

they have been doing it for years.  what annoys me is when you get something home and open it up and the product (like crackers) only fills up have the package. waste of packaging.

Yes, HaverWench... it is different than its been.  I mean, yes, they have been doing it all along, but this is a huge jump down in quantity and we will be noticing soon on all products, like less slices of bread, less beans in a bag, less chips, less whatever... yet paying more.  Its kind of like the exact oposite of 25% more for free things that we get, now, we get 25% less for more!  ;-)

Ouch!  I thought I was the only one that noticed ice cream!  I love Ice cream (unfortunatly) but I don't like to pay over 2.50 for a half gallon and its wayyyyy up these days.  Ralphs here in So Cal has their brand still for 2.50. 

 

;-) 

 

     I read the same thing too, Haverwench ... as Pat says, this has been going on for years.   But I think it really picked up in the past couple of years ... sort of an "invisible inflation" as companies, restaurants, what have you, have tried to hold down retail prices as their costs have gone up.  But things have accelerated so much that it's not invisible anymore ....

Consumer Reports has been noticing that for decades. In the back of almost every issue is a short segment "Selling It" that often points this out. Less product for the same money is the same as a price increase.