Good article, thanks. I've checked the price per unit ever since the one pound can of coffee became 14 ounces (now 12 ounces, I think?). 

 I have always done this.  

I thought unit pricing was required in grocery stores.  All the stores in my areas offer it.  Sometimes I still have to do the math b/c the store will list the price per ounce on one item, for example a can of veggies, but another can of veggies will list the price per pound.  But generally it's pretty steady (oz. v. oz. or lbs. v. lbs.).

safeway always listed on the price in ounces or grams. very helpfull so I don't have to break it down.    I got screwed in the bulk foods today. bought some instant skim milk powder and  it was more expensive then the stuff in the package!  bulk food is suppose to be cheaper. glad I only bought 1/2 lb.

This irks the heck out of me too. I know why a "half gallon" of ice cream is now 1.75 quarts instead of 2 quarts, why a "pound" of coffee went from 14 oz to 13.5 oz to now I am seeing 11 oz.. We are not stupid. We know it is so that people will see the sticker prices, which are increasing, as normal increases and not get sticker-shock, and manufacturers know that chinching the amount is less noticeable than a sudden very large price increase, so they can keep inching the price up without it disturbing people too much, if the prices go up about as slowly as the amounts go down.

And I guess people are lulled by it. But it's irritating, if only for the slyness of it!

I'd rather have a full pound of coffee and be gasping at the brand that was $6 last year for that pound, being  $9 this year for the same pound, instead of $7 for 11 oz.

What's next, 9 eggs per "dozen"?  LOL and how bout the next new thing in bread, the brand name could be "Better than None" and it could come in half a loaf! Yuk yuk yuk, I know.

I stocked up of peanut butter because I noticed that puzzlingly, a smaller size was significantly cheaper than the larger sizes, per ounce. So I got a bunch of small jars of peanut butter and will find a use for all those plastic jars I guess. Hold craft supplies? I have noticed lately that "economy sizes" aren't necessarily cheaper, and are sometimes more expensive, per weight than the smaller packages, and I wonder why, since the cost of packaging is going up,and larger volumes usually use less packaging per amount of product. I hope it's not because they know people are stocking up and are banking on most people being used to economy sizes being cheaper, and buying without comparing actual per-unit price, but I bet that's why. The Sneak Attack.

crunchymamamaine:

What's next, 9 eggs per "dozen"? 

ROFL

crunchymamamaine:

And I guess people are lulled by it.

I'm one of them... I don't look really at the size but just cost per ounce if I really feel like it. I just buy what I need and go on from there. To me, as long as it's not a major size change, I won't notice or really care.

I was talking with a friend of mine today. I got on the topic of bread and told her that I order mine through the thrift store... 2 lbs of sourdough bread for $1.75 a loaf. Most stores carry loaves that are ~1 lb. and charge $3 or more. I spend $10.50 on 6 loaves (12lbs) which in the store would cost me over $36!  (I have to specially order it since it's technically made for commercial use; it has no labeling on the package).

Another article-

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25570106