From toilet paper to candy bars, companies hide rising costs by shrinking the size of everyday products. Here's what that looks like.
Mary Meisenzahl,Grace Dean
- Prices of consumer goods are increasing at the fastest rate in 40 years.
- The term shrinkflation describes brands selling smaller amounts of product for the same price as before.
- It's a sneaky way for brands to hide growing prices.
Ingredients and manufacturing are getting more expensive and it usually results in two things: higher prices or smaller sized products.
Many of these size changes are subtle, like making candy bars sold in multipacks smaller than ones being sold individually, or changing the shape of their products so you can barely notice the difference in weight.
"Do we raise the price knowing consumers will see it and grumble about it? Or do we give them a little bit less and accomplish the same thing? Often it's easier to do the latter," consumer advocate Edgar Dworsky told The Washington Post.
This phenomenon, known as shrinkflation, was already happening before the coronavirus pandemic, but is set to get worse because of rising labor costs and ingredients prices combined with inflation.
Walmart Great Value Paper Towels dropped from 168 sheets per roll to only 120, while the price stayed the same.
Source: The Washington Post
Frito-Lay just shrunk regular bags of Dorito's from 9.75 ounces to 9.25 ounces. Both are currently for sale at Target for the same price.
Source: Target
Hershey cut down its 18 ounce pack of dark chocolate Kisses by almost two ounces.
Source: The Washington Post
Hefty's mega pack went from 90 bags to 80 bags, at the same price.
Source: The Washington Post
A two-pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups used to weigh 1.6 ounces. Now it's just 1.5 ounces.
Source: Confectionery News
Tubs of Pringles are different weights depending on the flavor in the US, but at Walmart they all cost the same.
Source: Walmart
Some of Royal Canin's cans of cat food now weigh 5.1 ounces, down from 5.9 ounces – but they still cost the same. Royal Canin, a subsidiary of Mars, said that it had reduced some product sizes because of "unprecedented demand" for pet food during the pandemic.
Source: The Washington Post
Tillamook decreased the size of its ice-cream cartons from 56 ounces to 48 ounces. It said that it didn't make the decision lightly, but that if it didn't make it cartons smaller it would have had to hike up prices because of rising ingredients costs.
Source: Tillamook
General Mills shrunk its "family size" boxes from 19.3 ounces to 18.1 ounces – a drop of nearly 10%.
Source: NPR
Cereal brands frequently make the shrinkflation list. Post downsized Cocoa Pebbles and other family-size boxes from 20.5 oz to 19.5 ounces, according to consumer advocate Edgar Dworsky's watchdog website.
Source: Consumer World
Quaker Life cereal also shrunk from 24.8 oz to 22.3, and it was renamed from "Giant" to "family" size.
Source: Consumer World
Cottonelle's Ulta Clean Care toilet paper is down to 312 sheets from 340.
Source: Associated Press
Bounty Triples reduced sheet count from 165 sheets to 147. Proctor and Gamble told Quartz that it's still a better deal than before because the sheets got more absorbent.
Source: Quartz
Cadbury changed the shape of its famous Dairy Milk bars in 2013 – and changed the size of them, too. The individual pieces now have rounded edges and contain nearly 10% less chocolate than before.
Source: BBC
But Dairy Milk isn't the only product Cadbury, owned by Mondelez, has shrunk over the years. Chocolate bars it sells in multipacks weigh much less than ones it sells individually – and it announced plans to shrink down the size of multipack bars even further still.
Source: BBC
Mondelez also owns Swiss chocolate company Toblerone, which makes distinctively triangular chocolate bars. In 2014 it reduced the weight of its bars by 25% by adding more space between each piece – but reversed the decision two years later after public outcry.
Source: BBC
Crest shrunk 3D White Radiant Mint toothpaste from. 4.1 oz to 3.8 oz, about one tooth brushing's worth.
Source: Quartz
Wheat Thins changed its family size from 16 oz to 14 oz, with about 28 fewer crackers per box.
Source: Quartz
Gatorade redesigned its 32 oz bottle to be "more aerodynamic and it's easier to grab," a representative told Quartz. The new design holds 28 oz.
Source: Quartz
Chobani minimized its Flips yogurt from 5.3 ounces to 4.5 ounces.
Source: The Los Angeles Times
Pedigree changed the size of some dry dog foods from 50 lbs to 44 lbs while keeping prices the same, according to Dwyer's website.
Source: Consumer World
Folgers reduced its 51 oz container down to 43.5 oz, but the company says it makes the same number of cups of coffee thanks to lighter beans.
Source: Associated Press
Proctor and Gamble reportedly shrunk its Pantene Pro-V Curl Perfection conditioner from 12 fluid ounces down to 10.4 while the price stayed the same.
Source: Associated Press
READ MORE ARTICLES ON
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement