I noticed something the other day while I was at the store. One of the things that I buy pretty regularly weighed differently. The amount in the package was smaller than usual. At first I thought it was in my head, but I did a little research and discovered this phenomenon called shrinkflation. Shrinkflation is the act of selling smaller amounts of product but charging the same price. It is a tactic companies use to make more money without raising the price of a product. For example, do you remember when you could buy a half gallon of ice cream? You know, the ones that came in the card board cartons? About 10 or 12 years ago, manufacturers began selling the former half gallons of ice cream in 1.5 or 1.75 quarts. Same cartons, just less ice cream inside. That is shrinkflation.
In addition to the inflation (raising of prices) we are experiencing, Covid has ushered in a new wave of shrinkflation. Companies are having trouble sourcing ingredients for their products so they are selling less of their product in the same cartons. This is happening in everything from paper towels to chips to ice cream. Walmart has shrunk it's Great Value paper towels from 168 sheets per roll to 120 sheets. Doritos has shrunk it's bags of regular Doritos from 9.75 ounces to 9.25 ounces. Cereal too is another culprit. Companies find that if they raise prices of goods to offset higher expenses, people notice and complain right away, but if they just quietly change the amount in the box, most people don't notice and there isn't so much push back. It is an effective strategy from the companies stand point.
While we can't really make companies play nice with our food, there are a few things we can do to combat shrinkflation.
1. If your favorite brand downsizes, look for a competitor that has
not yet done so. And if all the brands are downsizing, check the store
brand— it is usually the last to shrink their products. Stores that are not as busy, or that receive close out items will usually have the old sizes longer than busy grocery stores where item turn over is high
2. Use unit pricing— the price per measure or count of an item. It helps us compare the price per ounce or per 100 sheets (for example) of differing brands and sizes of the same item.Most stores have this information on the shelf tag, but not all do. That is when we have to bust out our calculator. We just divide the cost of the item (let's say a bag of Doritos for $3.99) by how much the item weighs or how many of the items there are. So a bag of 9.25 ounce Doritos for $3.99 costs 43 cents per ounce. This might seem tedious, but if we are lucky and at a store that has it printed on the shelf label, this is a piece of cake.
3. Get our pantry or cupboards to a point where we only have to buy certain items when they are on sale. Not having to pay full price for items that have been victims of shrinkflation lowers the unit price we are paying.
Have you noticed a product that has fallen victim to shrinkflation?
Monday-
- Breakfast- Cereal, banana
- Lunch- Sandwiches, pretzels, plums
- Dinner- Sloppy joes, microwave baked potatoes, salad
Tuesday-
- Breakfast- Scrambled eggs, toast, canned pears
- Lunch- Microwave burritos, chips and salsa
- Dinner- Oven mushroom rice, baked beans, green beans
Wednesday-
- Breakfast- Cereal, banana
- Lunch- Sandwiches, crackers, carrots and celery
- Dinner- Smoked sausage, scalloped potatoes, broccoli
Thursday-
- Breakfast- Scrambled eggs, toast, canned pears
- Lunch- Ham and cheese roll ups, pretzels, carrots and celery
- Dinner- Chicken sandwiches, cole slaw, corn
Friday-
- Breakfast- Fried eggs, toast, banana
- Lunch- grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, pasta salad
- Dinner- Frozen pizza, salad
Saturday-
- Brunch- Biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, fruit salad
- Dinner- BBQ chicken legs, rice, broccoli
Sunday-
- Breakfast- Frozen waffles, orange juice
- Lunch- Ramen noodles cooked in microwave, veggies and dip
- Dinner- Cheesy White Bean and Tomato Bake doubled to make leftovers, garlic toast, corn
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