On store shelves, stealthy shrinking of containers keeps prices from rising

[babylonsister]

On store shelves, stealthy shrinking of containers keeps prices from rising

Skippy, peanut butter, retailers, container size

Steven Senne / Associated Press
A tape measure shows the depth of the indentation of a 16.3 ounce jar of Skippy peanut butter next to an 18 ounce jar of the same product.

Quantities of peanut butter, soap and other products are reduced to keep up with rising costs. Shoppers may not know they're getting less for their money.

By Jerry Hirsch
November 9, 2008


It is hard to spot what happened this year in the peanut butter aisles of local supermarkets.

But a careful look at the jars of Skippy on the shelves may reveal a surprise. The prices are about the same, but the jars are getting smaller.

They don't look different in size or shape. But recently, the jars developed a dimple in the bottom that slices the contents to 16.3 ounces from 18 ounces -- about 10% less peanut butter.

The only way to know you are buying less is to look at the weight on the label and recognize it's lighter than before Unilever, owner of the Skippy brand, switched out containers.

Across the supermarket, manufacturers are trimming packages, nipping a half-ounce off that bar of soap, narrowing the width of toilet paper and shrinking the size of ice cream containers.

Often the changes are so subtle that they create "the illusion that you are buying the same amount," explained Frank Luby, a pricing consultant with Simon-Kucher & Partners of Cambridge, Mass.

more...

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-shrink9-2008nov09,0,1283335.story

[peacebird]

1. wonder how much $$ they spent redesigning the containers?

:eyes:

[CountAllVotes]

2. you don't get what you pay for anymore

they are ripping us off and they know it! I saw Best Foods Mayonnaise on "sale" the other day - the size was 30 oz., not 32. Same goes for ricotta cheese (I have a recipe that calls for 16 oz., not 15 oz.!). Damn these crooks, damn them!

:kick:

[Enrique]

3. anyone see a Hershey's bar lately?

i was literally laughing in the store. They've got to be freaking KIDDING me! You call that thing a candy bar?

[bulloney]

11. I'm amused at what they call "fun sized" candy bars.

They're about the size of my big toenail. It takes more effort to unwrap the damned things than it does to eat them. Dum Dum suckers are about half the diameter they used to be. Snack foods used to be in 14-16 oz containers, now they're 11-12 oz. Some brands of ice cream have whittled their half-gallon containers by a few fluid oz so they can keep the illusion they're holding their prices down. Some boxes of cereal are thinner than phone books.

[Liberal_in_LA]

14. lol. or those tiny tiny ice cream tubs that cost $1! They contain two mouthfuls of ice cream.

So much packaging for so little to eat.

[annabanana]

4. Millions of housewives (yes, there are still a few of them)

have known this for years.

It started when a 1lb can of tomatoes went to 14 oz. (they are now at 11.5)

There are a lot of recipes that start with (one pound of cooked tomatoes).

[WePurrsevere]

8. Yeah, really... they're just now noticing this?

My DH and I have been watching this happen over a few years now. We don't do a straight price comparison and always bring along a calculator to double check since the stores don't always keep things updated.

[ray of light]

13. yeh. it's so annoying because what do you do with the extra ounces from the 2nd can?

Do you put it in...? Do you leave it out?

Also, note that hotdog buns and hotdog packages do not match either! There's no way to have even numbers!

[knitter4democracy]

21. I'm one of them and have been watching this for years.

It's gotten worse over the last two years, though. Much worse. Cans are smaller, freezer bags are smaller and have less inside, everything is less, and even the sale prices are higher than they used to be. Items that used to sell 3 for $5 are now 2 for $5 or even worse. Our grocery bill's gone up, even with judicious shopping and more careful budgeting and meal planning.

[zanne]

25. I first noticed it on dishwashing detergent.

Same price, a few less ounces.

[acmavm]

28. How right you are. Recipes call for 16 oz. of whatever as a rule. The

measurements are sort of standardized. Anyone who cooks a lot noticed this years ago. Right around the time we had the sugar and coffee and toilet paper 'scares'. How long ago was that?

[SoCalDem]

32. and a "5lb bag" of sugar is now 4 lbs

a "pound of bacon" can be anything from 10-12 oz
a "pound of coffee" is 10-13 oz


I DO like the smaller boxes of cereal (now that I don't have 3 hungry boys in the house )

Old cookbooks are almost impossible to use these days, since many of them call for the old measurements by can size #10...#303

[acmavm]

33. Yeah, I have the WWII version of Joy of Cooking. My favorite

cookbook.

It does provide a challange.

[goddess40]

5. There only goal is to maximize profits

The customer no longer figures into equation in any other way then we buy their product. They spend loads on creating brand loyalty and than stick to us for that loyalty.

[PCIntern]

6. Remember 1 lb. coffee containers and bars of soap which

didn't have the concavity, and candy bars without the paper tray, and wider toilet paper...

[csziggy]

47. The only soap I am not allergic to changed names and the bars are 2/3 as large

At the same time, the price went up 20%. Aside from the cost, the bars are now too small for me to comfortably hold when my arthritis is acting up, especially as the soap is used. So I end up with lots of little slivers of soap.

Anybody know how to reuse those slivers?

[Frustratedlady]

7. Check out the size of your cereal boxes. Sugar dropped from 5# to 4# a couple

years ago.

[wildflower]

9. Is this happening in restaurants too?

Just curious, because I don't go to restaurants very often, but I had been hearing the last few years that portions had become "supersized" (this was usually in a discussion of rising obesity rates). I'm wondering if that's changing now.

[Gwendolyn]

17. Supersizing was something a little different, and highly profitable.

The cost of doing business (product, advertising, wages) was paid for through the sale of the original selection. Supersizing amounted to an additional half-serving of fries and coke, which cost them maybe 10-15 cents, for which they charged close to a buck. It seemed like you were getting good value, but the real value item, the burger, didn't change. It was the peripheral valueless dreck stuff that was fobbed off on customers. It was pure profit. Bundling combos works in the same way.

[cabluedem]

18. We ate at one of the big restuarant chains: the bacon was almost paper thin and even the

hash browns were in lesser smounts then a year ago. So yeah its happening there too.

[Breeze54]

10. I'm paying more and getting less. How is this good? It is NOT keeping prices from rising!

:grr:

I don't buy name brands for just that reason. They can kiss my *** ! ;)

[Sal Minella]

24. The "price" on the item doesn't go up. The overall expense to the consumer does.

A vacuum-packed foil "pound" package of coffee went to 13 ounces and has just recently gone to 11.3 ounces (obscurely called the "Refill Pack"). I can't imagine how they managed to keep the package almost exactly the same size while reducing the weight so much.

[Breeze54]

48. Wrong!! The prices ARE going UP and we are getting less for our $$

"That's a fact, Jack!" ;)

[ray of light]

12. I noticed that a loooooong time ago! They always label them "NEW and Improved"

[zazen]

15. Pillsbury "Grands" ready-to-cook biscuits are now "Grands, Jr."--same price

I've known this has been going on for awhile, but the "new" Grands Jr. switch at the same price (while mysteriously no longer offering the 'regular' kind) was surprisingly obvious.

And food prices are supposed to go up another 10% in the next year relative to other commodities--might be more if there's a lot more inflation, obviously.

We're facing European prices without any of their social safety nets. I hope against hope that the more dire prognostications are off and it doesn't get any worse than that. I don't know how the 50% of families below the median income of 40k-for-a-family-of-four are making it.

[aroach]

16. Another recipe ruined

Our favorite peanut butter cookie recipe calls for a whole jar of peanut butter. An eighteen ounce jar.

[knitter4democracy]

22. Here's my fave in smaller amounts:

1 c. sugar
1 c. peanut butter (crunchy works great, but either works)
1 egg.

Cream together and spoon out onto a cookie sheet. If desired, put a half of a peanut or three chocolate chips on top and smoosh down. Bake 10 minutes or until browned.

[Kip Humphrey]

19. Nostalgia: Remember when peanut butter jars had flat bottoms? ...Those were the days!

[DS1]

20. This bag of beef jerky doesn't even try to hide it

"Easier to Pack n' Snack"

"NEW! SMALLER BAG"

[PermanentRevolution]

27. That's the other approach - make it seem like the smaller sizes are a bonus

It's E-Z TO CARRY! So it's GOOD that you're paying more for less product!

[nc4bo]

23. Recipes for tuna casserole that when written referred to 8 oz cans of tuna..

Now, most tuna cans are now about 5 oz. Same thing with mayonnaise and tons and tons of grocery items.

Cooks would be wise to double check the differences or risk ruining what used great family recipe.

Sad.

[lpbk2713]

26. I've noticed what used to be a 16 oz can is now a 15 oz can or even 12 oz.

Anything from canned vegetables to gravy or evaporated milk.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

29. lol! Having to figure out recipes has become a chore. I wind up spending more money now

because if a recipe calls for 15 oz and you can only buy 12 oz, you have to buy 2 12 oz cans. Or on the other hand, if you mathematically convert using the smaller size, the portions will shrink too.

[curse of greyface]

30. Nothing fucking stealthy about it.. Oh and stop putting so much air in the Ice cream

It fucks up the taste.

[Terran]

40. Ice cream packaging is noticeably smaller

Not the 'gourmet' stuff, but the former quart containers ahve shrunk to something smaller, not sure what the actual weight is now, but it's obvious, maybe 75% of a quart. And the price...yikes. Probably better for me to not buy the stuff anyway. :(

[curse of greyface]

41. I've actually switched to "gourmet" pints the larger stuff seems to airy to me.

And it really effects the melt rate and the taste.

[annabanana]

31. men. . . .. day late and $ .99 short.

If they spent more time in the kitchen it wouldn't be such a shock.

[dysfunctional press]

34. wow...what a sexist bitchy thing to say...

some of us guys do ALL the shopping and cooking for our households.
my wife's only kitchen chore is unloading the dishwasher.

[annabanana]

43. sorry. . .

those who know me saw the tongue in cheek a mile away. . .

[RadiationTherapy]

39. Where the hell do you live? 1956? nt

[annabanana]

44. mebbe. . mebbe not

[Highway61]

35. Yep

I bought 4 cans of tuna in "shrink wrap". Only to see the cans were a lot smaller...keep it up and they will be the size of a 1/2 dollar....bastards. Edy's ice cream as well. I could go on and on....

[MadinMo]

36. I am a huge fan of Subway sandwiches

and I've noticed the buns are significantly smaller than when I first became addicted to them for lunch. At first I thought I was just mis-remembering, but now I'm not so sure. I imagine everyone is cutting sizes/costs where they can. Not defending ..... just saying.

[HamdenRice]

37. This doesn't make sense, economically

The sad thing about our food distribution system is how wasteful it is, and how little it rewards the actual producers of food.

Most of the cost of, say, a jar of peanut butter is: packaging, advertising, storage, transportation, shelf space, executive salaries, and so on.

I don't see how reducing the amount of actual food -- just pennies on the dollar in terms of costs of the product -- significantly reduces the cost to the food company.

I realize it's a scummy thing to do, but it may be based on other motives -- eg causing people to increase the volume or frequency of their purchases rather than reducing the cost of the product.

[Mike 03]

38. I've definitely noticed this: my nuts are shrinking. Grape Nuts, that is NT

[Johonny]

42. Could the obesity problem be waning as the economy slides?

[Liberal_in_LA]

45. The poor turn from vegetables & whole grains to Cheetos & soda pop

poverity breeds obesity, it's cheaper.

[Breeze54]

49. The "poor" couldn't and can't afford fruits, nuts, whole grains or vegetables NOW!!

:silly:

[Mike 03]

46. Just the opposite. During hard economic times, people are more likely to

sacrifice good habits such as shopping for fruits, vegetables and organic products, and rely more on cheaper fast food and junk food. Also, people may have to juggle two jobs, which makes it even harder to prepare healthy meals.

Also, during stressful times, people tend to drop healthy habits like going to the gym. They also tend to drink and smoke more.

Vice stocks--tobacco, liquor and gaming--tend to do well during very difficult economic times.

[Breeze54]

50. "sacrifice good habits"? The poor want that stuff. They can't afford it but

I heard tonight that McDonald's is booming!! They have a $1.00 "Value" menu. :eyes: