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Bored Panda

Entertainment

Justinas Keturka

50 Times Shrinkflation Was So Obvious It Felt Like A Scam

Edgar Dworsky McDonald (Person) Kellogg

Have you ever noticed that the detergent you always buy somehow runs out quicker or that the cookies you love don’t even last five minutes in your household anymore?

Well, chances are that has something to do with “shrinkflation”—the process of items becoming smaller in size or lower in quality, yet maintaining the same price tag. Unsurprisingly, such changes are not usually advertised, so it might not be easy to notice when certain items have been reduced—be it in quality or quantity—but some people do notice. Not only that, they take pictures, too, and share them with the world.

On the list below, you will find a bunch of such pictures, depicting instances of shrinkflation that would make many consumers seriously annoyed. There, you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with an expert in shrinkflation, former Massachusetts assistant attorney general in consumer protection, Edgar Dworsky, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about the process.

#1 When You Make The Popsicle Smaller, But Don't Adjust The Popsicle Stick Size Or How Far The Machine Dips It In Chocolate

Image credits: Kingluraccount

#2 Sewing Kits Are Now Affected By Shrinkflation :(

Image credits: NinaEmbii

#3 Same Package, Purchased A Month Apart

Image credits: dspyk77

Seeking to learn more about shrinkflation and what that means to us as consumers, we got in touch with a shrinkflation expert, former Massachusetts assistant attorney general in consumer protection, and founder of Consumer World, Edgar Dworsky, who explained that the goal of shrinkflation is for companies to manage their costs without having to noticeably raise prices for consumers.

“When manufacturers face increased costs for raw materials, transportation, and so on, they have to decide how and if to pass on those costs to consumers. Companies know that shoppers are very price-conscious and will likely notice any significant price hike. But they also know that if they reduce the size of a product slightly, fewer consumers will notice, so they can pass on the same price increase but in a more inconspicuous way,” he explained.

#4 String Cheese I Get Every Week, Left Is Old And Right Is New (All The New Ones In The Bag Were Smaller)

Image credits: Adorable-Cookie-733

#5 "Fries". $7.99. Hockey Arena. Canada

Image credits: justmoderateenough

According to the expert, shrinkflation has been around at least since the 1950s. “I believe it will always exist because manufacturers would rather tinker with the net contents of a product rather than raise the price directly. Sometimes they actually do both,” he noted, adding that shrinkflation tends to come in waves, and that at times of high inflation, we are likely to see more examples of it.

#6 Pringles Can I Saved For An Art Project Roughly 10 Years Ago, vs. One I Bought Yesterday

Image credits: EMD1594

#7 New vs. Old Swiss Cake Rolls

Image credits: AnthemWild

#8 Over The Years

Image credits: we4donald

Talking about how shrinkflation affects consumers, their spending habits, and their views of certain brands, Dworsky gave a real-life example, making it pretty clear how consumers suffer from such changes:

“If you get two ounces less in each cereal box, that’s two bowls of cereal less. [That means], you will have to buy the product more often. Simply Orange just reduced their bottles of orange juice from 52 ounces to 46 ounces—that is one less glass of orange juice. Again, you will have to shop more often for that product too.”

The expert added that some shoppers who find out that their favorite brand has downsized vow to switch to a competitive brand, which means that manufacturers downsize at their own risk. And yet, even with that in mind, many of them choose that route.

#9 Open To Package See Less Biscuits Then Expected

Image credits: TheDragonOfSisyphus

#10 I Know Its Cold In The Refrigerated Section, But Come On Walmart

Image credits: vee-eem

#11 Kellogg’s Increases The Height Of The Box, But Lowers Ounces

Image credits: ImpressiveEmergency3

“With all the attention the media has given to shrinkflation in the past couple of years, more and more shoppers notice it. But by no means is that anywhere close to the majority,” Dworsky said, delving deeper into how noticeable to consumers shrinkflation is.

“The changes can be so subtle that only those with a photographic memory will catch some of them. Some products may only be reduced by an ounce or two. Others, like detergents, may claim you get the same number of loads, but they have taken out, perhaps, 10 ounces from each jug.”

#12 What Happened To The Chocolate Chips?

Image credits: tuotone75

#13 Dominos Australian Large

Image credits: MiiightyBeast

#14 So Sorry For Your Loss

Image credits: BuckyDodge

Summing up our conversation about shrinkflation, Dworsky suggested that shoppers need to become more “net weight conscious,” meaning that they should pay attention to the net weight or net contents of the products they buy on a regular basis. “How else are you going to spot a downsized product if you don’t know how today’s version of the product compares to yesterday’s?”