For the second month in a row, inflation has been on the rise after falling in the U.S.—and grocery bills are still getting hit the most.
According to a March report by Credit Karma, 77% of Americans say food costs are where they feel it most. Not surprisingly, considering prices have jumped 24% since 2020, per the USDA’s Economic Research Service.
Meanwhile, Investopedia reports that the average American now spends $235 a week on groceries.
But people aren’t just paying more—they’re also getting less.
Shrinkflation, the practice of quietly reducing product quantities while keeping prices the same, is becoming a new norm. And nowhere is that more obvious than in the snack aisle.
Just ask one TikToker who found herself staring at what she thought was a joke of a chip bag.
Paying $3.99 for… air?
In a recent video, TikTok creator Desirae (@boujeeandthebabe) filmed herself at a Publix examining a bag of On the Border tortilla chips with a built-in clear window.
The problem? There weren’t enough chips to even reach the window.
“You cannot tell me…” she says, picking the bag up. “You cannot tell me.”
The chips appear to fill only about a third of the bag—barely visible through the front cutout.
“Is this for real, On The Border?” she says again, before letting out a wheeze.
“What?” she adds at the end, clearly stunned.
In her caption, she asks, “So are we saying that chips weigh more now? Dude this has got to be a joke right…….”
Not the first complaint about On the Border
Desirae isn’t the only one calling this out.
In a nearly identical video, another TikTok user filmed what looked like the same product at the same store. “This better be a defective batch…” they wrote.
A different man said he bought his under-filled bag at a Walmart.
Another TikToker folded the top of the bag down to show just how much was missing—his looked maybe a quarter full.
On The Border fans are particularly frustrated, remembering when $2 used to get them a bag with noticeably more chips.
Is it just a bad batch?
It’s hard to say.
Product photos online show bags packed near the top, and some shoppers show their bags looking normal.
But when so many users are sharing near-empty bags from different locations, it raises questions.
What even is shrinkflation?
Shrinkflation isn’t new, but it’s more visible now than ever. About one-third of nearly 100 common grocery items have shrunk in size or servings since the pandemic, according to reports from last year. That’s almost 33 products out of a hundred silently getting smaller.
The same report states 7 in 10 consumers—70%—said they noticed at least one case of shrinkflation within a year.
It’s not just chips. Take paper towels: users report they’ve slimmed from 64 sheets (weighing 210 g) to 45 sheets (weighing 120g) per roll, while some tissues dropped from 88 to 72 per box.
@boujeeandthebabe So are we saying that chips weigh more now? ? Dude this has got to be a joke right…….
♬ original sound – DESIRAE | RV LIFE
Commenters were stunned
Under Desirae’s video, viewers couldn’t believe what they were looking at.
“Inflation isn’t supposed to mean they inflate the bag with air,” one person joked.
Another added, “And someone put them out!!”
“They’ll say ‘oh it settled in shipping,’” a third wrote. “Settled where? Another country?”
“They about to change that packaging real quick,” someone else predicted.
“Gulf of America chips,” a fourth wrote.
The Mary Sue has reached out to Desirae, Utz Brands (parent company of On The Border Chips), and Publix via email.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
