Posted on 07/25/2022 8:17:21 AM PDT by Red Badger
Everything’s getting more expensive.
But have you noticed? Everything’s getting smaller, too.
Cereal boxes, soup cans, paper towels, you name it, are all shrinking in a phenomenon known as “shrinkflation.” Manufacturers figure consumers will notice higher prices, but who can tell when a box of Wheat Thins goes from 10 ounces to 8.5 ounces?
Now, shrinkflation has hit your favorite burgers and pizzas.
“For the first time ever consumers are mentioning ‘shrinkflation’ in Yelp reviews,” the website said in a release, citing new data. “In Q2 2022, consumers are talking about shrinkflation-related experiences most commonly at restaurants serving more affordable offerings like hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, followed by seafood restaurants, Italian food, and Chinese food.”
“In Q2, consumers experienced inflation the most at more casual restaurants and food businesses, with inflation mentions in reviews up 38% and 36%, respectively, compared to Q2 2021. Notable category increases include chicken shops (up 82%), TexMex (up 68%), fruit and vegetable markets (up 66%), Caribbean restaurants (up 65%), poke (64%), soul food (up 57%), Hawaiian restaurants (up 57%) and convenience stores (up 55%),” Yelp found.
“Consumers are also experiencing high inflation at arts and entertainment businesses (up 33%), particularly at festivals and street fairs (up 164%), stadiums and arenas (up 43%), arcades (31%) and movie theaters (31%). Nightlife businesses (up 30%), event services (up 22%), and hotels and travel businesses (up 20%) follow as the most inflationary categories based on Yelp reviews,” the release said.
Other brands that are deploying shrinkflation include Charmin, Bounty, and Gatorade, the Daily Mail reported earlier this month. And Honey Bunches of Oats dropped its 14.5-ounce to 12 ounces, a reduction of roughly 17%, the U.K. paper said.
Angel Soft toilet paper has also reduced its size from 425 sheets per roll to 320, while Bounty paper towels have cut their rolls from 165 sheets per roll to 147 late last year. Gatorade also cut its bottle size from 32 ounces to 28 ounces.
Some companies claim that while they’ve reduced the amount of product, buyers are still getting the same bang for their buck.
For instance, Folger’s coffee dropped one canister’s size from 51 ounces to 43.5 ounces. But the company said a more efficient bean pressing technology would allow the lowered amount to produce the same number of cups of coffee.
“We have employed a new, roasting technology that makes the most out of every bean — resulting in lighter-weight coffee grounds that deliver the same taste you love across the same number of brewed cups,” the company wrote on Twitter. “Through the use of this new roasting process, we’re able to get more coffee flavor from each bean while providing the same amount of coffee servings.”
“The total weight of our coffee products will be reduced, but the amount of coffee you receive, by way of total servings, will remain the exact same. Hope this clears up any confusion,” the company continued.
Oh yes. I have noticed the Incredible Shrinking Products for sale. It was already going on before COVID shut downs. When Transportation Sec. Pete Butt began his mismanagement of commercial shipping and trucking concerns, the chaos quickly began to spread. All the meats are far more expensive now vs just a few months ago.
Restaurants are, of course directly effected. They pass the costs onto the customer, or reduce the quantity they sell.
For example; I bought Mongolian Beef at a local Chinese Food restaurant the other day. I noticed two things; the container is smaller now vs a few months ago and even this new, ‘improved’ smaller container is only 3/4 full of product. I would prefer paying a little bit more for a full container, but they are not asking me about it. They are probably hoping I didn’t notice any difference.
This is fantastic. The state has decided our waistlines need to get smaller and they have instituted measures to help us be healthier. All hail the state. (/s)
How many of you can remember that?!
Okay, I’m Old.
We noticed that Panda Express changed their take-out clamshell containers to a smaller version..................
Linky is a commercial....................
Yes. And it's been reported for years. Just google the topic.
Here's a story from 2011: Downsized Packages: Same Price Buys Less.
I noticed a while ago that bacon strips are getting shorter...
I noticed a while ago that bacon strips are getting fatter...
Former 32oz container of Gatorade is now 28 oz.
And I can’t find the 64oz containers anywhere
“Going out to eat is something that we have also shrunk. Lousy service, smaller portions of subpar fare at elevated prices has made our home cooking far more desirable.”
I think most folks are understanding that things cost more, but to shrink the portions as many restaurants are doing to ridiculous sizes will kill the restaurant business.
I’m with you. I’ve tried to go out to eat, but I am unable to square what is generally delivered (quality and quantity) with what it costs. I cheerfully pay the bill and leave a tip, but I never go back when this happens.
So we’re cooking at home with friends and family.
The only response that I can see that the restaurant business can take to fix this is automate, reduce staff to reduce costs.
But I’m not going to order a steak from a kiosk or a salad from a vending machine. So I suspect this is the end of the line for many restaurants - you piss off your customers by letting them leave hungry after paying for what they are told is a meal and they will eagerly watch you go out of business, in hopes that something better shows up.
Short Restaurants and their landlords and their suppliers. Go long on food trucks - the new “dining out experience”
Arby’s roast beef sandwiches are much smaller.
Yes, it was called fraud.
But, they put it on the label so that you can’t call it fraud because it it right there on the label in full disclosure.
Of course the producer knows that very few people read the contents blurb on their label. And of those few only a few understand the information on those Federally mandated contents lab.
Funny isn’t it how complying with Federal regulations allows big business to legally defraud consumers?
It might have a hidden benefit: reducing obesity in the West! That COULD mean longer life spans.
Doritos been shrinking bit by bit for quite a while. Their “party size” bag is 15 oz., but that’s what their regular bag was about 20 years ago. That regular bag is now down to 9.25 oz.
Arby’s: WE KEEP THE MEATS!......................
Instructed the distaff personnel to shop price per ounce decades ago.
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