“In the U.S., a little box of Kleenex now has 60 tissues; several months ago, it contained 65. Chobani Flips yogurts have went from 5.3 ounces down to 4.5 ounces in the United States. In the United Kingdom, Nestle reduced the Nescafe Azera coffee canisters from 100 grams down to 90 grams. A bar of Vim dish soap has gone down from 155 grams down to 135 grams.”
Personal stuff: I went to a local Mexican restaurant today and got a taco combo with fries and a drink. Don’t be ashamed of me, I was hungry. The total was almost $8, but when I opened the bag, I was like, whoa, this tiny thingamabob is a taco? It felt more like an extra French fry in there.
Shrinkflation, as defined by a consumer advocate and past assistant A.G. in Massachusetts Edgar Dworsky, is a “tide that comes in waves. We’re currently in the midst of a tidal wave due to inflation.” The AP reported:
“Shrinkflation is appealing to manufacturers because they think customers will notice the price hikes but won’t notice the change in net weights or minor details, like the amount of sheets on a toilet paper roll, according to Dworsky. Companies may also utilize deceptive tactics to divert attention away from downsizing, such as using bright new labels to separate smaller packages that attract shoppers’ attention,” according to Dworsky.
When companies reduce the size of their packages, one thing they don’t want to do is raise prices. Domino’s Pizza, for example, didn’t drop the price of chicken wings in January—it’s still $7.99—but it now offers 8 pieces rather than 10.
Shrinkflation isn’t new, according to experts. However, in periods like these when costs for ingredients, packaging, labor, and transportation are all going up, it is getting worse. This simply means that Biden’s battle on energy has driven the price of gasoline way up, necessitating companies’ efforts to cope.
