Has anyone noticed that their groceries are shrinking? And seem to keep on shrinking almost every time you go to the store these days? Well I certainly have. Not that these producers of our daily comestibles and various sundries haven’t pulled this stunt in the past but things appeared to settle out for several years and now, about 2 years ago, these daily groceries type items have been shrinking again with much gusto and vigor. Even Campbell soup cans have shrunk down to nearly the single serving size they offer.
No more will you find a traditional half gallon of ice cream, or 16 oz cans of vegetables, soups, and fruit. Frozen vegetables bags have begun to shrink to where you can only feed two people they’re daily dose of veggies once on a single bag when you used to be able to feed a family of four. Not all frozen vegetables have gone through the incredible shrinking machine yet but they’re well on their way.
At first I thought that this was a clandestine plot to “slim down America” by making their groceries smaller over a period of several years but this phenomenon is obviously not just limited to food items.
Super size paper towel rolls are now the same as the standard size used to be. So much for the term, “super”. Thank heavens that the same thing hasn’t occurred for toilet paper—yet. Cleansing products, soaps, lotions, shampoos and such all seem to be getting new packaging, unusually shaped bottles with new fancy labeling that hopefully keeps the customer from noticing that they’re getting less for their money. Sometimes significantly less.
And are these manufacturers and producers lowering their prices per item accordingly for the new smaller size? Or is that a dumb question? Either way, they are not. Same price and in many cases, higher prices for less than you used to get for your hard earned dollar. The thing that really doesn’t make any sense to me is why be so sneaky about it? Why shrink the packaging and thus offering less of a product for the same price as you paid before? Why waste all that money and man-hours retooling for smaller cans, cardboard packaging, plastic bottles and such when the same packaging could be used and just increase the pricing a bit?
And how are your recipes turning out these days?
Sure, some of you (including myself as well) might feel that the prices are too high already but since you and I have little control over that kind of thing what would you rather have? Smaller packages for the same as you paid before the “incredible shrinkage” or the same size packages for a bit more than you paid before? Me? I’ll take the latter any day as I’m really getting sick and tired of grocery store item manufacturers not being straight up with the customer like they used to be (yes, they used to be more or less—once) and not sneaking around behind our backs like we wouldn’t notice a change like this when it’s rather obvious that we do indeed notice.
Well, at least the shopping cart won’t be quite as heavy when you wheeling it out to your car now will it? You’ll probably have to go more often though. Happy shopping all.
I’m with you on the higher prices. I wish they’d keep the standard packaging instead of shrinking them. Also, I’m really irked with Kleenex. Their quality has cheapened. They’ve shrunk the size of each tissue so that they are almost square instead of rectangular and not nearly as strong. And don’t let me get started on toilet paper – the cardboard rolls are larger in diameter so that the roll appears to be the same size as in the past. Now they are talking of elminating the cardboard altogether. The extra strong product is what used to be the normal, and the normal now disintegrates to nothing upon contact.
Catch her – We solved the toilet paper shrinkage crisis by sticking with the good old Scott’s paper wrapped 1000 sheet roll. Hasn’t changed at all so far. Can’t see how it could being single ply and already thinner than all get out. Even the cardboard tube is the same size. We also use Scotties tissues as it’s the same old thin, dusty as heck, rectangular tissues they always were. Sure, it’s not like the higher quality tissues and toilet paper used to be but it’s hard to dis-improve something that isn’t that great in the first place.
Something like that anyway.
Love the link Kirk. And there I was thinking I was the only one irritated by this “new” phenomena. We do indeed notice! Vegetables are the thing I’ve noticed most. At first I thought it was about slimming America down. But vegetables?? Seriously ticked me off when they did the same with the packaged salad. One bag is not enough, two are too much. I’ve stopped buying it altogether now. Serves them right!! Grocery shopping is not the most fun job in the world, but it’s definitely become more of a challenge now as we figure out how not to pay more for less as we meander around those aisles!
Denise – For some reason I think that backyard vegetable gardens will be making a come back this year. Too bad no one has invented a self weeding garden plot yet.