Shrinking Products/ Increasing Prices

[Gr8t Fan]

Even our toilet paper from Sam's Club has shrunk. I noticed the new packaging which claimed to have the same amount of sheets per roll as the old packaging, but the old rolls were about 1/2 in wider than the new ones. Very sneaky!

 

[JanaDee]

Dear GSUSA: My budget for Girl Scout cookies shrunk this year to 2 boxes. My hips and thighs thank you because between your increasing prices and decreases in product sizes, I simply did not eat nearly as many cookies as I am capable of.

The recipes have changed, too and they don't taste the same anymore. We only bought 2 boxes this year, we usually buy 6 or 8 boxes.

 

[beastandbelle]

Applebee's oriental chicken salad. I ordered a full-size salad last week with the intention of saving half for my son. For the first time in my life, I ate the WHOLE salad! And it wasn't because I was overly hungry

Agree!!! My daughter and I used to be able to split this but no longer!

 

[sherreis]

Cake mixes don't have has much content either.

 

[lucyem]

the Little Debbie Oatmeal creme pies...I thought they were bigger or maybe my hands have gotten bigger...now I feel like I just have to eat two...lol That's the only thing I have noticed though..lol

LOL! My DH bought a box over the weekend and said the exact same thing.

 

[kymom99]

My son likes Quaker Chewy Granola bars. I would buy them for the occasional packed lunch and for track meet snacks. I noticed that they seemed smaller, and after reading this thread, I looked at the box. They are something like .87 oz each now. I imagine they were a full oz at one time. I agree, I would rather pay the price increase. I was watching a news report where the droughts, etc. are causing increases in the prices of fruits and meats. Also milk has gone sky high. It depresses me to think that things are getting so expensive but we aren't getting pay raises to help with the increases.

 

[manning]

Even our toilet paper from Sam's Club has shrunk. I noticed the new packaging which claimed to have the same amount of sheets per roll as the old packaging, but the old rolls were about 1/2 in wider than the new ones. Very sneaky!

Don't panic. If you listen to those two actresses you can get by on one square per visit....two if you have an emergency.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Don't panic. If you listen to those two actresses you can get by on one square per visit....two if you have an emergency.

LOL!!! Tell that to my kids.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Don't panic. If you listen to those two actresses you can get by on one square per visit....two if you have an emergency.

I vaguely remember something about that. Who were they? That was really strange.

 

[JanaDee]

I vaguely remember something about that. Who were they? That was really strange.

It was Sheryl Crow and it was a joke, completely blown up by the media who took a quote and ran with it.

 

[worm761]

My son likes Quaker Chewy Granola bars. I would buy them for the occasional packed lunch and for track meet snacks. I noticed that they seemed smaller, and after reading this thread, I looked at the box. They are something like .87 oz each now. I imagine they were a full oz at one time. I agree, I would rather pay the price increase. I was watching a news report where the droughts, etc. are causing increases in the prices of fruits and meats. Also milk has gone sky high. It depresses me to think that things are getting so expensive but we aren't getting pay raises to help with the increases.

They are easy to make. I make them for DH. Here: http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=breakfast bars

And if your kids like the instant oatmeal packages here is how to make your own: http://amylovesherlife.blogspot.com/2012/01/who-likes-saving-money.html

Since the prices have increased on groceries and all the nonsense they add to food I have been learning how to make my own. If they can make it in a factory I can make it at home and for cheaper with healthier ingredients. You just have to dedicate a little bit of time to it.

 

[usnuzuloose]

With packages shrinking, it makes it difficult with recipes also. They need to be adjusted. It is frustrating to say the least.

 

[Jake&IzzyLand]

I agree with the granola bars. They make a nice snack for a two year old but that's about it! We also buy little Debbie's for soccer snacks and they have also shrunk. Don't forget about Halloween candy, our kids are getting gypped! Just please don't shrink my wine!

 

[disneysteve]

Another thing I've often noticed, which is kind of related, is how manufacturers try to make it so that all varieties of a product are the same price but if you look closely, the packages don't all contain the same amount of stuff. So the regular/plain version might be 10 oz and the fancy version with special flavors or added ingredients are only 8 oz but the box or jar is the exact same size and the price is the same.

Example: We like Boboli pizza crusts. The regular crust is $3.99. The thin crust, which is a couple of ounces lighter (and we prefer since it's less bread and fewer calories) is also $3.99.

 

[pigletto]

They are easy to make. I make them for DH. Here: http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=breakfast bars

And if your kids like the instant oatmeal packages here is how to make your own: http://amylovesherlife.blogspot.com/2012/01/who-likes-saving-money.html

Since the prices have increased on groceries and all the nonsense they add to food I have been learning how to make my own. If they can make it in a factory I can make it at home and for cheaper with healthier ingredients. You just have to dedicate a little bit of time to it.

Thank you! I will give this a try. There is just no point buying them anymore. T

 

[Disneytam]

Two things that I have noticed just recently. A dozen donuts at Dunkin Donuts are a lot smaller yet they haven't changed the box yet so the donuts slide around inside the box instead of fitting snugly. I asked the manager about it and she said they hadn't wanted to raise the price so they decreased the size. Also on cereal boxes a lot of them used to be 1 cup was a serving size and now a half cup is considered a serving size. Have they ever seen a teenage boy eat a half a cup? Please!!

 

[kymom99]

Two things that I have noticed just recently. A dozen donuts at Dunkin Donuts are a lot smaller yet they haven't changed the box yet so the donuts slide around inside the box instead of fitting snugly. I asked the manager about it and she said they hadn't wanted to raise the price so they decreased the size. Also on cereal boxes a lot of them used to be 1 cup was a serving size and now a half cup is considered a serving size. Have they ever seen a teenage boy eat a half a cup? Please!!

Kroger is the same way. They advertise this great price for a dozen glazed donuts, but the donuts are so small!

Year back when they changed to the "nutrition facts" label on foods, one of the things they wanted to be more realistic about was serving size. The label had to reflect a serving that the average person would eat. It seems like this isn't being enforced anymore, because as you said, manufacturers are changing the serving sizes to make it look like you are getting the same amount of food.

 

[JanaDee]

Two things that I have noticed just recently. A dozen donuts at Dunkin Donuts are a lot smaller yet they haven't changed the box yet so the donuts slide around inside the box instead of fitting snugly. I asked the manager about it and she said they hadn't wanted to raise the price so they decreased the size. Also on cereal boxes a lot of them used to be 1 cup was a serving size and now a half cup is considered a serving size. Have they ever seen a teenage boy eat a half a cup? Please!!

I just told DS17 the recommended serving size of cereal was half a cup. He got out the measuring cups, took out half of cup and poured it full of cereal.

He said "that isn't even a snack!"

 

[OceanAnnie]

They are easy to make. I make them for DH. Here: http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=breakfast bars

And if your kids like the instant oatmeal packages here is how to make your own: http://amylovesherlife.blogspot.com/2012/01/who-likes-saving-money.html

Since the prices have increased on groceries and all the nonsense they add to food I have been learning how to make my own. If they can make it in a factory I can make it at home and for cheaper with healthier ingredients. You just have to dedicate a little bit of time to it.

Thank you! I'm going to try a recipe or two.

 

[LBIJim]

Half gallon of ice cream (2 quarts) is now 1.5 quarts.

The little soda cans, I don't get why people buy those. And I laugh at the 1 liter bottles of Coke and Pepsi for $1.49 when the 2 liter bottle is 99 cents.
::

Smaller ice cream containers don't bother me. Neither does coffee, OJ, or sugar. We never use that much in one sitting. I can see smaller containers of pasta and jarred sauce being a problem if you're feeding a family. I suppose one of the kids eat PB&J that night.

I understand some people might only want a smaller serving of soda, but the price per ounce on those little cans is usually outrageous. Makes more sense to buy the 12 ounce cans and dump what you don't want. Soda is one of the few food items I won't feel guilty about wasting.

Recently I've noticed 6 packs of 12-ounce cans in a box. Arranged all in one row. Cute packaging, but they're often more expensive than 12 packs. Same for 20 packs. Two 12-packs are usually cheaper.

This drives me crazy when I'm making a recipe that calls for a can of tuna, cream of whatever soup, etc. All of those have gotten smaller. Shredded cheese is shrinking too. It's a bad surprise when you need 2 cups for a recipe, and the bag only has 1 1/2 cups in it. I'd rather pay a bit more and get the standard sized products that I'm accustomed to.

Someone else mentioned toilet paper. Has anyone else noticed that toilet paper is getting narrower? I do realize that my rear end has expanded over the years, but toilet paper is definitely narrower.

GRRR!! Canned tuna irks me. Most brands are now 5 ounces or even 4.5 ounces. It only makes two really skimpy sandwiches. Or a skimpy casserole. And 2 cans is often too much for my needs.

Costco sells 8-packs of 7 ounce tuna. But that's one of the few things I've found of value at Costco. Almost everything else I use is cheaper when supermarkets have sales. I bought 3 or 4 8-packs before I let my membership expire.

Wegmans sells 6 ounce cans of their own label of tuna, but the closest Wegmans is over 50 miles away.

I haven't noticed toilet paper getting narrower. It still looks the same to me hanging from the holder.

Someone mentioned those "6 big rolls equals 9 small rolls" labels on paper towels or toilet paper. Have to agree that such marketing is a big joke.

Jim