Headline Roundup • June 13th, 2022
Shrinkflation: Are Brands Reducing Package Sizes Without Lowering Prices?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
While inflation has continued to rise, some legacy brands are reducing the size of their products while retaining the same prices.
The practice, otherwise known as "shrinkflation," has been the response from many companies facing inflated manufacturing and distribution costs. Inflation accelerated to 8.6% in May, a pace that will likely continue through September, according to S&P Global. Some examples include Folgers coffee downsizing its 51-ounce container to 43.5 ounces, a small box of Kleenex being reduced from 65 to 60 tissues, Chobani Flips yogurts shrinking from 5.3 ounces to 4.5 ounces and Bounty paper towels cutting their rolls from 165 sheets per roll to 147 at the end of last year.
Outlets across the spectrum accentuated how companies have deceptively reduced the size of their products in a manner that makes it difficult "for shoppers to realize they’re getting less for their money." In terms of a solution, some experts have said purchasing supermarket-branded goods over notable brands is currently the best value for consumers' money.
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AP Photo/Matt Rourke
It’s the inflation you’re not supposed to see.
From toilet paper to yogurt and coffee to corn chips, manufacturers are quietly shrinking package sizes without lowering prices. It’s dubbed “shrinkflation,” and it’s accelerating worldwide.
In the U.S., a small box of Kleenex now has 60 tissues; a few months ago, it had 65. Chobani Flips yogurts have shrunk from 5.3 ounces to 4.5 ounces. In the U.K., Nestle slimmed down its Nescafe Azera Americano coffee tins from 100 grams to 90 grams. In India, a bar of Vim dish soap...
Bloomberg
Groceries are becoming more expensive. What people may not have noticed is they’re getting smaller too. By reducing the size of, say, a jar of jam, a food company can effectively charge more for it while avoiding a sticker price hike that would dent sales. It’s not a new tactic, but “shrinkflation” is back in vogue now the industry is grappling with soaring costs of everything from wheat to vegetable oils and energy.
1. When did this begin?
Humorist Art Buchwald was among the first to draw attention to the...
Anna Chaplygina/Getty Images
There’s inflation and then there’s shrinkflation.
Inflation is easy to spot: The product you bought last month now costs a dime more.
But shrinkflation is much more nefarious. The product you bought last month is the same price — the package may even appear to be the same size — but there’s less of it. In some cases, a good bit less.
“Notable brands to ‘shrinkflate’ their products in recent months as the American dollar continues to lessen in value include Charmin, Bounty, and Gatorade, which have all been downsized in...
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