Shrinkflation - examples?

[Geezertronic]

Quite possibly the sneakiest most underhand example is the Terry's Chocolate Orange.

The pack is the same size, the orange itself is the same size, but each individual segment now has an large indentation on one side thereby reducing the amount of chocolate you get for your money.

Same with Oxo as the cube is now an X shape thus meaning less product

 

[Butts]

That brings to mind the days when cigarettes were sold from machines. Instead of changing the coin mechanism the number in a packet was varied.

And you could apply your own shrinkflation by offloading foreign coins to purchase said items

 

[PeterY]

And you could apply your own shrinkflation by offloading foreign coins to purchase said items

Get tricks .

 

[Butts]

Get tricks .

When I was closing Top Rank Bingo Clubs in the 1990's one of the the first tasks was to empty the safe of all the "foreign coins" that had found their way into The Clubs Slot Machines and "recycle" them in the Mayfair Cigarette Vending Machine.

The coins had been written off by the auditors and we were asked to dispose of them.

When Mayfair turned up to remove/empty the machine they were surprised by the inordinate amount of foreign currency found. We were also nonplussed and empathised wholeheartedly with them.

 

[Busaholic]

When I was closing Top Rank Bingo Clubs in the 1990's one of the the first tasks was to empty the safe of all the "foreign coins" that had found their way into The Clubs Slot Machines and "recycle" them in the Mayfair Cigarette Vending Machine.

The coins had been written off by the auditors and we were asked to dispose of them.

When Mayfair turned up to remove/empty the machine they were surprised by the inordinate amount of foreign currency found. We were also nonplussed and empathised wholeheartedly with them.

How long did your nose grow?

 

[Starmill]

Multi-pack crisps are terrible. A lot seem to have dropped from six to five packs, and the individual packs themselves are smaller too.

And, I'm not sure if its Shrinkflation as such, but i find it really difficult to buy laundry powder. Every time I go, the pack sizes seem to have changed, with there being one brand/size on offer but the different sizes make it difficult to compare prices. And even the one on offer seems quite expensive for what it is. And the discount stores seem to stock the same brands, but different pack sizes so again it is difficult to compare prices.

It's a first world problem I know but whenever I need to buy laundry powder I am left feeling ripped off!

I find it really tricky to compare prices for laundry detergent because I'm not necessarily wedded to powder. I need some kind of 'washing equivalent unit' that I can put a number of pence onto but it's really tough. Then there's the added complication that I might want to use slightly more detergent occasionally, which you can do with the power or liquid but not with the capsules. Nightmare.

 

[johnnychips]

I find it really tricky to compare prices for laundry detergent because I'm not necessarily wedded to powder. I need some kind of 'washing equivalent unit' that I can put a number of pence onto but it's really tough. Then there's the added complication that I might want to use slightly more detergent occasionally, which you can do with the power or liquid but not with the capsules. Nightmare.

Just get the stuff from Poundland. It is absolutely adequate. I have a fastidious lodger, and I just squirt it into a Fairy bottle, which should cost about £3, as opposed to the Poundland stuff, which costs…erm..a pound. He hasn’t noticed yet. Same with beans. If we decide to have breakfast together, I always place an empty Heinz beans can around but put the ASDA can I have actually used underneath something in the bin. I always make a point of saying ‘mmm, you can’t beat Heinz beans’.

 

[GusB]

Just get the stuff from Poundland. It is absolutely adequate. I have a fastidious lodger, and I just squirt it into a Fairy bottle, which should cost about £3, as opposed to the Poundland stuff, which costs…erm..a pound. He hasn’t noticed yet. Same with beans. If we decide to have breakfast together, I always place an empty Heinz beans can around but put the ASDA can I have actually used underneath something in the bin. I always make a point of saying ‘mmm, you can’t beat Heinz beans’.

Your fastidious lodger really ought to bugger off somewhere else without paying his rent if that's the way you're treating him

 

[Mojo]

A few supermarkets seem to have started selling mince in 450g packets instead of the traditional 500g packets. I noticed this in Iceland the other day.

 

[Busaholic]

Dorset Cereals in three flavours - when I went back to cereals after a twenty year gap my wife insisted I empty the whole packet into a glass storage jar, which I completely filled with enough over for a bowlful next morning. The packets still look the same, but the last one only filled a little over 90% of the jar. I notice it's now 560g, perhaps it was 600g before? Price still the same.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

A few supermarkets seem to have started selling mince in 450g packets instead of the traditional 500g packets. I noticed this in Iceland the other day.

Not even 454g (1 lb)?

I think a pound store must be much easier to run than a 99p store, at the latter one needs masses of pennies and other coins to give change.

I seem to have noticed rice pudding containing less rice recently, no idea how to check.

 

[david1212]

Dorset Cereals in three flavours - when I went back to cereals after a twenty year gap my wife insisted I empty the whole packet into a glass storage jar, which I completely filled with enough over for a bowlful next morning. The packets still look the same, but the last one only filled a little over 90% of the jar. I notice it's now 560g, perhaps it was 600g before? Price still the same.

For now it seems to have stabilised ..... ssssshhhhh ..... but a while ago the packs of ASDA own brand muesli were dieting. When I didn't notice I just thought I was being heavy handed. Aldi and Lidl packs have changed too. I've not bought in Lidl for a while but Aldi and ASDA are currently an odd 1.1kg.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The crusty white cob bread from Co-op this week seems to be a couple of inches less in diameter than it has been until last week.

Needless to say, the price is still £1.00.

 

[ASharpe]

The crusty white cob bread from Co-op this week seems to be a couple of inches less in diameter than it has been until last week.

Needless to say, the price is still £1.00.

Shrinkflation really shouldn't be a thing with bread. It was the original example and that's why bread loaf weight is so heavily regulated.

My example from today is Pedigree Dentastix which have gone from packs of 28 to 21.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Shrinkflation really shouldn't be a thing with bread. It was the original example and that's why bread loaf weight is so heavily regulated.

The crusty white cob doesn't seem to be sold by weight - or at least there is no mention of weight on the label on it!

 

[jon0844]

Who'd have thought Poundland charge Waitrose prices? Not their customers, I'm sure.

Of course the business model of this kind of shop is to give the imprsssion that they're cheap even when they're not.

It's very selective though. I enjoy shopping at Waitrose because of the convenience of using my phone to scan/pay (of course today most supermarkets do this, and M&S even goes one further where you just scan ,pay on your phone and walk out without going anywhere near the checkouts).

There have always been key items that Waitrose will price match with even the cheapest rivals, but you don't have to look around for long to see where there are the items that are considerably more expensive - and I assume a lot of people shopping there aren't the type to shop there for certain items, then stop off at Lidl or Savers for other stuff on their way home.

You are effectively paying a convenience fee (which can be quite a bit if you did your entire shop there all the time) for usually a smaller store, that's generally quieter and has staff that seem to be more customer service focussed than others (maybe a generalisation nationally, but certainly the case for me).

Waitrose does of course also require the same careful checking of deals as anywhere else, as it's often cheaper to buy individual items than multipacks, and even better to be prepared to switch between brands for key products depending on deals at the time.

Likewise, Poundland and others have good deals and bad deals.

That's particularly annoying as 'One Stop' are a wholly owned subsidiary of Tesco plc, but don't normally advertise themselves as such.

Premier too. One Stop generally looks quite like a Tesco with the way the stores are laid out and the shelf edge tags, whereas Premier does look more like some independent franchise chain.

 

[Steddenm]

Premier too. One Stop generally looks quite like a Tesco with the way the stores are laid out and the shelf edge tags, whereas Premier does look more like some independent franchise chain.

Premier, like Spar, Costcutter, Kwik Save (yes they're back - http://www.kwiksave.co.uk/) and Londis are known as "symbol groups" and are usually connected to a wholesaler such as Booker or Bestway.

You can buy into the brand of the facia of the store as well as their EPOS system, as long as you buy your stock from the wholesaler.

This works the same as the Safeway brand at McColls stores, supplied by Morrisons Wholesale, and retailed through the facia of McColls.

 

[ASharpe]

The crusty white cob doesn't seem to be sold by weight - or at least there is no mention of weight on the label on it!

If no weight is displayed it will be either 400g or 800g.

There are exceptions to this rule if it's not pre-packaged.

 

[Darandio]

Premier, like Spar, Costcutter, Kwik Save (yes they're back - http://www.kwiksave.co.uk/) and Londis are known as "symbol groups" and are usually connected to a wholesaler such as Booker or Bestway.

With Booker being owned by Tesco meaning if you shop at Family Shopper, Jack's, Londis, One Stop or Premier then you are effectively shopping at Tesco. It leads to situations such as the one in a small town near me where three years ago one store was Family Shopper, it was then rebranded to Jack's and it's now in the process of changing to Premier with all the fanfare of it being an all new store. Funnily enough it's directly opposite a Tesco Express!

 

[SteveM70]

With Booker being owned by Tesco meaning if you shop at Family Shopper, Jack's, Londis, One Stop or Premier then you are in fact shopping at Tesco

And Budgen

 

[Peter Mugridge]

If no weight is displayed it will be either 400g or 800g.

There are exceptions to this rule if it's not pre-packaged.

Thanks; I'll weigh the next one I buy ( should be Tuesday this week... ) and see what it comes to. Watch this space!

 

[david1212]

Aldi tuna drained weight is now down to 102g from 110g.

While not shrinkflation a back door increase in my Tesco bill this week as for two items I had to buy a more expensive option. There was neither empty space or shelf labels for the cheaper options so they maybe be gone permanently or reappear as a different pack with a higher price per kg if not per pack. Only the more expensive loo rolls so I didn't buy.

Tesco again and the high street Metro is becoming an Express so prices will rise. Tesco claim few people now do a major shop there. I don't doubt directly true but for some who rely on public transport it will be their main store. Each visit they will only buy what they can carry but visit several times a week.

 

[Springs Branch]

Aldi tuna drained weight is now down to 102g from 110g.

Not just the cheap & cheerful brand either.

For a good few years I've had a can of John West salmon at lunchtime. Standard operating procedure is rip off the tin lid, squeeze out excess oil with a fork, then load the drained fish onto a butty.

Recently I've noticed a step-change in the ratio of oil to salmon - significantly more oil now gets squeezed out.
It still says the same 105g net weight on the label, but you seem to be getting less of the good stuff* and more of the cheap filler.


* - other occupants of workplace lunch rooms might dispute that canned fish is ever "good stuff".

 

[swt_passenger]

Television sets. Back in the day they were far deeper, you got fantastically more space taken up in the house…

 

[GusB]

Television sets. Back in the day they were far deeper, you got fantastically more space taken up in the house…

You also get nowhere near as much weight in these modern new-fangled, much less difficult-to-move tellies!

I think this may already have been mentioned, but I noticed that the toilet rolls I recently bought were considerably smaller in diameter than the previous ones. I bought my online shop from Tesco instead of Asda the last time around (I had a free Clubcard Plus trial), so perhaps I'm not exactly comparing like with like, but I've always found that the bog-standard own-brand white tissue was more or less the same across the different supermarkets.

 

[Typhoon]

Rolo.

I was given a packet of 4 tubes as a joke recently having not seen them in years. An individual chocolate used to be a decent size, these were minuscule.

'Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?' Was hardly the height of ambition all those years ago, its a downright insult now.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Rolo.

I was given a packet of 4 tubes as a joke recently having not seen them in years. An individual chocolate used to be a decent size, these were minuscule.

These weren't "Fun Size" Rolo, were they?

 

[Butts]

These weren't "Fun Size" Rolo, were they?

In the old days Rolo Tubes came in two sizes as did a lot of similar products (Toffos Etc)

 

[Steddenm]

Multipacks of a lot of chocolate bars are a lot smaller than their individual single retail versions. A four-pack of Mars Bars for example is the same weight as 2½ retail bars.

 

[Busaholic]

I think this may already have been mentioned, but I noticed that the toilet rolls I recently bought were considerably smaller in diameter than the previous ones.

Yes, I mentioned it before: now top brand Andrex put toilet rolls into so many different size packs, you'd need a calculator or skill in mental arithmetic to know which might be 'best value'. Even then, you have to assume an Andrex bog roll is the same as any other Andrex bog roll, but I believe there are subtle differences. They should all be made to include their total net weight on the packages, as should kitchen paper, tissues and (the worst culprit) dishwasher tablets under the Fairy and, particularly, Finish brand names where the plethora of pack sizes seems almost random these days, just when most supermarkets have stopped displaying the price per tablet on the shelf sticker.