Shrinkflation - examples?

[AM9]

Maybe so, if that was the cause why put the product in almost identical packaging with slight rewording of the name? Leads to the consumer thinking they are getting a better product for the same price, when in fact it is inferior and over a whole roll less.

Unless every product is in a plain brown paper bag, everything is 'dressed to sell', - it's what capitalism does.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

LNER's new fares.

Less flexibility for twice the money.

 

[Bobdogs]

Tesco are lauding their "new" range of "new recipe" ready meals.
What they fail to mention is that they have reduced the weight from 450 grams to 400 grams with no reduction in price.
What an unexpected surprise!

 

[yorkie]

Tesco are lauding their "new" range of "new recipe" ready meals.
What they fail to mention is that they have reduced the weight from 450 grams to 400 grams with no reduction in price.
What an unexpected surprise!

Being realistic, it's either that or put the price up.

If this is for one person, then 400g is about right for me, unless I've skipped lunch.

How about something like a side salad to go with it; this won't cost much and could probably be prepared in the time it takes to cook the ready meal and would be healthier

 

[alxndr]

Wright's Coal Tar soap has gone from 125g a bar to 100g a bar, with no price change. The way they've done it is particularly sneaky, with the bar remaining the same diamensions but becoming slightly dished on the underside. As I first encountered the smaller size at the height of the summer heatwave I assumed it had melted at some point until I realised both of the bar's I'd brought were shaped exactly the same.

 

[johnnychips]

I don’t know if this is exactly ‘shrinkflation’ but the alcohol content of Leffe Blond has decreased from 6.6% to 6%. The price of bottles in supermarkets has always varied a lot, but it certainly isn’t cheaper. In Weatherspoons, the price has risen from £4.14 to £4.45 a pint - though this is still ridiculously cheap.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Believe the ABV of 'Leffe Blonde' was reduced in the UK market sometime last year so as to reduce the amount of UK duty payable.

However, a company spokesman was quoted in a trade periodical attempting to put a positive spin on the change...

https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/alcohol...abv-to-better-suit-uk-drinkers/685357.article
(Full article may be hidden behind firewall)

Extract...

...The change had been made earlier this year “to allow more UK beer consumers to enjoy the amazing and unique taste of Leffe Blonde”...

Yeah, right!

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I don’t know if this is exactly ‘shrinkflation’ but the alcohol content of Leffe Blond has decreased from 6.6% to 6%. The price of bottles in supermarkets has always varied a lot, but it certainly isn’t cheaper. In Weatherspoons, the price has risen from £4.14 to £4.45 a pint - though this is still ridiculously cheap.

I think that is probably 'skimpflation' where the price remains the same but the 'quality' of the product reduces in some way. In this case a lower alcohol content, in other cases fewer channels for your TV subscription, cheaper ingredients in processed food, less frequent room cleans in your hotel and so on. My previous spreadable butter (Anchor) did that last year: smaller tub, same price per kg but a greater proportion of water in the mix.

Believe the ABV of 'Leffe Blonde' was reduced in the UK market sometime last year so as to reduce the amount of UK duty payable.

However, a company spokesman was quoted in a trade periodical attempting to put a positive spin on the change...

https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/alcohol...abv-to-better-suit-uk-drinkers/685357.article
(Full article may be hidden behind firewall)

Extract...


Yeah, right!

Well, if paying UK Duty bothered them that much they could reduce the alcohol content to 0% and avoid it all!

I seem to remember a fuss about a lager (probably Carling) doing the same thing several years ago.

 

[johnnychips]

I think that is probably 'skimpflation' where the price remains the same but the 'quality' of the product reduces in some way. In this case a lower alcohol content, in other cases fewer channels for your TV subscription, cheaper ingredients in processed food, less frequent room cleans in your hotel and so on. My previous spreadable butter (Anchor) did that last year: smaller tub, same price per kg but a greater proportion of water in the mix.

A very perceptive post. Lurpak used to make their spreadable butter with olive oil, but that has now changed to rapeseed. Stella Artois has reduced its ABV over the years in the UK from 5.2% to 4.6% to reduce its duty, but also to lose its ‘Wifebeater’ image.

Though not exactly for the same reason, Irn Bru and Lucozade have reduced the amount of sugar in their drinks to avoid the ‘sugar tax’. Coke hasn’t, presumably because it would taste too different.

 

[johntea]

I had a KFC and Burger King the past couple of days (I was staying at a hotel so wanted something quick and easy!)

Both venues charged about £12 for a pretty standard chicken / burger meal

McDonalds have gone up too but I could still probably get 2 Big Mac meals for that price

 

[JamesT]

I had a KFC and Burger King the past couple of days (I was staying at a hotel so wanted something quick and easy!)

Both venues charged about £12 for a pretty standard chicken / burger meal

McDonalds have gone up too but I could still probably get 2 Big Mac meals for that price

I tend to use BK’s app to order. They seem to pretty much constantly have an offer of £5.99 for a whopper meal. Though even that has gone up, it used to be £4.99 but now includes a large chips instead of medium.

 

[jon81uk]

I had a KFC and Burger King the past couple of days (I was staying at a hotel so wanted something quick and easy!)

Both venues charged about £12 for a pretty standard chicken / burger meal

McDonalds have gone up too but I could still probably get 2 Big Mac meals for that price

This is purely inflation though, not Shrinkflation. Portion sizes haven’t changed, just the prices.

Also Burger King has been significantly more expensive than McDonalds for as long as I can remember.

 

[Trackman]

Believe the ABV of 'Leffe Blonde' was reduced in the UK market sometime last year so as to reduce the amount of UK duty payable.

However, a company spokesman was quoted in a trade periodical attempting to put a positive spin on the change...

https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/alcohol...abv-to-better-suit-uk-drinkers/685357.article
(Full article may be hidden behind firewall)

Extract...


Yeah, right!

Kronenberg is the latest case of 'Beck's syndrome' down from 5% to 4.6%, Stella Artois these days is 4.6%. Becks has to be the worse though down from 4.8% to 4% - just doesnt taste the same.

 

[AM9]

Kronenberg is the latest case of 'Beck's syndrome' down from 5% to 4.6%, Stella Artois these days is 4.6%. Becks has to be the worse though down from 4.8% to 4% - just doesnt taste the same.

There's nothing new with adjusting the alcohol content of drinks to maintain a price. I knew somebody who worked in West Bay, the UK operation of Martini, and anticipating an increase in duty at the next budget, the range of Martini for UK sales had the alcohol content reduced from 17% to 14.7% allowing the then retail price to be kept whist maintaining the profit margin. Luckily for staff and their friends, the 17% bottles already in stock were sold off cheaply in the staff shop.

 

[JD2168]

Birds Eye Fish Fingers have gone from 20 a box to 18 a box at Morrisons, presumably the same at the other shops/supermarkets.

 

[DM352]

I find at a couple of local non chain pubs they used to serve chips next to a pie and fill half of the plate but now use those pretend mini fryer metal things with a handle which fits at most half of what it used to be.

I miss the belt buster menus!

 

[Howardh]

Kronenberg is the latest case of 'Beck's syndrome' down from 5% to 4.6%, Stella Artois these days is 4.6%. Becks has to be the worse though down from 4.8% to 4% - just doesnt taste the same.

Actually I'm glad about that, I like to drink long into the night when I'm out, and buying lagers at 5%+ just piles bother into my body, so it's good when standard lager is around 4% and beer 3.6 - 4%; means I can have five or 6 instead of four or five. I wish there was a decent lager around 3%, Skol used to be around 2.8% but had zero taste. What does bother me is paying a premium price for it!!

Abroad they sell "pints" in 500ml glasses; so again more is less when you are watching the units, as that is about 60mm under a pint.

 

[reduke]

Kronenberg is the latest case of 'Beck's syndrome' down from 5% to 4.6%, Stella Artois these days is 4.6%. Becks has to be the worse though down from 4.8% to 4% - just doesnt taste the same.

Unfortunately Kronenbourg hasn't only changed it's ABV, it's now a different recipe making it something of a blonde beer...

To make it worse, the supermarkets are starting to run out of the proper stuff now

 

[ComUtoR]

France's Carrefour puts up 'shrinkflation' warning signs

Carrefour is telling its customers which products are smaller than they used to be.

www.bbc.com

Apologies for the BBC link but it is the most accessible.

France has passed a law to force "shrinkflation" labelling and from 1st July 2024 there must be clear labelling to say when products have reduced in size and kept the same price or had a price hike. .

 

[Ediswan]

France's Carrefour puts up 'shrinkflation' warning signs

Carrefour is telling its customers which products are smaller than they used to be.

www.bbc.com

Apologies for the BBC link but it is the most accessible.

France has passed a law to force "shrinkflation" labelling and from 1st July 2024 there must be clear labelling to say when products have reduced in size and kept the same price or had a price hike. .

I wonder how the Académie Française will react to the use of the English word 'shrink'. (Inflation is the same in both languages.)

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I've been shopping this morning and have just discovered that the LU Petit Chocolat literally are now petit...

The screenshot below is the size they've been for many years. They're now about 25% smaller... and yes, of course the price is the same...

 

[Trackman]

Unfortunately Kronenbourg hasn't only changed it's ABV, it's now a different recipe making it something of a blonde beer...

To make it worse, the supermarkets are starting to run out of the proper stuff now

Been looking at some online reviews at Asda, a lot of unhappy people!

I've been shopping this morning and have just discovered that the LU Petit Chocolat literally are now petit...

The screenshot below is the size they've been for many years. They're now about 25% smaller... and yes, of course the price is the same...

They could spin this with like saying 'maintenant 25 % plus petit, gratuit !' on the box with a smiley face.

 

[jfollows]

Ritz crackers, apparently (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c51nyq0nxp0o)

The number of Ritz crackers per box has been reduced by up to 30% but the price has remained the same.
The size difference was first highlighted by The Grocer and confirmed by Mondelez, which owns the Ritz brand.
Mondelez is being accused of "shrinkflation", where prices are kept the same but content reduced.
Shelf prices in popular British supermarkets have remained the same with a box costing £1.25 in Tesco and Asda and £1.50 in Morrisons.
The 200g packs of Original and Cheese crackers have now been replaced by packs weighing 150g and 140g.
A spokesperson for Mondelez International confirmed the size change to the BBC.

Earlier this year, Which? revealed other examples of Shrinkflation in British supermarkets.

In January, the following items were said to shrink in size but cost the same or go up in price:

• Listerine Fresh Burst mouthwash shrank from 600ml to 500ml. At Tesco it also went up in price by 52p
• PG Tips Tasty Decaf Pyramid tea bags went from containing 180 bags to 140 at a number of supermarkets
• Kettle Chips Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorns Crisps shrank from 150g to 130g at Tesco
• Yeo Valley Organic Salted Spreadable went from 500g to 400g at Sainsbury's and Tesco

Which? said its research showed shoppers are often left paying more for less.

 

[philthetube]

Been looking at some online reviews at Asda, a lot of unhappy people!

They could spin this with like saying 'maintenant 25 % plus petit, gratuit !' on the box with a smiley face.

or put a note on them saying 25%off

 

[Baxenden Bank]

France's Carrefour puts up 'shrinkflation' warning signs

Carrefour is telling its customers which products are smaller than they used to be.

www.bbc.com

Apologies for the BBC link but it is the most accessible.

France has passed a law to force "shrinkflation" labelling and from 1st July 2024 there must be clear labelling to say when products have reduced in size and kept the same price or had a price hike. .

Simples, just make a 1p* change to the price.

*whatever the small units of Euros are.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Been looking at some online reviews at Asda, a lot of unhappy people!

They could spin this with like saying 'maintenant 25 % plus petit, gratuit !' on the box with a smiley face.

I should clarify - the biscuits themselves are the same size; it's the pack that is 25% smaller - now contains 9 biscuits instead of 12.

Another way of looking at this is you now need to buy 4 packs to get the same quantity of biscuits as three packs previously; so that's 33.3% more packing being used - not very green of them is it...?!

 

[Trackman]

I should clarify - the biscuits themselves are the same size; it's the pack that is 25% smaller - now contains 9 biscuits instead of 12.

Another way of looking at this is you now need to buy 4 packs to get the same quantity of biscuits as three packs previously; so that's 33.3% more packing being used - not very green of them is it...?!

Like the 'Yorkie bar' same size, but they took a chunk off thinking no-one would notice!