When Kathleen Cassidy went grocery shopping these days, she noticed that while so many prices were rising, others remained the same – but there were fewer inside.
Take, for example, capsules with detergent.
“I used to get 40 of them, now I only get 38. It’s kind of hard for the consumer – you don’t get as much for the dollar as you used to,” she said.
Cassidy’s hobby is partying, so she pays more attention to prices than the average shopper. The tactic she has chosen is a real phenomenon known as shrinking, in which companies reduce the size or quantity of their products while charging the same price.
“I’ve seen him described as this vile cousin of inflation,” said Matthew Philp, a professor of marketing at the University of Toronto Metropolitan. He says companies can make containers smaller or different in shape or put less product inside.
“Just to hide the fact that their prices are rising.
Changing the size of the product is difficult to track
Examples of shrinkage are difficult to spot, as stores usually clean up old products before replacing them. But Boston-based consumer advocate Edgar Duorski has spent years searching for examples of shrinking products.
Duorski points to two bottles of Gatorade he found for sale in the United States. One contains 32 ounces (946 ml) and the other 28 ounces (828 ml).
“Unless you see them next to each other at the same height, you would think you’re buying the same product, but you’re essentially paying more than a 10 percent price increase,” Duorski said.
Consumer advocate Edgar Duorski is monitoring the product’s contraction. Here he holds two bottles of Gatorade from the United States – one contains 12 percent fewer drinks. (Niche Patel / CBC)
He published American examples that he collected on his website. According to Dworsky, Sun-Maid Raisins and Dove Body Wash have shrunk in size this year. And General Mills cut its cereal boxes by one ounce (28 grams).
“One ounce is a bowl, and at about $ 5 a box, it costs you about $ 0.25. But think about it from General Mills’ point of view, how many tens of millions of cans of cereal does General Mills sell per year and multiply by $ 0.25? This is a big saving for the manufacturer. “
CBC News asked Gatorade and General Mills about their packaging. General Mills did not respond and Gatorade was not immediately available for comment. Some others, however, were more public about the practice.
Oregon-based Tillamook Ice Cream wrote on its website that its ice cream “just got more expensive to make” and that changing the size of the cardboard box would be “the least destructive for our fans.”
The contraction is not new, but experts say it is more common in times of high inflation, as it is now, and affects almost every type of packaged product. “Paper products, candy, chips, snacks, cookies… all these things have been reduced many times over the years and I don’t think that will stop,” Duorski said.
A Canadian buyer noticed this example of what it looked like to shrink at a grocery store in Chiliwak, British Columbia, with one box containing 28 grams less and one less. (Zack Byrne)
Buyer watch out at the grocery store
Ultimately, the consumer must try to counteract the shrinkage. Philip says calculating the lowest price per milliliter or gram is the best protection – although it is not always an easy task.
“The price tag has an absurdly small font, but you’ll see… they have to provide the unit price so you can compare more easily,” he said. Quebec is the only province that requires retailers to show the unit price; other provinces are voluntary.
Experts recommend looking at the price per gram or milliliter to compare items. The information is usually in fine print – and not required outside of Quebec – but can help you find the best deal. (Jeff Goldhar / CBC)
Philp also says to consider switching to cheaper generic brands that don’t change packaging as often. He says that because the contraction can be widespread, it could have a big impact on food bills.
“An increase in the dollar here or there, and then when you buy an average of 20 to 30 items each time you visit the grocery store, it suddenly adds up to an extra $ 30. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but these little little things come together. “
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