As I’ve mentioned before, the amazing shrink ray has been getting quite the workout in the supermarkets. This article discusses it but what jumps out about it is that they pointedly mention Breyers, my favorite ice cream, jumping from 2 quarts ( half gallon) to 1.75 qt. to 1.5 qt. And it wouldnt surprise me if they whipped a little more air into it to make it look like a full container. I love Breyers but , man, was I pissed when I saw that.
This is why, when shopping, I always go by the weight (or quantity) divided by price. Coke is $6 for a 20-pack (What happened to the 24-pack? Oh, thats right, take out four cans but keep it looking like a case of 24) but 12-packs are on sale 3-for-$11…what to do, what to do. The answer, obviously, is do the math and see that one comes out to thirty cents a can and the other comes out to .305 per can. These are the details youve gotta keep in mind. Thats what I love about smartphones…I can keep track of pricing at various stores and have a calculator handy to do the math. Are two 12-oz. bottles of Tabasco a better deal than one 20-oz. bottle? That sort of thing. Of course, things like price arent always the only thing to consider….a #10 can of corn is cheaper than a handful of 15 oz cans but I’ll waste more than half the can before I can finish it off…so thats a false economy right there.
The point, though, is that it isnt just me…things really are subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) changing with regard to the economy. I know companies do this to keep sales high and prevent customers from walking away in disgust, thats business….the interesting side effect is that people who are less observant will say “Inflation? What inflation?”..after all, their $5 still gets them a ‘half gallon’ of ice cream just like it did five years ago.
Check the fine print, man…you may learn more about the economy from reading the label on a box of cake mix than you will from reading .gov inflation reports.
I noticed this on the lunch meat that I buy for sandwiches. The prices started rising. Then suddenly they dropped back to the same old price for a package of turkey. Then I looked at the label and saw it had dropped from 16 ounces to 12.
When I was out of work, I met a lot of Supply Chain management guys in the job search group I belonged to. They suggested buying a can of soup from the grocery store and the identical brand from Walmart. Open them side by side and look at the contents. The labels will be the same except for the SKU number, and the Walmart can will be skimpier on the meats. Apparently the discount stores get their own special supplies that are of lower quality – this is done with everything from food to clothing to electronics. But unless you compare the SKU numbers, the packages are identical.
You are making a really good point here.
I wish that more people would be aware of the small sizing.
Best way to deal with inflation to is buy less of everything.
Most of us could lose a few pounds anyway.
Unfortunately inflation doesnt apply only to food products, and buying less of everything isnt conducive to getting prepared for when the decision to have less of something is no longer under one’s own control.
Another thing that I have found by using your technique is that larger, quantity “bulk” packaging is more expensive compared to equal quantities of smaller packages.
Consumers have been brainwashed into thinking “bulk” purchases are less expensive than multiple packages of smaller qty’s.
The retailers are using this brainwashing to their advantage. One must check everything these days.
speaking of phones being great for pricing, check this out:
Furor surrounds Amazon’s price-comparison app
Retailers and a senator denounce a one-day promotional offer that will give discounts to Amazon customers who use the Price Check app while browsing at physical stores.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-amazon-app-20111210,0,2186683.story
Remember that “pounder” size bag of chips for two bucks? It went to 14oz. then recently 12oz. – yep, that’s now $2.67 for the same amount of product. That’s quite a bit of inflation in what – five years?
One of my signs of “imminent financial doom” is a Snickers bar under 2 oz.
Agreed, this has been happening for awhile and is getting worse. I noticed the other day that the grocery store is now selling 1.5L soda pop in addition to the 2L. They’re advertising it as “easier to hold bottle” and “more convenient size” and so on. But the price is higher than 75% of the 2L price and higher than 150% of the 1L price. I’m betting that in a month or two the 2L bottles will start getting pretty scarce and then disappear altogether. Thankfully I don’t buy any of it but it will be interesting to watch.
This type of inflation evidence is why I like shopping at warehouse stores like Costco when I can. They tell you right on the label what the unit cost (per ounce, etc) is for that item. Makes it easy to see which of the 2-3 options they usually have is the better deal. My local budget grocery store does not do this. I haven’t checked to see if Walmart does.