According to a recent ABC Nightly News Story, food companies are shrinking the size of food packages, putting less food in the boxes, and making the size of popular snacks smaller.
I think I first noticed this a few months ago when I purchased a box of honey buns and found that they looked more like large crackers than breakfast pastries.
The same 8 honey buns that I used to purchase for $.99 was now $1.09 and the size of them had shrunk by 50%. I was beginning to think I was losing my mind.
While we, the consumers, see this new phenomenon as manufacturers attempting to fool or cheat us, the companies that make the products slyly call it product resizing.
These changes are usually done slowly and over time. As a company sees the need to increase the price on an item, they generally opt to decrease the amount of product in the packaging instead. The hope is that the consumers do not notice that the price has changed, and therefore they keep the customers’ brand loyalty.
This phenomenon does not strictly apply to food products. Some of the most recent items to experience shrinkage are Cadbury Eggs, Scott Tissue (the roll still has 1000 sheets, but the sheets are shorter), Dial for men, and most breakfast cereals.
Chances are, if you think your favorite grocery store item looks smaller, then it is. In addition, most items that say ‘new and improved’ on the package are simply disguising smaller package sizes.
I have been a certified tightwad striving for financial freedom since I became pregnant with my first child — and I decided to find a way to stay home with him full-time. I enjoy sharing my personal experiences in my journey back to financial health and planning for a future — which will include sending 2 kids to college and early retirement.
