Shrinking Away – It’s like we’re stuck in a system designed to keep us distracted; Revisiting shrinkflation

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Tired and stressed, you are sitting on the couch surrounded by bills and a stack of unpaid invoices. The TV is on in the background, playing a news segment about the rat race of modern life. It never ends. It’s like a never-ending cycle of just trying to survive. We’re all just trying to stay afloat, and it’s like a race against time.

Question for you; have you ever stopped to think that maybe we’re being tricked? That there are things that we overlook, because we are so caught up in survival mode? Think about it. We’re so busy just trying to survive – paying bills, working endless hours – that we don’t realize we’re being manipulated. It’s like we’re stuck in a system designed to keep us distracted.

I want to introduce or re-introduce a topic to you that has become a discussion on mainstream media and social media; shrinkflation. Shrinkflation is when companies reduce the size or quantity of a product while keeping the price the same. Essentially, you’re paying the same amount but getting less.

That’s sneaky! Why would they do that?

It’s a way for companies to maintain their profit margins without increasing prices. They hope consumers won’t notice the subtle changes in size. Some companies don’t want to hike prices, though, in case this deters shoppers. Instead, they’re maintaining a similar price point by subtly making their products smaller. This includes making candy bars sold in multipacks smaller than ones being sold individually, or changing the shape of their products so you can barely notice the difference in weight.

Absolutely. It’s a controversial practice, because consumers may not be aware they’re getting less value for their money. It’s like a hidden cost, but customers are starting to notice.

Shrinkflation can be hard to identify, it’s difficult to know precisely how widespread it is and if it’s on the rise.

This phenomenon, known as shrinkflation, was already happening before the coronavirus pandemic, but is set to get worse as inflation persists, pushing up how much manufacturers and retailers pay for both raw materials and labor.

TikTok users have been posting about the trend, encouraging shoppers to look more closely at the weights of what they buy and make sure they’re still getting value for money. Some of these videos are getting hundreds of thousands of views.

Well, which companies are doing it? Let’s take a look at the list, it is extensive, and I am hoping that after going through this list, you will be able to identify other companies who are doing the same thing.

Kraft Heinz’s original Kraft Dinner has been reduced 11% to 200 grams, and General Mills’ Betty Crocker Super Moist Cake Mix has shrunk 13% to 375 grams.          Despite the reductions, the price and packaging remained the same for each product. Kraft Heinz said they reduced their products to offset higher production costs.

Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, recently shrunk by 5.4% to 473 millilitres, but at least they have been upfront about it. On its website, Ben and Jerry’s states it downsized its ice cream to offset higher supply costs.

Frito-Lay shrank bags of some of its Dorito’s from 9.75 ounces to 9.25 ounces. Bags in both of these sizes, as well as some 9.5-ounce bags, are currently for sale at Target for the same price. “We took just a little bit out of the bag so we can give you the same price and you can keep enjoying your chips,” a Frito-Lay spokesperson shared.

Gatorade redesigned its 32 ounces bottle to be “More aerodynamic and it’s easier to grab,” a representative shared last March. The new design holds 28 ounces – a 14% drop, despite both bottles being the same height.

Walmart Great Value Paper Towels dropped from 168 sheets per roll to only 120, while the price stayed the same. You see, so subtle that if I didn’t share this with you, I bet you wouldn’t know.

Hershey cut down its 18-ounce pack of dark chocolate Kisses by almost two ounces. Quaker’s Life cereal also shrunk from 24.8 ounce to 22.3, and it was renamed from “giant” to “family” size – even though the box actually got bigger.

Bounty Triples reduced sheet count from 165 sheets to 147. Procter & Gamble claims that it’s still a better deal than before because the sheets are more absorbent. The spin on that one is real; I have to give it to their Public Relations department.

Technically, these manufacturers could say that they are not doing anything wrong. Canadian regulations required manufacturers to display certain information, including the net quantity (weight or volume) on packaged food labels. The net quantity must be expressed in metric units and be placed in a prominent location on the label. They are doing this, but what they are not doing is letting their buyers know that these changes are happening.

Something else Canadians should also be aware of is that when some food products shrink below a certain amount, they must pay sales tax.

Although many grocery items are tax-exempt, shoppers must pay tax on snack foods such as: muffins, pastries, cereal bars and cookies in packages of less than six and containers of ice cream under 500 milliliters. Tubs of Ben and Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs ice cream each recently shrunk from 500 milliliters to 473 milliliters and 450 millimeters respectively. That means Canadians now not only get less per tub, but they’re also hit with sales tax.

What can we do about it? We can start by being more aware of product sizes and prices. Checking the unit price helps compare products more accurately, and maybe we should let our friends and family know about this so they can be more mindful too. If more people are aware, companies might think twice before resorting to shrinkflation. The more people know about it, the better chance we have of encouraging companies to be transparent about their packaging changes.

We’re bombarded with information, expectations, and obligations. It’s overwhelming, but what if it’s intentional? Even worse, what if these companies are aware of this, and are capitalizing on many of us being in survival mode? What if they want us too busy surviving to question the system?

There’s so much more to life than just surviving. We’ve been conditioned to believe that this is all there is. It’s time to break free from this illusion of survival. There’s beauty in simplicity. We need to reclaim our time, question the narrative, question the larger corporations, and strive for a life that goes beyond mere survival.