MSE News: Thousands of everyday products get smaller while prices stay the same

paulharding150

Well it's either make a product slightly smaller, or put the price slightly up.

Which ever option a company choose I think some people would complain!

LadyDee

And this is breaking news? Been going on for years. Packets of crisps started getting smaller weight-wise years ago, then the actual number of packets in a multipack (5 instead of 6); chocolate bars, tins of beans, coffee - perhaps the ONS could actually shrink themselves or find something more useful to do with our tax money.

A._Badger

paulharding150 wrote: »

Well it's either make a product slightly smaller, or put the price slightly up.

Which ever option a company choose I think some people would complain!

There are several other options. The first, and most obvious, is to gain a competitive advantage and increase market share by leaving the product unchanged.

Equally, a manufacturer could maintain the price and size and aim to maintain (or even increase) profitability by reducing costs - not hard to do in these days of bloated HR departments and excessive middle management.

Both would serve the shareholders and customers better, but often not the interests of the caste of 'professional' CEOs that flit from corporation to corporation.

Ken68

Only just noticed that Sweetex in Sainsbury is £1.60 for 600 tablets and in B&M is £1.59 for 700 tablets.

Inedible_Pencil

I hate this practice, adding insult to injury. I understand prices have to go up, inflation is a fact of life. But Supermarkets like to pretend they keep prices fixed. It is not that they are making the product smaller. The older larger version never went up in price, they just stopped producing it. The smaller package is a new item. It is the same when they stop stocking the value version and you have to switch to a more expensive own brand. No, we didn't put the price up there either. Grrr.
The worst part? It mucks up all your favourite recipes you had managed to get the best balance between nutrition, cost, and blend of flavours.
/:mad:

Gnocchi

The buzz word is shrinkflation. The price of imported raw ingredients like cocoa beans and peanuts, to name but two, has gone up, thanks to the drop in the value of sterling.

I stopped buying Toblerone when it looked more like PrikkaStrip with gaps. Really annoyed me.