Families are paying more for groceries and getting less thanks to shrinkflation.
Here are six items that you probably didn’t notice have been affected.
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What is shrinkflation?
Shrinkflation is when manufacturers shrink the size or quantity of a of a product while maintaining or increasing the price. This means that customers end up paying more.
This strategy is commonly used among companies to stealthily boost profits. It is a form of hidden inflation as many consumers don’t notice. Below are six items you probably didn’t know have been impacted.
1. Cereal
Last year, General Mill’s family-size cereal boxes had dropped by 34 grams. Cocoa Puffs have about a bowl of less cereal and Quaker Life has dropped by almost 70 grams.
Consumers are now recommended to buy in bulk.
2. Huggies diapers
Huggies Snug and Dry, Little Snuggles and Little Movers have all been impacted by shrinkflation. A typical Snug & Dry box used to have 100 diapers, but new products with similar branding have been reduced by 12%.
3. Folgers coffee
Folgers newest version of Folgers Classic Roast coffee measures in at roughly 279 grams. Their previous version weighed in nearly 56 grams heavier– but the packing is almost identical.
The two products also claim to make the same amount of coffee.
4. Paper goods
Companies have slowly decrease the amount of paper you get on products like paper towels, toilet paper and tissues. By removing only a few sheets each time, customers are usually unaware of the changes.
Kleenex has recently removed five sheets from every Ultra Soft tissue box, and Sparkle reduced its paper towel roll by six sheets. Charmin Super Mega Toilet Paper has 300 less sheets than it did earlier this year.
5. Laundry detergent
Arm & Hammer detergent used to have 2126 grams, but has reduced it to 1900 grams– despite claiming that it can clean the same amount of laundry.
6. Dog Food
Shrinkflation is widespread in dog food. For example, Pedigree Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor dog food has decreased from 50 pounds to just 44.
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