It seems like one of the buzzwords of our time is "shrinkflation," or the practice by manufacturers of a product to manage to maintain their prices by selling their products in smaller and smaller containers.
So, yesterday we started running low on liquid dish detergent for the sink, so it ended up on the shopping list.
During today's trip to town I picked up a new container of the usual brand of dish liquid at the market, and noticed that it seemed like they had changed their labeling slightly... still the same brand and the bottle seemed pretty much was the same shape except it seemed... well... smaller.
Being in a little bit of a hurry I just picked up the bottle and took it to the checkout and brought it home, without thinking about it further.
Back at home, I set it next to the old bottle we had bought about 6 weeks ago (that was running low) and noticed that something was clearly not quite the same!
As you can see, still same brand and the same, or as at least similar, looking bottle but when you take a closer look... wow, the bottle shrank!
And no, this is not an isolated example. This is pretty much what is happening to lots of products in our world from bread to milk cartons.
Yes, I even said milk cartons. Regional dairy producer Darigold recently found themselves in considerable "hot water" for changing their popular two quart size container of milk - which happens to be 64 fluid ounces - to a 59 ounce size container... perhaps hoping that noone would notice.
The reason they got in trouble, of course, is that the state rules for government support for young low-income mothers for milk is dependent on supporting 2-quart size and by changing their packaging to 59 Oz, they essentially took themselves out of the program.
So should we be offended, or worried, by these developments? Hard to say I suppose. One thing is for sure: the proportion of our total monthly income that goes to food and grocery related item keeps going up and our income is definitely not following suit. And we are not alone! Small wonder that homelessness is on the menu for more and more people in this world of ours!
Changing Our Habits!
These days, we hardly ever buy anything that isn't on sale or on special somehow and there are many things we do without completely unless they are on sale at some price that reasonably resembles what they have cost all along.
Gone are the days where dinner was something we planned ahead; now dinner is contingent on what happens to be available and what happens to be on sale.
Whether this inflationary trend is temporary or here to stay remains to be seen. Regardless, the squeeze is getting tighter all the time... for us, and for many, many other families!
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Curator Cat 3 October, 2023