When is a half-gallon, not a half-gallon?
When it is Breyer’s ice cream. Yes, the half-gallon ice cream tub of my childhood first gave way to th 1.75 qt. tub and now, shockingly to 1.5 qt. Who is stealing the ice cream?
Breyer’s, like many other producers, is simply raising prices without actually having to raise prices. Time’s story on the phenomenon is casting light on this practice which is much more widespread than you may think. When I read that Tropicana had recently lopped a few ounces off its 64 oz. container, I ran to the fridge to check the multiple cartons of Minute Maid I had just scored on sale. Fortunately they were still the larger dimension, but I am wary they are just selling them off to make room for the new edition.
As consumers, we are often like sheep. We pay attention to the price, but have no idea what quantity we are actually buying. I had eagerly purchased multiple cartons of Breyer’s (my DH’s favorite) on BOGO sale a week ago. When I read about the quantity change, I opened my freezer to see that I, too, had been duped.
The author of the Time magazine story outs other products getting the “shrink ray”:
This month, Kellogg’s started shipping Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks containing an average of 2.4 fewer ounces per box. Similar reductions have recently happened or are on the horizon for many other products: Tropicana orange juice containers are shrinking from 96 ounces to 89; Wrigley’s is dropping its the 17-stick PlenTPak in favor of the 15-stick Slim Pack; Dial soap bars now weigh half an ounce less, and that’s even before they melt in the shower. Containers of Country Crock spread, Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Edy’s and Breyer’s ice cream have all slimmed down as well (although that may not necessarily be a bad thing).
Now, I totally get why the companies are doing it. Their costs are going up, too. But something just feels wrong about skimming off the top and not even mentioning it. Or just as bad, labeling it “smart portions” because there is less inside.
One way you can at least be a more informed consumer is to take advantage of online shopping information. I plan to write more about my foray into the world of online grocery shopping in a future post, but for now let me introduce a nifty feature.
At my store, and likely most others, you can easily see the unit pricing online. Now, they have this information in the store, but it is tiny. And, honestly, with kids in tow who has time to read the fine print. Grab and go–can I get an amen?
But online, you have the time to look at these things. My store will even let you sort products by unit price. For example, if you want to buy the cheapest potato chips, you can sort to see who makes them and what size bag is the best value. You can also quickly tell if that “value size” pack is really a value.
Researching online is also easier if you want to compare prices among stores. With gas prices as they are you would certainly negate any savings in price by driving between the two stores just to see who has it for less. Look it up online before you go and save yourself the hassle.
As family budgets get tighter, make use of these tips to put a little more on the table and a little less in the tank.
