Shopping Discussion

Getting pissed off about shrinking sizes in food without price reduction in Canada

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Deal Addict
Dec 28, 2004
1727 posts
685 upvotes

Getting pissed off about shrinking sizes in food without price reduction in Canada

various chips/doritos shrinking sizes without price reductions...

recent case is allen's apple juice was 1.36L, then 1.2L and latest loblaws flyer has the tin size down to 1.05L and selling for 4/$5 - hell the 1.36/1.2L usually would go on sale .59/.69 cents a tin

yogurt single serve size shrinkage started years ago

I remember years back that the only main difference in Canada was the size of pop cans until they matched the US size of 355ml instead of the measly 280ml.

I guess companies run by shareholders now have to feed the bottom line and screw the majority of customers ( minority may save a little by shopping around, buying bulk quantity on sale, using coupons ).

Just my 2 cents :)
175 replies
Deal Addict
Nov 12, 2003
1469 posts
356 upvotes
GTA
Agreed. First noticed this with new products being introduced - President's Choice would introduce new microwave meals that weren't bad and were somewhat decent portions and then a couple of months later the size would shrink and the price would go up.

Now it's happening with all foods and beverages - most recently cheese blocks that used to be 600 or 700g are now shrunk to 500g with prices going up, and the introduction of a new 900g size that costs almost 50% more. Does greed know no bounds?
smoraes wrote: various chips/doritos shrinking sizes without price reductions...

recent case is allen's apple juice was 1.36L, then 1.2L and latest loblaws flyer has the tin size down to 1.05L and selling for 4/$5 - hell the 1.36/1.2L usually would go on sale .59/.69 cents a tin

yogurt single serve size shrinkage started years ago

I remember years back that the only main difference in Canada was the size of pop cans until they matched the US size of 355ml instead of the measly 280ml.

I guess companies run by shareholders now have to feed the bottom line and screw the majority of customers ( minority may save a little by shopping around, buying bulk quantity on sale, using coupons ).

Just my 2 cents :)
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Sep 13, 2005
6905 posts
417 upvotes
Ottawa
I'm very mad at the sizing of my tofu. It's getting so small I think I need 3 packs now vs the 2 packs! Oh they also decided to give it a 50% price hike too (well in Kingston anyway)! :mad:
Deal Expert
Jan 7, 2002
29711 posts
29135 upvotes
Waterloo, ON
A few years ago I found two batches of the same brand of peanut butter on the grocery store shelf. One was older stock. The other had a large sticker that proclaimed "NEW! More convenient size." The older stock contained about 10% more product in the same physical size jar and sold for the same price (same UPC code.) So how is the "new", same sized jar that contains less product for the same price "more convenient"? F*cking markerteers :evil:
veni, vidi, Visa
Member
Jun 4, 2008
456 posts
4 upvotes
Could also be the "national brands" are trying to match the price points of the "store brands" (or "control label"), by downsizing their products slightly. This way, the consumer who shops for the best price won't automatically reach for the cheaper product, instead both products will be priced the same, then the consumer only needs to chooe which brand he/she prefers, and might/might not notice the 10% difference or so in size (and even if they do, they might not care and go for the national brand because they may think it's "better").
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
May 11, 2008
9545 posts
960 upvotes
could also be the new health conscious public. If one serving size is the entire package, then you`ll see a decrease in the fats, sodium, etc... that you don`t want.

but most things goes up in price...especially food.
So labour costs go up, materials go up, buidling leases, etc... and you expect the company to eat the losses and not pass it on to consumers?
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Oct 7, 2007
7282 posts
1820 upvotes
Mississauga, ON
I don't exactly get pissed off. I wind up eating less which is good for my weight. Of course I might have also eat another serving as a result if the first one doesn't fill me up enough.

But I agree that food sizes have shrank considerably. Examples:

- all sandwiches at McDonalds have shrank; I used to get full on one Big Mac, and nowadays it's tiny
- orange juice used to be 2L and now 1.89L
- bottles of pop 600ml -> 591ml
- cadbury cream eggs: http://www.yesbutnobutyes.com/archives/ ... y_cre.html

It's certainly a type of price hike. Consumers would usually notice a price increase but not a decrease in size, especially if the change is gradual.

I think it's a way to counter inflation without actually increasing prices. So instead of raising prices 3% the size get decreased 3% instead. Though one can argue that increase in efficiency should probably offset that instead.
There's a sucker born every minute.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Jul 31, 2007
2053 posts
183 upvotes
York Region
Only our government can put a stop to this sizing thing. But do you think our government is going to something about it.

NO
Deal Fanatic
Jan 5, 2003
5068 posts
5010 upvotes
Toronto
Consumer Reports features on their back page each month, examples of stupid advertising/marketing. It's pretty amusing. Almost every month there's examples of smaller sizes but no change in price. Mostly, companies try to repackage it so that you don't notice, so it's in a different container, "now with easy-pour spout", etc. The lastest issue shows an old tissue paper roll next to a new one (same brand, etc.) under new packaging, where the new one has the same # of sheets, but the sheets are a bit smaller.

What to do? Look at or calculate the price per quantity and shop based on that (store brands are mostly the same as national brands and are made by them, anyway), and buy stock in consumer packaged goods companies that do this, so that their gain is your gain, otherwise you're just complaining about capitalism. The price is shown, the quantity is shown. If you don't like those terms, buy another brand.
Sr. Member
Apr 9, 2007
698 posts
3 upvotes
You can always look at the price tag on the shelf that contains the cost per unit of weight or volume. Then you can compare varous brand names, sizes etc to find the best deal.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Dec 19, 2001
31347 posts
2025 upvotes
Fernando Poo
yeah, I bitched about all this last year here. We've totally given up burn-in-the-box dinners and cut way back on junk food. Only partly due to the shrinking sizes (pretty soon, they'll sell you empty containers for more money). The only way way to deal with this sort of crap (and theirs a lot more like it, such as 'chipped credit cards') is to not give them your business.
Welcome to the Minitrue FDs, Ficdep
Deal Addict
Nov 21, 2007
1213 posts
91 upvotes
Kitchener
tsatsa wrote: Only our government can put a stop to this sizing thing. But do you think our government is going to something about it.

NO
Why should the government be dictating that a company sell a certain size for a certain price? This is something the government should have no business in what so ever. A company can charge whatever it wants, and you can choose not to buy if you don't like it.
Deal Expert
Jan 7, 2002
29711 posts
29135 upvotes
Waterloo, ON
tsatsa wrote: Only our government can put a stop to this sizing thing. But do you think our government is going to something about it.

NO
Note the subsequent post:
urban1 wrote: You can always look at the price tag on the shelf that contains the cost per unit of weight or volume. Then you can compare varous brand names, sizes etc to find the best deal.
Do you think the grocery stores put unit pricing tags on their shelves voluntarily to keep consumers better informed?

Do you think the food companies put nutritional information on their labels voluntarily to keep consumers better informed?
veni, vidi, Visa
Member
Mar 26, 2006
297 posts
12 upvotes
Markham
A No Frills 5 Dollar block of cheese was 900 grams when I moved out 15 years ago. It's about half that weight now.

They're trying to get the price of a large bag of brand name potato chips up to 4 dollars now. You're well on the road to making a meal for a family of 3 for 4 bucks...sorry, I won't pay that for potato chips.

The price of a simple bag of Chef's salad has doubled in less than a year. The amount of salad has decreased from being a pound to being around 300 grams.

Ice Cream sizes have decreased significantly and the price is the same.

I'll never buy Kraft Dinner. More than a buck for noodles and cheese powder? What a joke.
smoraes wrote: various chips/doritos shrinking sizes without price reductions...

recent case is allen's apple juice was 1.36L, then 1.2L and latest loblaws flyer has the tin size down to 1.05L and selling for 4/$5 - hell the 1.36/1.2L usually would go on sale .59/.69 cents a tin

yogurt single serve size shrinkage started years ago

I remember years back that the only main difference in Canada was the size of pop cans until they matched the US size of 355ml instead of the measly 280ml.

I guess companies run by shareholders now have to feed the bottom line and screw the majority of customers ( minority may save a little by shopping around, buying bulk quantity on sale, using coupons ).

Just my 2 cents :)
Member
Mar 26, 2006
297 posts
12 upvotes
Markham
jm1 wrote: The lastest issue shows an old tissue paper roll next to a new one (same brand, etc.) under new packaging, where the new one has the same # of sheets, but the sheets are a bit smaller.

Yes.

The definition of a "Double Roll" of toilet paper has decreased to being as low at 200 sheets. What a joke.
Deal Addict
May 10, 2006
2759 posts
131 upvotes
Move to the US, your portions will double and your cost will reduce by half.

edit:
and if you move to texas, a single persons order from there will probably feed your entire family.
Sr. Member
Jan 15, 2006
600 posts
90 upvotes
number8888 wrote: I don't exactly get pissed off. I wind up eating less which is good for my weight. Of course I might have also eat another serving as a result if the first one doesn't fill me up enough.

But I agree that food sizes have shrank considerably. Examples:

- all sandwiches at McDonalds have shrank; I used to get full on one Big Mac, and nowadays it's tiny
- orange juice used to be 2L and now 1.89L
- bottles of pop 600ml -> 591ml
- cadbury cream eggs: http://www.yesbutnobutyes.com/archives/ ... y_cre.html

It's certainly a type of price hike. Consumers would usually notice a price increase but not a decrease in size, especially if the change is gradual.

I think it's a way to counter inflation without actually increasing prices. So instead of raising prices 3% the size get decreased 3% instead. Though one can argue that increase in efficiency should probably offset that instead.
How about Tim Horton timbits or donuts. back in the old days snack pack of timbits use to fill the box. now you have to get 40to fill the box

TO be honest this has nothing to do with health. It is just a mobsters/greedy guys who are trying to rip our pockets
Deal Addict
Oct 1, 2008
1942 posts
1109 upvotes
I opened a pack of Reese Peanut Butter Cups yesterday. I swear these things are the size of a toonie now.

Imagine what this will look like in 20 more years if these trends continue.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
May 11, 2008
9545 posts
960 upvotes
murjaan wrote: How about Tim Horton timbits or donuts. back in the old days snack pack of timbits use to fill the box. now you have to get 40to fill the box

TO be honest this has nothing to do with health. It is just a mobsters/greedy guys who are trying to rip our pockets
how much was minimum wage back in the old days? How much purchasing power did you have with the same amount of money?
Sr. Member
Aug 6, 2006
563 posts
10 upvotes
Toronto
GreyingJay wrote: Imagine what this will look like in 20 more years if these trends continue.
nanotechnology FTW!

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