It's Not Just You: Popular Food And Drink Products Are Giving You Less And Costing More; Here Are 15 Real-Life Examples From Supermarket Shelves

    You're not imagining things — your cereal box did get smaller.

    Megan Liscomb
    by Megan Liscomb

    Personal Finance Editor

    When the price of an item like a gallon of milk or gasoline goes up, most of us will notice right away. But when the price stays the same, we might not pick up on it if there's just a little less cereal in a box or toilet paper on a roll.

    ABC / Via giphy.com

    Shrinking products and charging the same old prices is a hidden form of inflation, often referred to as shrinkflation or downsizing. It's not a new phenomenon, but it tends to become more common during periods of high inflation, such as right now.

    A person studying their grocery receipt in shock
    Elena Perova / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    On the amazing Shrinkflation subreddit and all over social media, people are sharing examples of this sneaky product downsizing that they've found in the wild, and it can be really tricky to spot if you're not paying attention. Check out some of these examples of products getting smaller to see what I mean:

    1. A grocery store worker noticed that these "family size" cookies got about 3 ounces smaller.

    "I've seen it many times on the cereal aisle with 'family size' boxes. The second most important part of our jobs is zoning, and it's hard to make the shelves look 'pretty' with different sizes in the same location."

    —u/LouTenant6767

    Here's a closer look at the packaging:

    Zoomed-in image of the cookie packages with the weights circled
    u/LouTenant6767 / Via reddit.com

    2. This shopper managed to snap a pic as their store transitioned from selling the 13.2-ounce version of this product to the 10-ounce one — for the exact same price.

    Let's zoom in and enhance, CSI style:

    Zoomed-in photo showing the unit price jumped from $7.26 to $9.58 when the product shrank
    U/JudasPenguin / Via reddit.com

    See how the per unit price jumped up when the product got smaller? Looking at the per unit price can help you compare sizes and get a better value.

    3. And these taquitos went from a 21 pack down to 20 in a nearly identical box.

    "This sucks, but at least you can portion them our more evenly. Four perfect servings of five."

    —u/rokinmashu

    "As opposed to one perfect serving of 21."

    —u/inanimate_carbon_rod

    4. These Water Wipes might seem like the same size package because they both contain 720 wipes — but the size of each wipe has gotten just a little bit smaller.

    "It works out to $0.92 versus $0.99 per square inch. That's an 8% price increase to put it in another context. If price had remained the same, it was about a 1% increase in price."

    —u/dingdong_dongguan

    5. And there might not be as much toilet paper on a roll as there used to be.

    Mike Busby @MikeBusby6

    Thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but nope. The tube is larger on my brand new 🧻. #shrinkflation

    Reply Retweet Favorite
    Twitter: @MikeBusby6

    CNN Business reports that toilet paper manufacturers like Proctor and Gamble, the makers of Charmin, have said that ongoing supply chain issues dating back to the early pandemic TP shortage of 2020 influenced their decision to make smaller rolls to keep toilet paper on store shelves.

    In this TikTok video, @itsashleyudoh compares the size of a toilet paper roll purchased in October 2021 to a roll made by the same manufacturer but purchased a month later. The newer roll is noticeably thinner.

    A commenter wrote, "That happened with orange juice years ago. It used to be a half gallon (64 ounces), and now it’s like 59 ounces. It’s ridiculous."

    6. Speaking of half gallons, one of these "half gallons" is not like the others...

    "Put that carton next to every other half gallon and make it the same price. You’d never know you were getting less."

    —u/alexslife

    Let's take a closer look, shall we?

    Close-up showing one milk carton has about a 10th of a liter less milk than a half gallon
    U/beerfest / Via reddit.com

    These two cartons aren't the same brand, so it's not a perfect example of shrinkflation. However, it shows that even if a product's packaging looks like the same size you're used to, you might not be getting as much for your money. FYI, a true half gallon is 64 ounces.

    7. This family size box went from a full pound to 14 ounces.

    "Damn, they went from Wheat Thiccs to Wheat Thins."

    —u/d4rk_matt3r

    Notice how the units change on the different boxes from 1 pound to 14 ounces. FYI, there are 16 ounces in a pound.

    A zoomed-in photo with the change in weight circled
    U/chrisyeoaz / Via reddit.com

    A representative from Mondelez, the company that owns Nabisco, confirmed to Quartz that their packaging sizes have been reduced.

    8. And a box of tea just might hold fewer bags than you're used to.

    David Morgan @silverguru22

    New package. Quantity drops from 20 to 16. Same price #Shrinkflation

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    Twitter: @silverguru22

    9. And these yogurt snacks got almost 1 ounce smaller.

    "They shrunk the packaging vertically; now its slightly shorter! I have both in the fridge and can see how the left one goes a bit over the right one."

    —u/substantial_bid_7684

    I stared at this photo for an embarrassingly long time before I could spot the difference. The product size is stamped in thin type on a hard-to-read location on the bottom right side of the label:

    Tiny print on the Chobani yogurt label shows one pack weighs 5.3 ounces while the other weighs 4.5
    U/That0neGuy / Via reddit.com

    Another Chobani customer tweeted at the brand about the change in this product, and they responded, saying, "We found that many of our fans are looking for snacks under 200 calories. We have adjusted to continue offering good snacking options for the whole family at an affordable every day price. DM us!"


    10. Shrinkflation is even affecting pet food.

    "Same price. It is absolutely on the dog food manufacturer. I have had this on autoship from Chewy for at least two years. Never an issue, not even during 2020! This is just another example of shrinkflation! The bags look exactly the friggin' same, just 5 pounds less."

    —u/torribletwunt

    "I work at a pet food store, and I can tell you multiple brands are doing the same thing. Most are shrinking their 30-pound bags to 25 pounds but keeping the price the same. It's supposedly because supply chain issues are making ingredients more expensive. Which I'm sure is true to an extent, but I doubt to THIS much extent."

    —u/keinatai

    11. This canned cat food got a little bit taller, but it somehow holds 0.7 ounces less.

    Two old cans of cat food at 5.8 ounces next to two newer cans at 5.1 ounces
    U/semicolonpowell / Via reddit.com

    "My cat saw this post and immediately started drafting a letter to the CEO, threatening legal action."

    —u/theotheranony

    Royal Canin confirmed to the Washington Post that they had downsized some products to "keep up with unprecedented demand" for pet food during the pandemic.

    12. A packaging redesign nearly hid the fact that this product now contains 1.5 ounces less.

    "They used to sell 1-pound bags too. One day they sent this corporate babble letter with my order claiming they researched the average amount amount of coffee a household drinks in a week, and it was 12 ounces as opposed to a full pound, so this was actually better for everyone."

    —u/thegreatvolcanodiver

    13. And this can of ground coffee went from 100 grams down to 90. For reference, it's recommended to use 10 grams of coffee for each 6-ounce serving, so the new can will yield one cup less.

    AliBi @AliBi40

    @NescafeAzera 10% less for the same price. Did you think we wouldn’t notice? #Shrinkflation @MoneySavingExp

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    Twitter: @AliBi40

    Nescafé Azera responded to this tweet, saying, "Nescafé Azera has been highly impacted by the significant pressure to coffee bean prices over the last year, which saw Arabica bean prices increased by 80%, and Robusta by 70%. To maintain competitive prices, we have decided to re-engineer our pack sizes."

    14. Another store worker noticed that this conditioner got a little smaller.

    "Same UPCs and everything. I put all the 12-ounce ones in front so people could get a better deal while they can."

    —u/space-glitter

    15. Finally, even the sweet treats in the freezer aisle are feeling the effects of shrinkflation.

    "They also made their ice cream sandwiches smaller."

    —u/heckyourlife

    Tillamook, whose heavenly ice cream sandwiches have gotten me through some THINGS, said in a statement, "In order to be profitable and support our farmer owners, we had two choices: increase the unit price per carton or reduce the carton size from 56oz to 48oz and keep the price the same. It was a difficult decision to make but we decided to choose the latter so that the affordable cost per carton of ice cream did not change for our fans."

    If you're hoping to avoid shrinkflation on your next grocery run, look at the per unit price if you're comparing different product sizes. You might also want to go through your pantry and note what size your favorite items are now. Memorize this list or keep it in your phone so you can refer to it when you're shopping and spot changes in packaging.

    Charlie from "It's Always Sunny" ranting in front of a conspiracy board with the caption, "Actual footage of me at the grocery store after studying shrinkflation"
    FX / Via imdb.com

    And if you're looking for more ways to save ('cuz these days, who isn't??), check out these tips that people swear by for spending less on groceries. 

    Now I'm super curious to see where you've noticed products shrinking while prices stay the same. Share your experiences in the comments!

    And for more stories about life and money, check out the rest of our personal finance posts.