>>
>> THIS
>> THIS IS A FRUSTRATION WE
HAVE
HAVE ALL
HAVE ALL FELT. YOU KNOW, WHEN
YOU
YOU OPEN
YOU OPEN BIG BAG OF POTATO AND
AND
AND IT
AND IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE ATE
HALF
HALF OF
HALF OF THEM YEAH, IT'S
ACTUALLY
ACTUALLY AN ECONOMIC PRINCIPLE
BEHIND
BEHIND THAT. BUT I'M GOING TO
WARN
WARN IT
WARN IT WILL MAKE YOU MAD.
IT'S
IT'S CALLED SHRINKFLATION.
IT'S
IT'S SIMILAR TO INFLATION
WHERE
WHERE YOU
WHERE YOU PAY MORE FOR
EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING YOU BUY
SHRINKFLATION MEANS YOU'RE
GETTING
GETTING LESS PRODUCT FOR YOU.
LOT
LOT OF
LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS
FOX
FOX 13
FOX 13 CONSUMER REPORTER
CAROLYN
CAROLYN SERTA.
>>
>> LOOK
>> LOOK EVERYTHING FROM TOILET
PAPER
PAPER TO
PAPER TO COOKIES TO MAKE SURE
YOU'RE
YOU'RE NOT PAYING MORE FOR
LESS.
>>
>> WE
>> WE CAUGHT UP WITH MEMPHIANS
KATIE
KATIE REARED IN DURING HER
WEEKLY
WEEKLY VISIT TO THE GROCERY
STORE.
STORE. ALTHOUGH SHE DIDN'T
KNOW
KNOW THE
KNOW THE TERM SHRINKFLATION.
SHE
SHE SAYS
SHE SAYS SHE'S DEFINITELY
EXPERIENCED. IT WAS A MATTER
OF
OF FACT,
OF FACT, IN THE LITTLE
DEBBIE'S.
DEBBIE'S. LOOK OF CAKES ARE
SMALLER
SMALLER THAN THEY USED TO BE.
>>
>> AND
>> AND EVEN BECAME THESE THAT
YOU
YOU FIND
YOU FIND THE SUSPECTS ARE 12
FACTS.
>>
>> THAT
>> THAT THE PRODUCTS ARE MUCH
SMALLER.
SMALLER. WE'RE VERY GOOD
SHOPPERS
SHOPPERS AT BEING PRICE
CONSCIOUS
CONSCIOUS WERE NOT SO GOOD
ABOUT
ABOUT CHECKING THE NET WEIGHT.
WE
WE HAVE
WE HAVE TO BECOME NET WEIGHT
CONSCIOUS. EDWARD WERE SKI
RUNS
RUNS THE
RUNS THE WEBSITE. CONSUMER
WORLD.
WORLD. HE
WORLD. HE SAYS ALL OF US NEED
TO
TO PAY
TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO HOW
MUCH
MUCH WE'RE GETTING. EACH TIME
WE
WE BUY
WE BUY OUR FAVORITE PRODUCTS.
MANUFACTURERS KNOW THAT
CONSUMERS
CONSUMERS DON'T CHECK THE NETT
WEIGHT
WEIGHT IN
WEIGHT IN THAT COUNT. AND
BECAUSE
BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THEY
CAN
CAN GET
CAN GET AWAY WITH IT WHEN THEY
TRIED
TRIED TO
TRIED TO PULL A FAST ONE ON
SHOPPERS
SHOPPERS SHRINKFLATION IS A
TRICKY
TRICKY THING TO SPOT. BUT
COMMON
COMMON HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS ARE
-p
THE
THE ONES
THE ONES THAT TEND TO SHRINK
MORE
MORE FREQUENTLY, THINGS LIKE
POTATO
POTATO CHIPS, CHOCOLATES AND
CEREALS
CEREALS MANUFACTURERS LIKE TO
HIDE
HIDE SHRINKFLATION BY
REDESIGNING THE PRODUCT
PACKAGES.
>>
>> THEY
>> THEY ALSO USE WORDS LIKE
NEW
NEW AND
NEW AND IMPROVED TO
DEMONSTRATE HOW SETTLE IT CAN
BE.
BE. GORSKI WENT GROCERY
SHOPPING.
SHOPPING. HIS FIRST EXAMPLE IS
IS
IS SUPER
IS SUPER MEGA PACK OF CHARMIN
TOILET
TOILET PAPER FOR $10. AND %- $0.49. THE OLD PACKAGE COMES
WITH
WITH 396
WITH 396 SHEETS PER ROLL. THE
NEW
NEW PACKAGE COMES WITH 30
FEWER
FEWER SHEETS. SO IF YOU BOUGHT
A
A 12
A 12 PACK.
>>
>> IT'S
>> IT'S THE EQUIVALENT OF
LOSING
LOSING ONE FULL ROLL OUT OF
THE
THE 12
THE 12 SEE REALLY BUYING 11.
NOW,
NOW, NEXT
NOW, NEXT UP IS A COTTON NOW
MEGA
MEGA PACK
MEGA PACK FOR $12. AND $0.99.
THE
THE OLD
THE OLD PACKAGE HAS 284
SHEETS,
SHEETS, A
SHEETS, A ROLE. THE NEW ONE
HAS
HAS 268.
HAS 268. SO THE CONSUMER LOSES
16
16 SHEETS, A ROLE. YOU LOOK AT
THE
THE I
THE I NORMALLY BUY THE 9 IN
THE
THE PACKAGE DRIVE BY THE 6 IN
THE
THE PACKAGE. YOU DON'T TEND TO
LOOK
LOOK AT
LOOK AT HOW MANY SHEETS SAY
DON'T
DON'T KNOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN
SNOOKERED. THESE KEEBLER SHIPS
TO
TO LUX
TO LUX COOKIES, ALSO SHRINK IN
SIZE,
SIZE, BUT
SIZE, BUT NOT IN PRICE. THE
OLD
OLD PACKAGES ARE 11.3 OUNCES.
THE
THE NEW
THE NEW PACKAGES DROPPED TO
9.7
9.7 5
9.7 5 OUNCES. IF YOU DIDN'T
LOOK
LOOK AT
LOOK AT THOSE NET WEIGHTS,
WOULD
WOULD YOU
WOULD YOU KNOW YOU'RE GETTING
LESS
LESS THESE BOTTLES ARE
NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT BUT COST
GORSKI
GORSKI THE SAME PRICE. THE OLD
BOTTLE
BOTTLE IS
BOTTLE IS 32 OUNCES. THE NEW
SKINNIER
SKINNIER BOTTLE IS 28 OUNCES.
THE
THE NEW
THE NEW ONE HAS A WAISTLINE.
SO
SO YOU
SO YOU LOST 4 OUNCES. COUPLE
OF
OF INCHES
OF INCHES AROUND THE WAIST.
YYU
YYU STILL
YYU STILL PAY TO DOLLARS 19
FOR
FOR EACH
FOR EACH OF THESE. DOROTHY
SAYS
SAYS THERE ARE 3 MORE THINGS
YOU
YOU CAN
YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF
FROM
FROM SHRINKFLATION. FIRST
COMPARE
COMPARE BRANDS IF YOUR
FAVORITE
FAVORITE BRAND HAS BEEN
DOWNSIZED. LOOK FOR A
COMPETITOR.
>>
>> THAT
>> THAT MAYBE HASN'T CHANGED
YET.
YET. ALSO, DRUSKY SAYS THAT
STORE
STORE BRANDS TEND TO BE THE
LAST
LAST TO
LAST TO DOWNSIDE. ALSO, YOU
CAN
CAN WRITE
CAN WRITE A LETTER TO THE
COMPANY
COMPANY AND COMPLAIN NOW
THEY'RE
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO CHANGE
WHAT
WHAT THEY'RE DOING, BUT MAYBE
THEY'LL
THEY'LL SEND YOU SOME COUPONS
AND
AND FINALLY USE UNIT PRICING.
THAT'S
THAT'S THE PRICE PER OUNCE. OR
THE
THE PRICE
THE PRICE PER COUNT LABELED ON
THE
THE SHELF
THE SHELF THAT WAY. YOU CAN
COMPARE
COMPARE DIFFERENT BRANDS AND
SIZES
SIZES TO
SIZES TO SEE WHICH ONE IS THE
BEST
BEST DEAL.
>>
>> DOWNSIZING SHRINKFLATION
REALLY
REALLY IS
REALLY IS HERE FOREVER. AS
LONG
LONG AS
LONG AS PRICES GO UP AS LONG
AS
AS MANUFACTURERS SEE, HIGH GAS
PRICES
PRICES ARE HIGH, RAW MATERIAL
COSTS.
COSTS. THEY'RE GOING TO FIND
SOME
SOME WAY
SOME WAY TO PASS ON THOSE
COSTS
COSTS TO
COSTS TO CONSUMERS IN MEMPHIS.
CAROLYN,
CAROLYN, SIR, TO FOX, 13 NEWS.
I
I DON'T
I DON'T NEED TO EAT ANY MORE
THAN
THAN I'M
THAN I'M ALREADY EATING. SO.
>>
>> I'M
>> I'M I'M OKAY WITH THE FOOD
SHORTAGE.
SHORTAGE. I'M I'M GAUGING MY
ANGER
ANGER RIGHT NOW AND MY DAD OR
MY
MY MATTER
MY MATTER AT THE COOKIES OR MY
MATTER,
MATTER, IT WILL PAY FOR I'M