Senior Moments by Mary Migliaro, Parent Mentor
It happens to everyone these days. You grab a snack and take it from the box it came in, then you open it up and realize that it shrank! You think your eyes are deceiving you, but they aren’t. You have entered the world of shrinknation!
You could have sworn that cinnamon roll was bigger. Guess what? You were right. I purchased a sweet roll I used to love, but when I opened it, the roll was half the size I used to get. It used to be the size of my hand, but now it was the size of my palm. It was supposed to have pecans in it, but I only tasted one tiny morsel of a nut.
There is even breakfast cereal that comes in three separate flavors, but as it turns out, one of those flavors is smaller than the other two flavors. A friend of mine makes a snack mix with these cereals, and she must buy two boxes of the smaller flavor to add to it.
During the last few years, many of us have seen inflation in the form of higher prices at the grocery store. But shrinkflation, a lesser-known phenomenon, may have also led to you paying more for less, and perhaps even without noticing.
So, what is shrinkflation? It is the practice of reducing a product’s size, weight, or quantity while keeping its retail price the same. It allows manufacturers and retailers to manage rising production costs while maintaining sales volume, operating margin, and profitability.
Why do companies do it? Several reasons:
• Hidden Price Hikes.
• Offsetting Costs:
• Maintaining Price Points: Brands can keep an iconic price tag (like a $1.84 snack bag) while quietly reducing how much product is inside.
Here are some common examples:
• Chocolate bars feature wider gaps between pieces, and chip bags contain fewer ounces of product.
• Paper Goods: Toilet paper and paper towel rolls have fewer sheets or smaller sheet dimensions on inner cardboard cores.
•Household Groceries: Ice cream containers, cereal boxes, and coffee packages frequently drop in volume while keeping identical shelf prices.
What can we consumers do about this?
• Look at the small price-per-ounce or price-per-pound tag on the store shelf rather than the overall price of the item.
• Look for Redesigns: Noticeable package updates or claims of “new look” can sometimes mask a smaller quantity inside.
• Compare Old and New: Keep track of net weight labels on pantry staples you buy routinely.
Another grocery store reminder besides never shop when you’re hungry is this: Don’t “grab and go.” Or you may find your food is a shadow of its former self.
Mary Migliaro, a Senior Golden Girl, contributes regularly to the Progress. She may be reached
marymigliaro@aol.com
