Shrinkflation - examples?

[AM9]

Roses used to contain a selection of foil and paper wrappers as well as plastic ones. Now they've gone completely over to plastic which also uses more space.

It will be interesting to do a similar comparison on Quality Street.

Apologies for assuming that the original poster was referring to a change from plastic to paper, (there was a similar discussion a few weeks ago complaining of just that). As I said above, I rarely have chocolate like that. Is what you refer to as 'foil', pure aluminium, or metallised (plastic) film - a material that is almost impossible to recycle successfully? Pure aluminium foild is easily recycled provided the user separates it from other waste material.

 

[DannyMich2018]

Toffifee. We're sold in Poundland in packs of 12 for £1 (8.3p each) but now sold there in packs of 15 for £1.50 (10p each) so you get 25% more but pay 50% more. Also noticed today at lunch when I was munching on some Walkers Sensations how few there were in the bag!

 

[yorksrob]

Apologies for assuming that the original poster was referring to a change from plastic to paper, (there was a similar discussion a few weeks ago complaining of just that). As I said above, I rarely have chocolate like that. Is what you refer to as 'foil', pure aluminium, or metallised (plastic) film - a material that is almost impossible to recycle successfully? Pure aluminium foild is easily recycled provided the user separates it from other waste material.

No worries. It used to be pure aluminium.

 

[Busaholic]

This year's tub of Cadbury's Roses has declined from 600g previously to 550g.

When does a tub become a tubette?

 

[Butts]

When does a tub become a tubette?

it's almost down to the size the big cartons used to be.

 

[yorksrob]

When does a tub become a tubette?

About two years ago by my reckoning.

 

[yorksrob]

Interestingly, my tub of Quality Street remains at 600g as it was last year. Also the plastic wrappers have been replaced by paper.

I wonder if anyone can undertake a similar comparison of "the new kids on the block", Heroes and Celebrations"

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Interestingly, my tub of Quality Street remains at 600g as it was last year. Also the plastic wrappers have been replaced by paper.

Old stock being sold off, perhaps?

 

[yorksrob]

Old stock being sold off, perhaps?

The wrappers have changed since last time !

 

[Jon_jpwh]

I notice that Tesco have reduced their pack weights but kept the same price. Tesco Coronation Chicken Sandwich Filler and Tesco Egg Mayonnaise, both previously 250g but now 235g for £1.85

 

[Dai Corner]

Purina One dry cat food is now in 2.8kg packs instead of 3kg

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I notice that Tesco have reduced their pack weights but kept the same price.

If I correctly recall, they did that with strawberries a little earlier in the year. 300g pack size reduced to maybe 227g size, but with the pack's price, at the time, remaining the same, at, I think, around £2.00. Possibly all part of their pledge to be competitive, on certain items, at certain times, with Aldi.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

McCain's chips seem to have abandoned their 2.1kg bag in favour of 1.6kg.

I assume the price hasn't changed...?

 

[Trackman]

Interestingly, my tub of Quality Street remains at 600g as it was last year. Also the plastic wrappers have been replaced by paper.

I wonder if anyone can undertake a similar comparison of "the new kids on the block", Heroes and Celebrations"

There was a bit of a hoo-ha over net and gross weight not long since.
Think they are measured as gross (with wrapping) not net weight (the actual chocolates themselves)

 

[dgl]

Noticed that a few of the branded blocks of butter have gone from 250g to 200g, though a block looked a bit small and checked the weight. Own brands still seem to be 250g though.

 

[AM9]

Noticed that a few of the branded blocks of butter have gone from 250g to 200g, though a block looked a bit small and checked the weight. Own brands still seem to be 250g though.

Yes the anchor spreadable is now in 400g (down from 500g) or 750g packs.

 

[Farigiraf]

In the last few months Co-op milk has gone from 1.5L £1.10 to 2 pints (about 1.2L, seems they have switched to imperial to hide the shrinkflation) and £1.35

 

[dangie]

Thank goodness pubs still sell draught beer in pints and not half litres as is bottled beer.

 

[Dai Corner]

Thank goodness pubs still sell draught beer in pints and not half litres as is bottled beer.

Yes. And to be fair my regular pub hasn't put prices up for at least two years. I think the last time was during the COVID thingy when they started accepting cards.

 

[DM352]

Yorkie bar from like 25 years ago. Is tiny now they need a "king size" one.

Not shrinkflation but had a mega cheapo Cadbury bar from a discount store some 20 years ago and it tasted awful though packaging looked the same. Was made somewhere in eastern europe and tasted worse than a Cadbury bar made under license by Hersheys.

Going back to shrinkflation we see 850g Christmas Cadbury bars UK made formally 1kg. They are at least 850g again this year.

 

[davehsug]

After decades with stable pack sizes of 80,160,240 etc. PG Tips tea bags are now in 210s not 240s. The Asda price was £5.50, so not much difference to the old price for 240. They just have us over a barrel.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

After decades with stable pack sizes of 80,160,240 etc. PG Tips tea bags are now in 210s not 240s. The Asda price was £5.50, so not much difference to the old price for 240. They just have us over a barrel.

Yorkshire Tea went to 210 from 240 a good while ago.

Cadbury Instant drinking chocolate (the no milk needed variety) recently dropped from 400g to 300g for the same price of £3.15.
Fairy non-bio washing powder has shrunk in weight but still claims to be the same number of washes per box. Was 2.6kg, now 2.4kg same £9.00 per box. Or 4.225kg to 3.9kg same £13.50 per box.

 

[Simon75]

It was happening with washing powder over 10 years with a P&G ( Procter and Gamble) rep claiming its due a improved formula

 

[davews]

I Can't Believe it's not Butter is now in 450gm packs instead of 500gm. The pork chops I got the other day seemed much thinner than normal but didn't check the weight.

 

[Ediswan]

"Yorkshire Provender" soup in 560 g pots rather than the 600 g used by other brands.

 

[d9009alycidon]

These tactics by manufacturers are nothing new, my father worked in the tobacco industry from the 1960s to the 1980s and I remember him telling me that they would shorten the length of a cigarette by 1mm every couple of years, nobody ever noticed, but when the factory spat out millions of cigarettes each week the saving was substantial.

 

[52290]

I do like a glass of Morrison's Sicilian Vermentino to wash down my mackerel salad. So a week or two ago I noticed that the store had both the 2021 and the 2022 vintages on the shelf side by side and going for the same price. The labels were identical, except for the year which was printed in very small type. On reading the back label there was another difference. The abv of the 2021 was 12.5% and the 2022 was 11%. Quite a sneaky form of shrinkflation.

 

[AM9]

I do like a glass of Morrison's Sicilian Vermentino to wash down my mackerel salad. So a week or two ago I noticed that the store had both the 2021 and the 2022 vintages on the shelf side by side and going for the same price. The labels were identical, except for the year which was printed in very small type. On reading the back label there was another difference. The abv of the 2021 was 12.5% and the 2022 was 11%. Quite a sneaky form of shrinkflation.

So you only buy it for its alcohol content?

 

[52290]

So you only buy it for its alcohol content?

Well I wouldn't like it without any alcohol content!

 

[Lost property]

A casual browse in Tesco revealed Heinz baked beans, formerly sold as a three pack, now reduced to...two