"Shrinkflation" is where products get smaller in weight, size, or quantity while their prices stay the same – or even increase.
As companies struggle with rising costs and supply chain issues, shrinkflation is becoming increasingly common. In fact, a recent survey by Morning Consult revealed that 64% of Americans are worried that they're spending more to get less when they go shopping.
To make matters worse, shrinkflation can be difficult to detect. Read on as we look at some recent examples of the phenomenon posted by sharp-eyed Reddit community users.
According to the Morning Consult survey, 55% of Americans have noticed shrinkflation when it comes to their favorite snacks.
"Kroger sour gummi worms dropped a full ounce, same price. I'm sure they are doing their whole candy line" posted Reddit user FilmHorizontally, along with an image showing that Gummi Worms candy have reduced their bag size from 7.5 ounces to 6.5 ounces.
The brand has cleverly changed the packaging to distract from the decrease.
Another popular candy that's fallen victim to shrinkflation is M&M's.
A party-sized bag of the tasty treat has seemingly reduced from 42 ounces to 38 ounces, as showcased by eagle-eyed Reddit user Armageddon13.
Oreo cookies also seem to have fallen victim to shrinkflation.
"Same price, 2 cookies less," quipped redditor Whistler_V6T when sharing this snap of the snack. It appears that the king-sized Oreos pack has been reduced by 20%, dropping from 10 cookies to eight.
The Morning Consult survey revealed that nearly half (49%) of Americans will purchase a different brand when they notice shrinkflation, while 48% will opt to buy a generic brand rather than a named brand.
"Same great price! Now with fewer bars!" observed i_want_lime_skittles about Earth’s Best Organic Sesame Street snack bars. Judging by the Redditor's post, it appears the brand has reduced the number of bars in a box from eight to seven.
While shrinkflation can help businesses cut costs, around 30% of Americans admitted that they will stop buying from brands that use the risky strategy.
Pantry items have also suffered at the hands of shrinkflation, with 40% of the US adults surveyed claiming they’d noticed it among store cupboard favorites.
According to reddit user hudson78, the box of Rice Krispies on the left was bought in December 2020 and contains 24oz of cereal. Meanwhile, the box on the right was bought in 2022 and contains just 18oz, though both are branded as "family size."
At first glance, the two boxes appear to be similar in dimensions, but the box on the right is actually thinner.
Another cereal impacted is Cocoa Pebbles.
An image posted by Reddit user blackagent shows two "family-sized" boxes of the popular cereal.
The left box contains 19.5 ounces of cereal and retails for $4.79, while the original packaging on the right contains 20.5 ounces and costs less at $3.99.
Shoppers have also found they’re getting less for more when it comes to Folgers Classic Roast ground coffee.
According to Reddit user BennySmudge, the tub on the left contains 11.3oz of ground coffee and was purchased for $4.98. However, a month later, the coffee tin on the right was sold containing just 9.6oz of product, yet cost more at $5.32.
Despite the difference in the product quantity, the containers appear to be almost identical.
Frozen foods aren't safe from shrinkflation either, with 39% of the Americans quizzed claiming they’ve noticed it in this sector.
One example is frozen pizza. "Tombstone pizza new packaging equals less product and higher prices (Sad day for pizza lovers)" posted VictoriaWTX.
The old packaging on the left weighs 550 grams, while the new packaging on the right weighs 523 grams. "Price went from $4 to $5.50 at my local store in Virginia, US." The Reddit user added.
Morning Consult's research also found that 37% of Americans have noticed shrinkage in meat products.
"The worst one I've seen so far – normally 2.5 oz for $8.59, now 2.0 oz. Who would pay almost $9 for that small amount of Jerky???" ranted Reddit user These-are-beans, while comparing the old (right) and new (left) sizes of Country Archer Provisions Beef Jerky.
And it's not just food. Just under one-third (29%) of Americans surveyed have also noticed shrinkflation in their favorite beverages too.
"Not Monster too!! Same price, different can, went from 16 OZ to 12 OZ," posted Reddit user Hunfold when comparing the old and new packaging for the popular energy drink.
Deceptively, the Monster can that contains 12oz of liquid (right) is taller but thinner than the brand's old 16oz packaging, which is shown on the left.
Meanwhile, Reddit user jaba1337 uploaded a post about their favorite soft drink, writing: "Simply Lemonade (and many other juices) have gone from 64oz to 59oz to 52oz over the years while the price has remained the same or increased."
Simply Lemonade used a similar strategy to Monster, disguising the product down-size by packaging the 52oz beverage (right) in a taller but thinner bottle.
Pure Leaf iced tea has reduced its bottle size from 18.5 fluid ounces to 16.9 fluid ounces in recent times, as shown by this image posted by Redditor elise_oisen_.
According to the Morning Consult survey, 18% of Americans have researched alternative products that haven't been impacted by shrinkflation in a bid to tackle the great decrease.
It appears no sector is safe from shrinkflation, with 28% of US adults stating they'd also noticed the worrying trend when it came to dairy products.
Tillamook ice cream has reduced its tub sizes from 1.75qts to 1.5qts.
According to the Morning Consult poll, other sectors affected by shrinkflation include bread and pastries, and produce, with 31% and 27% of Americans reporting size reductions in these categories respectively.
It isn’t just food and beverages: seemingly anything can fall victim to shrinkflation, including bath and beauty products.
"Safeguard lost some weight!" Reddit user Wmozi420 pithily observed alongside an image that showed how Safeguard soap bars have reduced in size from 4 ounces to 3.2 ounces.
xLuckyBunny was put out to discover that CeraVe facial lotion from Walmart had reduced its size from 3 ounces to 2 ounces.
Meanwhile, a family-sized bottle of Suave hair conditioner has also dropped in size, falling from 30oz (right) to 22.5oz (left).
In this particular instance, which was shared by Reddit user amydiddler, the difference in the size of the bottles is glaringly obvious.
Despite the packaging being almost the same size, Ziploc freezer bags have reduced their bags-per-pack quantity from 28 to 25.
The Morning Consult study found that 33% of Americans who notice shrinkflation will actively opt to buy a product in bulk rather than purchase smaller packages.
However, even buying in larger quantities isn't a guaranteed way to avoid shrinkflation.
For example, a bulk-size box of Pampers baby wipes that previously contained 1,200 wipes has now been reduced to 1,040 wipes.
Sharing the discovery on Reddit, kmmmurphy97 posted: "Just bought the case on the bottom for the same price as the case on the top. 160 less wipes for the same price, thanks pampers!"
While some of the examples in our round-up are glaringly obvious, companies can also be clever when it comes to hiding shrinkage.
"Gatorade (USA) now 28oz instead of 32oz! They put it in a taller bottle to trick everyone, though!" warned Reddit user Weatherman70 in a post about the new Gatorade packaging.
Even though companies use deceptive tactics, only 8% of the Americans quizzed said they would return a product that they had noticed had shrunk in size. Just under a fifth (16%) have taken no action at all about shrinkflation.
Now take a look at America's biggest product recalls of 2022