The Inflation You’re Not Supposed to Notice – Opinion

All of us know inflation is taking a toll on our wallets these days, and filling up at gas stations feels like visiting a doctor. But have you caught yourself thinking, “Gee, that bag of chips I just bought for $4.49 seems kinda small?” It’s not your imagination—it’s happening all around you as companies try to cope with Biden’s record 8.26 percent inflation. Simply put, you‘re not only paying more, but you’re also getting less.

Stagflation, inflation and shrinkflation. pic.twitter.com/hiqnUGs56W

— howardfineman (@howardfineman) June 7, 2022

Source: The Associated Press

A small Kleenex box in the U.S. now contains 60 tissue, while it used to have 65 tissues a few months back. The Chobani Flips yogurts are now 4.6 ounces in weight, down from 5.3 ounces. Nestle has reduced its Nescafe Azera Americano espresso tins by 100g to 90g in the U.K. Indian Vim dish soap bars have shrunk from 135 to 155g.

Personal note: I went to a Mexican restaurant near me today, and ordered a taco combination with fries and soda. Don’t shame me, I was hungry. It was almost $8, and I felt like a fool when I opened the bag. taco? It made me feel like I had an extra French fry.

Consumer advocate and former assistant attorney general in Massachusetts Edgar Dworsky explains the phenomenon, saying shrinkflation “comes in waves. We happen to be in a tidal wave at the moment because of inflation.” From the AP:

Dworsky said shrinkflation appeals to manufacturers because they know customers will notice price increases but won’t keep track of net weights or small details, like the number of sheets on a roll of toilet paper. Companies can also employ tricks to draw attention away from downsizing, like marking smaller packages with bright new labels that draw shoppers’ eyes.

One thing reducing the size of packages does is allow companies to avoid the one thing they don’t want to do—raise prices. Domino’s Pizza, for instance, didn’t reduce its price for chicken wings in January—it’s still $7.99—but now you get 8 pieces instead of 10.

Shrinkflation isn’t new, experts say. It gets worse when there are rising prices for labor and ingredients. Which is a fancy way of saying that Biden’s war on energy has jacked the price of gas up so much that companies are doing everything they can to cope.

Every once in a while, shrinkflation, also known as “down-switching,” can reverse; in good times companies face increased competition and actually lower their prices or introduce larger packages for the same price. But don’t hold your breath. Dworsky says once a product has gotten smaller, it’s probably going to stay that way.  “Upsizing is kind of rare,” he said. It’s kind of like taxes or fees—once politicians introduce them, they rarely take them away.

Shrinkflation isn’t new, as we’ve said; it actually dramatically increased during the COVID pandemic.  Here’s a list from 2021 from BusinessInsider of some of the more extreme examples:

• Walmart Great Value paper towels dropped to 168 sheets per roll from 120 while their price has not changed.
• Frito-Lay reduced regular Doritos bags from 9.75 to 9.25 ounces.
• Hershey almost doubled the size of its 18-ounce box of dark chocolate Kisses.
• Hefty’s mega pack went from 90 bags to 80 bags, at the same price.
• General Mills shrunk its “family size” boxes from 19.3 ounces to 18.1 ounces—a drop of nearly 10%.
• Tillamook reduced the size of its Ice Cream Carts from 56 to 48 ounces.
• Some of Royal Canin’s cans of cat food now weigh 5.1 ounces, down from 5.9 ounces—but they still cost the same.
• Cadbury changed the shape of its famous Dairy Milk bars in 2013—and changed the size of them, too. Individual pieces are now rounded at the edges, and have nearly 10% more chocolate than they used to.

Remember, that’s BeforeCurrent inflation crisis It’s only gotten worse since.

Americans are hurting, and this hidden cost is just another example of how Biden’s policies are destroying the middle-class lifestyle. We’re being lectured constantly on trans ideology, diversity, threats to democracy, etc., but we’re ignoring the real problem: Life is getting increasingly unaffordable.

Simply put, you’re not getting what you thought you paid for.