Nov 26, 2008 11:00 pm US/Eastern
3 On Your Side: Shrinking Products
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
In these tough economic times, many of us are trying to get the most for our money. But when you shop in your local grocery store, depending on what you buy, you could be getting less than you thought.
3 On Your Side's Jim Donovan shows us how some of your favorite products are shrinking before your eyes.
From the cereal isle to frozen foods, there's a growing trend hitting supermarket shelves.
Packages are shrinking.
On many of these popular everyday items, you're actually paying the same or more, for less.
"The companies have found a sneaky way to pass on a price increase by taking out some of the content from the package but making the package look the same size," said Edgar Dworsky, consumer advocate and founder of mouseprint.org.
It's been going on for years, but we may be seeing more as a result of our slumping economy.
Take these jars of peanut butter for example. They might look the same. But when you compare them, you can see there are nearly two ounces less in this Skippy peanut butter jar than in this one.
"Most people don't check the net weight of a product to make sure it hasn't been reduced from the last time you purchased it," said Dworsky.
A box of Apple Jacks cereal has gone from 11 ounces to 8.7. And look at this jar of Hellman's mayonnaise.
The original jar contained 32 fluid ounces. That's now down to 30.
"Most people can't tell the difference between the old and the new except when they're side by side, and even when they're side by side you can't tell the difference," said Dworsky.
These two packages of Scott toilet paper both say 1000 sheets.
But the new sheets have been downsized. They were four and a half inches by four inches. Now they're four and a half by three point seven inches.
"I find it both misleading and somewhat deceptive," said Dan Howard, marketing professor at SMU.
In some cases, marketing experts say the practice lets companies increase prices without actually raising the price.
"Consumers notice the price before they turn the box over or the jar over and say 'gee, I'm actually getting fewer ounces of what I just bought," said Howard.
There's more. Originally Dial soap bars were 4.5 ounces, but they're now just 4.
And StarKist tuna is down one ounce from six to five.
"It makes me furious," said Howard.
But he says there is one thing consumers can do.
"Speak with your pocket book. Refuse to buy products that engage in tactics like that," said Howard.
Many companies say the decision to reduce product size is the result of rising manufacturing and distribution costs.
However, representatives from Scott Tissue say, while they did make the sheets smaller, they also thickened them.
RELATED LINK:
http://www.mouseprint.org/
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Openly Gay Celebrities
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments