Is anyone else discombobulated by shrinking product sizes?

[Begonne]

I’ll admit I’m completely scatterbrained and there’s probably a more efficient way to organise a household but I didn’t used to have to actively think about the quantities I buy, and a certain amount of shopping was on automatic pilot. But now things keep changing size, and where one packet did for a week, we fall short. Or I buy two and have some over and either forget to top up or buy another and have to find space to store the extra.

Now I have to constantly stop and check the price and try to guess if the package has shrunk, or rejig a meal plan because you didn’t spot that 1kg has shrunk to 800g, and it all just adds to the mental load, along with totting up the running totals, and the general anxieties about costs.

I know shrinking sizes is keeping things affordable but is anyone else just head wrecked by it?

I don't buy much chocolate (not claiming to be healthy eaters we just prefer cake!) but really fancied a kit kat chunky so bought a multi pack from B&M. It was tiny! Nowhere near as big as I remember!

Yes!! I bought new Bath Sheets (as opposed to Bath Towels) ..... they are not as big as my current Bath Sheets!

I thought I'd gained 6inches all over, overnight. Most discombobulating.

Lurpak tubs have gone down to 400g on the quiet. Sly buggers.

Yeah, 1/2 way through making a lasagne l discovered there were 2 less sheets in the pack.

A good thing to discover 1/2 way through cooking🫤

Yep same here mushrooms I noticed today same price pack has shrunk.

Sorry what does discombobulating mean?

@Tlolljs Tesco us the opposite... pack has gone from 300g to 400g. Price obviously increased too.

Loads of things have shrunk in size, pastry sheets, toothpaste, cakes and chocolate are my most annoying things.

I'm getting bored of having to order washing powder every 3rd week it seems as the biggest pack has now shrunk.

Plus we had one load of toilet rolls that were individually about half the size of the ones we normally get! I was forever replacing the bloody things.

It's very obvious when you do your shopping online and shop from you 'favourites', because they discontinue a product and then suggest an alternative - the exact same thing but more expensive and reduced in weight.

YES!!!! Cereal sizes for me, 4 big bowls worth in some, not practical for a family, with no larger alternative in some varieties. Wash 'n' Go is now travel size. Seems to be a false economy and bad for the environment due to excess packaging. Predicted size of Quality Street tin in 2050 . . . . . . . . . .🛑

Tesco and M&S - now 5 large vine tomatoes in a pack instead of 6 and they cover up the space with lots of designi on the packaging. The check out lady in M&S was convinced I'd picked up a dodgy pack and was pretty shocked when I told her that it was a deliberate act

Philadelphia down from 180g to 165g tubs... the cheesecake recipe I use it for needs 200g. 180g used to be just about enough but 165g is just too small so I need to open two. Grrrr.

We do a big monthly home delivered shop - it's gone up massively in price last 12 months but few months ago everything we usually get ran out an entire week earlier than usual.

Few weeks later saw in reduced section shortbread instore baked treats - grabbed them got home they used to be square now they were rectangles and less than half of previous size. I think they stopped selling them as at the price and size no- one is buying.

I thought anchor butter was a decent price until I realised it has dropped 50g

State of confusion

I noticed this too.

I agree. It's not quite so bad if it's something like butter that you keep on the go all the time anyway, but if it's a pack of a major ingredient for a meal, especially something that goes off quickly, you then have to know to buy two packs and then are left with 75% of the second pack to have to use up another time.

I hate shrinkflation - it's just so inherently dishonest and intended to deceive. Nothing stopping them from keeping the same pack size but also introducing a new smaller one for a lower price, if they're genuinely concerned that people want/can only afford a lesser amount. Also annoying with multipacks, if they used to contain just enough for one/two each for your family, but now they're one short.

Given that the lead in time for recipe formulation, inner package size, outer package size and so on, manufacturers must have started planning the shrinkage of products months ago. Cynical or what?

I find this with Tesco- so many products on my favourites list "no longer available" but " you might like to try this pack of the same product with 10% less in for 10% more than the cost of the bigger pack you used to buy. "

Yes it’s really annoying. I had a pack of bacon the other weekend - used to be 8 rashers, now 7. What bloody good is that when making bacon sandwiches? We have 4 in our household. Some poor sod is only going to get 1 rasher.

Given that the lead in time for recipe formulation, inner package size, outer package size and so on, manufacturers must have started planning the shrinkage of products months ago. Cynical or what?

Exactly. It must be a huge, long-planned faff for them - all just to attempt to deceive their loyal customers. Also, how do they time it so that the 1kg packs have all been sold just before they supply the new 925g packs to fill the shelves up and down the country? Surely they don't just chuck the old bigger packaging, do they?

Crisps, some varieties you only get a handful, cookie biscuits are easily eaten in one one. Richmond thick sausages, aren’t actually thick anymore and the thin ones are stick thin.

Butter seems to have shrunk massively recently
Cereal bars are all 5 packs instead of 6 packs they used to be
Same with most packs of cakes/treats
Boxes of cereal seem to get half as many portions
Chocolate bars
Packs of ice lollies are 5 packs instead of 6 packs

noticed This a few months back with those go ahead Apple bar packs. You used to get five wrapped packs of three biscuits. Now it’s only four wrapped packs.