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Original poster

Worst/ craziest examples of shrinkflation?

131 replies

BluebellBlueballs · 15/02/2023 07:37

Manufacturers, we are not stupid. We know you are making everything smaller to look like we are paying the same or only a small increase in price for the same goods.

But have boxes of chocolate eggs ever come on anything less than six in a Bix? Not in all of time. Until yesterday when I got a box of oreo eggs which now has FIVE in the box.

And Toblerones are supposed to be a row of lovely peaks. Now the peaks have big fat valleys between them.

Anyone have any other examples of this?

OP posts:
FlamingoQueen · 15/02/2023 13:27

Mcvities little bars (millionaire shortbread ones and similar) - the packaging looks the same but the bars are nearly half the size. It’s such a waste of packaging too. Refuse to buy them now.

Pinkywoo · 15/02/2023 13:29

Mmmmdanone · 15/02/2023 09:00

Terry's chocolate orange now have concave segments.

WHAT?!

daisychain01 · 15/02/2023 13:31

ifonly4 · 15/02/2023 10:46

On top of Nescafe reducing the amount of sachets and no sprinkles, they've gone up from £1.69 to £2.10.

From time to time there are special offers on the Nescafé boxes, down to £1.60 so I only ever buy them at the offer price and keep an eagle-eye on the 8 in a box to make sure they haven't shrunkflated the box to 7. I'm so cynical now, I think the quantity in each sachet has been shaved, as another way to rob us!

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 15/02/2023 13:35

I remember Terry’s chocolate orange when it had a central stalk but in plain chocolate. They were yummy.

Techno56 · 15/02/2023 13:44

Asda extra special chipolatas...they're about 2/3 of the length they used to be and look so weird 😫

DaisyCornflowerBlue · 15/02/2023 14:34

Lion bars are diddy now.

Mmmmdanone · 15/02/2023 14:36

Pinkywoo · 15/02/2023 13:29

WHAT?!

Show quote history

Apparently it has been like this since 2016. Sad times. See pic of old versus new:

Worst/ craziest examples of shrinkflation?
hattie43 · 15/02/2023 14:38

Sausages - 8 pack now 6
Mars bar was a substantial treat now it's 2 mouthfuls
Restaurant meals are poorer quality meat and smaller portions
Family cake was 8 good slices now it's easily quartered .

eleven2023 · 15/02/2023 15:18

Cheese! Cathedral city used to be 500g back a few years ago and has got smaller and smaller over the years and is now 350g in Asda. Same for the other brands prices are increasing and amount decreasing!

Original poster
BluebellBlueballs · 15/02/2023 15:32

WolfFoxHare · 15/02/2023 13:15

When they say it's due to customer demand, it's because they ask leading questions. "Would you like our product to be be less fattening?" so they reduce the size of the portions etc etc.

I could do that myself by buying the old size version and cutting it in two! Half the fat, half the calories....

OP posts:
Qqbank01 · 15/02/2023 15:40

Multipack crisps, used to buy 30 packs in lidi for £2.4 something and now is £3.49

xogossipgirlxo · 15/02/2023 15:56

Oooh now I crave chocolate orange. Shame I don't have any at home 😩

WolfFoxHare · 15/02/2023 16:10

BluebellBlueballs · 15/02/2023 15:32

I could do that myself by buying the old size version and cutting it in two! Half the fat, half the calories....

Show quote history

Exactly! If they asked "Would you like to pay more for less product?" obviously no-one would say yes. But say "Do you sometimes worry that our products are too fattening?" and most people surveyed will say "Yes" so then they can say "Fear not, we've cut portion size! Due to popular demand."

isthismylifenow · 15/02/2023 16:29

xogossipgirlxo · 15/02/2023 13:16

Tube isn't narrower now, it's just shorter.

Show quote history

It's definitely narrower here , but I'm not in the UK so perhaps different to yours. It seems the same length, just thinner. Even the chips are much smaller.

So I won't take offence by being called fat handed upthread for schnarfing too many Pringles. I feel like a need to buy a tube now for demo purposes of trying to get the chips out. In our house only my DD can now get into the tube (she is really small built) so we are a household of seemingly fat handed folk here 😀

Itspoonotpoop · 15/02/2023 16:33

Gold bars 🤣

I bought my first pack of Gold Bars since the 00s and my god, they're tiny little things now.

I was gutted when I unwrapped one! I ate all 6 in one go and had no regrets.

chipndip · 15/02/2023 16:33

Oreo eggs have been five to a pack for a good few years now.

12BottlesOfVintageChampagne · 15/02/2023 17:19

Too flippin' right, @ReviewingTheSituation! I buy the big value packs and was pleased to find a 96 pack for "only" £31!

Sadly, one of my girls is a delicate princess and can only manage Whiskas fish in jelly Sad

Grumpybutfunny · 15/02/2023 17:35

I would rather they increased the prices but that would hit the poor harder as they are less likely to be able to absorb the cost.

mrsredhat · 15/02/2023 17:48

Bachelors cup a soups. Used to be 6 in a box, then 5 - now 4. How much longer can it be before each pack is boxed separately?

Andrex wipes (don't judge). Was 40 for £1. Now 36 (so 10%less ) and so thin!

I swear to god manufacturers think customers are stupid.

Mind you, when you see a woman put a 10 pack of chocolate rolls in her basket at £3.25 , and not pick up 2 5 packs at £1.25 each perhaps they're right...

Overthebloodymoon · 15/02/2023 17:53

Gold bars are minute!

Oven baked Walkers. Literally get 6 crisps in a bag now. I let DC have two bags the other day as thought it was a manufacturing fault with one batch. It wasn’t. Won’t be buying again!

Pebble21uk · 15/02/2023 18:13

Nescafe Azera... tins used to be 100g and now reduced to 90g for the same price (or may have even gone up in price - I only buy it when it's on offer) 10g is actually quite substantial when it's such a fine powder!

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 15/02/2023 18:54

Overthebloodymoon · 15/02/2023 17:53

Gold bars are minute!

Oven baked Walkers. Literally get 6 crisps in a bag now. I let DC have two bags the other day as thought it was a manufacturing fault with one batch. It wasn’t. Won’t be buying again!

Can’t even get oven baked Walkers round me😟

ClimbingRoseBush · 15/02/2023 19:02

Greggs scones. They haven’t even reduced the size of the box, just taken a scone out so they’re all rattly in the box.

KleineDracheKokosnuss · 15/02/2023 19:03

Bacon from ALDI now has 7 rashers instead of 8.

Itspoonotpoop · 15/02/2023 19:03

I've noticed shops selling Jacobs crinkle cut crisps again and those packets are absolutely full!! (As an alternative - if anyone wants any 🤣)