Food & Products Which Are Downsizing

[TheSkipper]

More people are becoming aware that food and products are shrinking, but the prices don't.

Do you accept this as normal?

Does it put you off the products or do you just shop smarter? I am curious to hear opinions on this.

[JIMBO]

It depends how much I need or like a product, sometimes brands do it just to increase the sales when they return to the normal size.  

[BromPie]

Sometimes it stops the cost from increasing.

It all depends on what it is, if there are any good alternatives and could they be avoided. Its not something I generally bother with, but you do notice at times.

[Chris]

This is something that @cheeky~k8 is very much aware of, she can also instantly figure out what offers make sense and, of course saving money in the long run. You might notice multiple sized items, sometimes the smaller things are more than the bigger stuff.

Example Cadbury chocolate.

You can often get a 200g bar of milk chocolate for a better price than the 100g.

It's annoying, but people just need to be smarter about their shopping and spending habits.

[cheeky~k8]

Most of the time i will find alternatives or different pack sizes that work out cheaper, if thats not possible i will stick with the brand but buy it less often.

If i really like something i will still get it but only if my budget allows as thats the most important thing, it needs to be affordable.

[liampie]

it only annoys me really when the price goes up and the amount goes down, like creme eggs going from 6 to 5.

then making them more expensive.

if you buy them at the right time they can be got for no more than £2.

[CliftonMagpie]

Supermarkets don't want you to notice, which is why they move items which commonly end up being reduced in size. The will be promotions at times which will distract you from it too.

It's just one of those things in life that will never change.

[DangerousSausage]

I notice it. It is annoying, but I'm very good at sniffing out a good deal.

It's been happening for a long time, but it's worth remembering that since a certain referendum, the value of the pound has fallen by something like 20%, which means that imported food or ingredients are more expensive. Companies evidently think we're less likely to notice that portions are a bit smaller than if they put prices up.

[cheeky~k8]

@CliftonMagpie Alot of the promotions of reduced sized products go on offer to the price they should be due to the reduced size.

[allardyces tash]

23 hours ago, DangerousSausage said:

It's been happening for a long time, but it's worth remembering that since a certain referendum, the value of the pound has fallen by something like 20%, which means that imported food or ingredients are more expensive. Companies evidently think we're less likely to notice that portions are a bit smaller than if they put prices up.

Exactly this, I would rather them make products and items smaller than to wack a few more quid onto the price.

People just have to spot the changes and balance them with potential alternatives, these days some of the none branded stuff are the same, if not better than the original products.

[Joshua]

Its annoying in both senses, you get a small amount of pocket money to get some stuff for school or the way home. Then you cant afford a bottle of drink because it's like £1.65 and you feel hungry.

Then you can afford a drink, but the bottles at small, it takes about 3 seconds to drink because you're that thirsty.

[DangerousSausage]

16 minutes ago, allardyces tash said:

Exactly this, I would rather them make products and items smaller than to wack a few more quid onto the price.

People just have to spot the changes and balance them with potential alternatives, these days some of the none branded stuff are the same, if not better than the original products.

In Germany (and maybe in the UK too?), many own brands really are identical to the branded products - they are the same products made by the same company at the same factory. Only the packaging is different. You can check this by looking at a code on the packaging - if two supposedly different products have the same code, they are in fact identical.

For example, Golden Toast is a popular brand of bread here, yet Lidl and Aldi sell the very same bread from the same manufacturer in their own packaging for a quarter of the price. Manufacturers do this to capture every segment of the market. Just don't waste your money on fancy brand names, as in some cases that's all you're getting.

[CliftonMagpie]

On 30/01/2020 at 19:58, cheeky~k8 said:

@CliftonMagpie Alot of the promotions of reduced sized products go on offer to the price they should be due to the reduced size.

That's true.

Don't be fooled by buy one, get one frees as this often comes at a price hike after.  

[cheeky~k8]

I know... Theres alot of tricks.

[NottsTastic]

It’s a good excuse to try something different if you asked me.

[cheeky~k8]

@NottsTastic it definetly is, finding something new which can sometimes be so much better aswell.

[NCRichie]

I prefer things to get a bit smaller, instead of a lot more expensive. Companies don't whack on a small charge, it tends be a higher % of the overall fee.

[AmericanPie]

It happens both ways in the US, you see products get smaller or bigger. I don't get frustrated by it, lifes to short.