'Shrinkflation': Consumer packaging gets smaller but prices stay the same
Inflation is at its highest point in decades, but there may be some hard-to-spot price hikes in the supermarket aisles, disguised from consumers by creative packaging.
Consumer advocate Edgar Dworsky said "shrinkflation," another term for product downsizing or manufacturers putting less product in a package for the same price, is more common during times of inflation.
"It really does come in waves and, unfortunately, we are in the middle of a big wave right now," said Dworsky, founder of ConsumerWorld.org.
"Prices are going up, and I think companies want to do the most to make sure it looks like they're not the ones raising their prices," Milwaukee shopper Sam Krieg observed.
Dworsky highlighted examples of shrinkflation.
"We always used to buy half-a-gallon of orange juice. Then it went down to 59 ounces. Then it went down to 52 ounces," he said.
Consumers are likely to find fewer sheets in a roll of paper towels, less pet food in a can or maybe an ounce less of cereal in a box.
"That little 1-ounce multiplied by tens of millions is big bucks in their pocket, and out of your pocket," Dworsky said.
He said other manufacturers may change the shape of their package.
"There's now an indent on the bottom of the Skippy jar that's, in essence, dead space. Gatorade came in 32-ounce bottles. They're now 28 ounces. Look for the one that kind of has a waistline on it. That's the one that's 4 ounces shorter," Dworsky said.
Sister station WISN found an example of downsizing on a Milwaukee store's shelf.
The older package for a tube of Crest 3D White toothpaste showed it contained 4.1 ounces, while the newer package listed 3.8 ounces.
Selling for the same price, the newer tube contained 7% less toothpaste.
Crest's parent company, Procter & Gamble sent a statement to WISN 12 saying in part, "P&G takes a holistic view of pricing by product category... Our focus is on delivering superior products with the best performance, ultimately delivering value to our consumers."
The best advice for shoppers may be to check the price per ounce or per unit, which is often posted in smaller print on the store shelf.
But even that may be hard to find because not all states require stores to post a unit price.
Nineteen states require some form of unit pricing, WISN reports.
Dworsky said consumers who don't routinely check unit prices may not be aware when a product has been downsized.
"Manufacturers are counting on consumers not noticing," he said.
But is it an attempt to deceive consumers?
"It certainly is a bit of package trickery, to say the least. Does it cross the line to be illegal? No," Dworsky said.
It's just a cleverly disguised hit to your household budget.