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Shrinkflation

Started by Nomad, 12-03-18, 07:39PM

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Nomad

Prompted by a recent news article (and notsofunny).

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/news/shrinkflation-10-food-products-have-got-smaller-since-brexit/

Completely agree with notsofunny as there are more than several items in my shopping that I 'decant' into other containers, they no longer fill those containers to the level they did.

Is it known whether shrinkflation is taken into account when food inflation figures are calculated ?
Nomad ( Forum Admin )
It's better to be up in arms than down on your knees.

OvaSees

#1
Shrinkflation has been going on for years, it is everything to do with exploiting consumers for commercial gain and nothing to do with Brexit - that's just more political scaremongering. It was being reported 5 years ago before Brexit was even an issue;-
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-2319424/Products-getting-smaller-price-pay-stays-same.html

Every single year, when manufacturers and retailers get caught at it they always attribute it to the latest political fad to perversely justify the practice. In 2013, Snickers and Mars chocolate bars were shrunk for the second time in five years "to help Britain's obesity crisis". Each bar lost 10g as part of Mars UK's pledge to have a maximum 250 calories in each of its products. However, the price of the bars remained the same, equivalent to a 12% rise in the price of a Mars bar and it was nothing but Newspeak for us to be told it was good for us.

To blame it on Brexit is more of the same utter nonsense, it is confectionary products that are the worst culprits yet the European import price of sugar sank to its lowest level on record last year, while cocoa prices have dropped sharply since record highs in 2015. The 'blame it on Brexit' claim is debunked very well here;-
https://inews.co.uk/news/chocolate-bars-really-getting-smaller-dont-blame-brexit/

Just don't get me started on the impending sugar tax....

lordadmiral

No shrinkflation is not taken into account. Never was. All over the world people try to measure it but its to hard.
Look at colmans range. https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/4133298/colmans-shrinks-the-size-of-its-tartare-sauce-jars-by-100ml-but-doesnt-adjust-price-to-match-reduction/

Nomad

So it is probable that the inflation figure released by the government is totally inaccurate, as far as food inflation is concerned.
Nomad ( Forum Admin )
It's better to be up in arms than down on your knees.

grim up north

I think most things have got smaller. When we first started receiving toilet rolls at my DC, we struggled to get them in the warehouse because the pallets were double stacked. Now they come through the door comfortably even though there is the same amount on the pallet. Also we are constantly having to re-measure/weigh products because we are informed of a size change. They nearly always are lighter than previously.

FatFraz


Nomad

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/690957/Tesco-Asda-Thorntons-Nestle-Cadbury-chocolate-Easter-Eggs-shrink-price

QuotePouches of Cadbury's Mini Eggs have gone down from 460g last year to 421g but are still £4.

Rival Nestle has cut the size of its Smarties Mini Eggs from 100g to 90g but they are still priced at £1 in Tesco and Asda.

Chocolate giant Thorntons is also using the same tactic in its stores.

The Thorntons Classic Egg was 294g 12 months ago but now weighs in at 258g.

QuoteRatula Chakraborty, senior lecturer in business management at the University of East Anglia, blasted the tactics.

She said: "Regulatory intervention is needed to tackle shrinkflation.

"The CMA should require retailers to inform consumers when product sizes (are reduced) so they are not misled by these sneaky changes."
I agree 100%
Nomad ( Forum Admin )
It's better to be up in arms than down on your knees.

Equalizer87

I agree it should be regulated, the government (and that is any party) would side with the the corporations as they 'plead poverty'.

Only mass boycott would have any impact, but most are brainwashed sheep.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"

Welshie

Government/companies would claim to be fighting obesity and doing us all a favour !

notsofunny

Quote from: Equalizer87 on 24-03-18, 01:08PM
I agree it should be regulated, the government (and that is any party) would side with the the corporations as they 'plead poverty'.

Only mass boycott would have any impact, but most are brainwashed sheep.

Mass boycott  ??? ??? I hope you don't mean we stop eating till things get sorted  ;) ,

One thing they could do in regards to telling us when they make something smaller , is do what they do when they are giving us say 10% more free , they should be made to place a raping saying 10% less ,or saying now 10% than before for the same higher price , 8-) ,

Any one ever counted the nuts in a wholenut bar ? its just that they seem to have less in them :o :(

Equalizer87

If  you wish to stop eating that's your choice. Easter Eggs would be the preferred boycott unless you wish to be a Martyr.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"

Nomad

Not sure how inflation rates are calculated, but I keep my debit card receipts for 12 months and I've just been comparing some food item prices from last February with today, 10-15% price increase  is common and 20% has happened on some items.

If you add in shrinkflation in some cases the rise in cost of many items is astronomical.
Nomad ( Forum Admin )
It's better to be up in arms than down on your knees.

NightAndDay

#12
Inflation rates are measured on a "basket of goods", it's widely criticized as a crude way to measure inflation with cynics arguing that the contents of the basket of goods are specifically selected to massage the official inflation figure downwards.

I've designed a business intelligence solution which gives the annual change in price of every item in the UK as a percentage, I've also designed it so that rather than there being one inflation figure for everyone, every item in the UK is categorised into one of 3 groups, higher, middle or lower income demographic, from the items in each group, 3 inflation figures are calculated, one for the higher, middle and lower income demographics based on the basket of goods in each group.

I've submitted the idea to our government, but it has been rejected, I've also been threatened that I will be made to "disappear" by MI6 if I continue to be chocolate in the governments peanut butter.

penguin

Quote from: Nomad on 24-03-18, 09:45AM
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/690957/Tesco-Asda-Thorntons-Nestle-Cadbury-chocolate-Easter-Eggs-shrink-price

QuotePouches of Cadbury's Mini Eggs have gone down from 460g last year to 421g but are still £4.

Rival Nestle has cut the size of its Smarties Mini Eggs from 100g to 90g but they are still priced at £1 in Tesco and Asda.

Chocolate giant Thorntons is also using the same tactic in its stores.

The Thorntons Classic Egg was 294g 12 months ago but now weighs in at 258g.

QuoteRatula Chakraborty, senior lecturer in business management at the University of East Anglia, blasted the tactics.

She said: "Regulatory intervention is needed to tackle shrinkflation.

"The CMA should require retailers to inform consumers when product sizes (are reduced) so they are not misled by these sneaky changes."
I agree 100%

Yes quite, retailers and manufactures should be made to inform people when a pack size has been reduced to ensure nobody is misled,
Do not let anyone tell you there is not a decent job and life beyond Tesco.

Hammer10

I am scrapping Easter from now on the money wasted on a little bit of chocolate is going on my energy bills if everyone done this maybe they would stop ripping us off.

BUY TESLA STOCK

And the energy companies won't rip you off? :D

Hammer10

It's not about that it's a matter of necessity.

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