Published May 4, 2011
If it feels like you're making more trips to the grocery store these days, and getting less food and household items for the money you spend, it's not just your imagination.
Manufacturers Reduce Package Size to Save Money
Manufacturers have been trimming the size and weight of packaged goods lately—either reducing the actual size of their cans, boxes and other packaging or cutting the amount of product each package contains by as much as 20 percent—according to Consumer Reports.
As justification for this deceptive strategy, manufacturers blame their own rising costs.
Smaller Packaging Costs Consumers
So instead of increasing prices on items ranging from tuna and orange juice to toothpaste and toilet paper, which would discourage sales and end up reducing their revenue, manufacturers give you less for your money and hope you won't notice the difference.
But a lot of people have noticed, and they're not happy about it.
Consumers Can Resist Smaller Packaging
If you want to fight back, Consumer Reports suggests two strategies:
- First, compare brands. Not all manufacturers have downsized their packaging or its contents, so in many cases it is still possible to get true value for the dollars you spend on packaged goods.
- Second, complain directly to the manufacturer. Although lodging your complaint probably won't convince the company to restore the size and content of its packaged goods, you may at least get coupons to help offset the cost of future purchases.
Companies Should Provide Honest Value in Packaging
With gasoline at near-record prices, and the median annual household income hovering around $50,000, no one is surprised when a dollar doesn't go as far as it once did. But manufacturers should be candid about the economic pressure on their products, and give consumers honest value for their money.