Did anyone else notice this?

[Catalpa]

My local grocery store is a Spartan store; once a month or so they have really good sales on some items I try to stock up on.

Last week I went in and tuna was on sale. Great! I try to keep at least 20 cans on hand.

But when I picked them up, something seemed wrong. The cans are actually smaller, even though the price was the same. When I got home, I compared them with the older ones in the cupboard.

Chunk light tuna in water, at 79 cents a can, went from 6 oz to 5 oz. Just like that, as though they thought they could just sneak it through.

It just seems like the screws are tightening from every direction at once!

[tufhelp]

These pirates are doing this all the time! And God save us from "new & improved"... Translates into smaller and more expensive!

[OzarkMtnDaredevil]

I'm not a big fan of Condensed Tuna. >:(

[pcrowder]

They're doing it with everything from canned veggies to coffee. They think we're just too stupid to notice.

[Buck]

All manufactures are aware of "Price point" at which customers refuse
to buy that product any longer. That said, they will do anything to
avoid a price increase but at the same time they also have to show
a profit and pay the help. Downsizing is the only way left to avoid
that dreaded price increase.

That is the lesser of two evils for all manufactures. :-/

[reedb66]

check out pringles$1.50 a can or walmarts great value nacho cheese chips ,used to be .99 ,now$1.75 Quality hasnt improved any for sure!!!worse yet Ijust bought a can of cambells chunky clam chowder soup( one of my favorites ),What disappointment .Usually very thick and chunky so I add a little milk ,Not now!!!Mostly milk or should I say white colored water,some potatoes and they just drug the clam thru the soup no ,clams to be found .The price $2.25 so I only buy as a treat ,not any more!!!The cost of shipping has gone way down ( this I know as I am in the food service business and have stuff shipped all the time)but the cost of food is on the increase.What a crock!!!

Reed

[tomato204]

It's been going on for a lotta years, but I think it does go in spurts. I remember in the 60's I was just incensed that my favorite candy bar appeared the same size but was actually sitting in a cardboard tray inside the same old wrapper, and smaller now. Boy, was i mad! Now I just expect it. It's been a long time since I saw a "1- lb" or a "3-lb" can of coffee.

[Kelleysvt]

I haven't seen that yet but I will note here that the Van Camp's tuna at Dollar General is garbage - you can't make tuna sandwiches with it because you can't get all the liquid out and even once you get it out all that's in the cans is scraps. It turns into 'turtle food' (i.e. slop). If you use it in casseroles it's fine but don't plan on making sandwiches with it.

[TNDadx4]

I haven't noticed it with Tuna, but have noticed size reductions in a lot of other products. Either way, they do go in cycles. Here, canned tuna is either .50 or .79 per can. We watch the cycle and buy more when it's lower.

[leera]

Companies have been doing this for years,take a close look at cereal boxes,ice cream,loaves of bread,cookies and candy bars........

The price either goes up,or the price stays them same and the amount you get goes down....

[tufhelp]

I'd rather that the price went up, I don't like it but I understand it. It is the smaller packaging and "slightly" higher price that tweaks my nose! Who do they think they are fooling with the "new, handy sized" what ever, pretending it is exactly the same as the previous issue, all the while holding their index fingers in their ears singing LA LA LA LA LA LA...... And I love the incredible price swings with absolutely no warning. One of our favorite salsas was 3, 32 oz bottles for $6.00 +/-, next time we bought some, they split up the 3 pack into handy 28 ounce containers and wanted $3.50 each for them! Suffice it to say we're still making our own and enjoying it much better these days.

[Catalpa]

Yep, lots of ugly tricks to get more money out of our pockets.

I've never tried the dollar store tuna; knowing the dollar stores around here, I'd be scared to. The spartan brand tuna is palatable; not as nice as starkist white albacore, but decent.

tuf, I'm with you on the salsa. It's my unqualified success of last fall's canning ventures, and I wish I had made a lot more. It's much better than store bought!

[leera]

I make all my own salsas,sauces,pickles,relishes,jams and jellies,etc.......haven't actually BOUGHT any in years now.

One thing I noticed the other day,while shopping for lunch box snacks....the price of a bag of baby carrots went from $0.99 to $1.88!!! In less than two weeks....... >:(

[SPIKE]

Their trick that I hate the most is when the jar appears to be the same size, but if you look at the bottom you will notice that there is a major indention into the jar to take up space. >:(

SPIKE

[idris]

Same thing in Oz: we used to look at a BIG MAC and say,'THAT's not a Hamburger, THIS is a Hamburger!' Pointing to a real Hamburger, about the size of a saucer and full of goodies like beetroot and pineapple and whatever you asked for. Prepackaged anything ought to be avoided, Fresh is Best! as they old slogan used to tell us; now, the package gets smaller when the cost goes up, yet does it get larger when the cost goes down?

[tomato204]

We just can't go out to a store on "auto-pilot" I guess. Got to check each and every purchase and trust no one. :'(

[Katrina-Sisu]

Same up here, items have been getting smaller but prices keep going up.

Some things have went down by 10 cents but I'm sure when quarterly reports are releashed the prices will go up again.

Kat

[rodamala]

We just can't go out to a store on "auto-pilot" I guess. Got to check each and every purchase and trust no one. :'(

my friend makes fun of me for spending time cutting coupons and pouring over the local grocery store circulars at the kitchen table... then spending 3 hours at the grocery store with my scientific calculator in hand

i guess i am hoping some lovely little lady will swoon when she sees me pricing out paper towels on a cent per square foot basis, or calculating the REAL cost per pound for the 75 different brands/varieties of coffee.

anyways, i routinely save 30 to 50% of my total bill through coupons, sale items and price club stuff.

i loved the time when i got in the checkout line with 2 whole (on sale) beef tenderloins and the clerk got distracted pointing out a very attractive young lady customer to his fellow clerk in the next lane. he didn't scan one of the tenderloins.

JACKPOT!

[mtwildflower]

i loved the time when i got in the checkout line with 2 whole (on sale) beef tenderloins and the clerk got distracted pointing out a very attractive young lady customer to his fellow clerk in the next lane. *he didn't scan one of the tenderloins.

JACKPOT!


I love getting a good deal, but this is just dishonest.

[gump]

Agree with Idris. I have seen a lot of prices on the fresh products come down.

[annabella1]

When the price of tuna got so high I started making tuna "fish" sandwiches. I use a can of the cheapest tuna and a can of the cheapest salmon or mackerel. you have to pick out the bones and skin or blend them up good so the dear family doesn't know. Tastes like tuna, with the mayo and mustard and onions and dill pickles they like it fine.(did you know that tuna was originally called horse mackerel)

[MrsL]

We've been noticing the reduction in size/quantity = same price scam over here too.

Another good reason fro making all your own if you can. Tuna is very expensive here, I rarely buy it.

[Vinland]

I have to kind of chime in here. I work for a company called Wegmans, a grocery chain here in NY, and actually their own branded items have lowered in price. It's still really tough being vegan and having produce being somewhat expensive,even though some prices have dropped, thus my garden size this year. Bottom line is, it's the bottom line. Manufacturers won't raise prices in this economy, it's easier to cut portions and lower costs in a way that they still profit. Sucks but hey, if your not 100% self sufficient, theres nothing you can do but ride that wave of business. 'Surf's up dude' 8)

[rodamala]

The dude I live with absolutely adores Wegman's and I suppose that they have a place, but not for my money. Their prices are not competitive for the type of staple items I buy for the house (I do all the food shopping and most of the meal preperation for the household).

Sure, Wegman's has STARFRUIT in their produce section, a whole huge organic section, a sushi bar, and latte counter... but in order to provide consumers all that USELESS stuff that I have no interest in spending money on, all the rest of their prices for ordinary groceries are high.

I look through the circulars for Wegman's every week... yeah they had a sale on strawberries last week or 2 weeks ago that was better than the last on-sale strawberries I bought at the grocery store I most often use, and yeah, the "club packs" of meat have a convenience, and were reasonable but still... why go there and spend 2x what you normally spend on groceries?

I guess if there is something positive to say... perhaps Wegman's is lowering prices because the prices were so riduculously high to start with!

That or maybe "the economy" is really hitting home with latte-drinking, 20-something year-old, Obamite crowd that used to shop at Wegman's, but now find they can't afford to because they just lost their useless, "I sit in a cubicle and update my Facebook status all day long" jobs.

Perhaps COMPETITIVE pricing on basic commodities like bread, butter, milk, eggs, meat, cheese, and vegetables is more appropriate than the starfruit/sushi/cappaccino/bulkbin granola alternative in such times.

Rod

[pinetreefarm]

I have noticed this on so many items that I have notated this info in my pice book.

When looking over my lists, I have been trying to make do without, making my own item and watching for sales.When something comes on sale I purchase in depth. Found dishsoap on sales a year back at Wallieworld and bought a years supply.

Back to my price book. Each item is noticed by price per ounces, lb or what ever is the smallist denominator. Best we can do is hold the line on purchasing.


Pine

[tufhelp]

Here is a recent twist I have noticed at Sam's, with like items in the same or various sizes they list the price break down in different equivalents. One will be so much per ounce, the next so much per pound, the next so much per whole unit... Real mental gymnastics for price comparison! I carry a small pocket calculator so it isn't quite as hard on my old brain housing group.

Ranch style beans in 8 packs of 15 oz cans are by the oz, the No 10 cans are by the unit...

The chicken broth in 8 packs of 14 oz are by the oz and the 3 packs of 32oz cartons are by the unit...

And in both instances, the individual smaller cans are cheaper than the large packaging, even though there is more packaging involved in the smaller units!

I complained to the store manager and his answer was that the price tag break outs come from HQ... So there is a deliberate corporate effort to confuse and bamboozle the customer - even in a "buying club" situation - What the heck, over?

[rodamala]

And in both instances, the individual smaller cans are cheaper than the large packaging, even though there is more packaging involved in the smaller units!

I noticed the same thing about broth... the big "economy size" isn't the bargain!

30 eggs packaged in a cardboard flat are also more per egg than the styrofoam dozen. Make zero sense to gouge the customer who is buying more.

[reedb66]

I go through a lot of ice cream in my restaraunt and I just buy it at walmart or what ever store has it on sale,now the stores have a new packaging deal for ice cream.The old 5 qt round pail will be no more ,now we have the new improved square ,easy to stack and store 4.5 qt pail(some are even 4.0qt)at the same price.The only reason I didnt buy the big food service tubs of ice cream before was the cost of shipping but now the cost is pretty close.

[MissouriFree]

Always check the unit price. In many cases the smaller container is cheaper in unit price. I guess they think we will always believe in buying in bulk so they charge more per unit in the larger containers onsome items hoping we will not notice...

[Catalpa]

And it's not just food....

I dry all my clothes out on the line, or on lines strung in the basement in bad weather. I needed more clothespins, and picked some up the last time I was in Kmart.

Well, they're about half the size of the old ones! So flimsy and tiny they don't hold in a breeze. But of course the price is higher! This is driving me nuts!

Last week I went to the store and got bread, milk, cheese, apple and orange juice and some hot dogs, and it was almost fifty bucks. >:(

[Terri]

I noticed this last week: The square containers were cheaper per quart than the family sized tubs.



I noticed the same thing about broth... the big "economy size" isn't the bargain!

30 eggs packaged in a cardboard flat are also more per egg than the styrofoam dozen. *Make zero sense to gouge the customer who is buying more.

[MIKENSUE]

This methodology has been going on for YEARS! My following comments will kinda tell ya how old I am, but what the heck.
Remember when a large can of coffee was a FULL three pounds? A small bag of sugar was 5 pounds? You could actually buy Robin Hood Flour in 50 pound bags, and Yeast came by the 1 pound blocks that you cut up and froze? Candy bars were 2 ounces, regular size, a can of veggies was 16 ounces, butter wasn't "whipped", and bread really had some substance too it. You had about 6 types of cereal to choose from and they came in either an 8 or 16 ounce box. A tin of cocoa was a pound instead of 12 ounces, and you could buy baking powder in 5 pound tins? Not the 4 ounce tins you get it in now. Lard was usually rendered at home, but if you had to buy it it came in 5 pound buckets. Not one pound blocks. No one paid extra for eggs from free range chickens, cuz that was just the way you raised them. These are just a few examples from an old woman. I would like to hear more.

Sue

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Do any of you live near any Restaurant supply factories? There is one about fifty miles from me. I go and buy the "damaged" boxes of meats, condiments, etc. I just bought a 20lb box of bacon for $13 a couple of weeks ago. I got a 20lb box of pork patties for $17 and 40lbs of chicken breasts for $23 due to a crinkled corner on the box. The boxes had been dropped, so one corner was crinkled on each of them, but they were well worth what I paid. I also bought opened boxes of prepackaged condiments for just a couple of dollars for hundreds of packs of salt or pepper, ketchup, etc. Any damaged box is usually a great buy because they can't sell them to a restaurant. And the stuff is still good because these are all individual packages. I also bought a 25lb bag of brown rice for $6 because it was taped near the thread line on the top of the bag. I spend over $300, but filled two freezers and stocked up on many grains, pastas, meats, bread sticks, pizza crusts, cereals, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, prepackaged salad dressings, etc. They sell the types of things you would find at many restaurants.

Now the large restaurant cans of sauces or vegetables are too high there, as are most of the regular priced prepared meats and mixes. The cleaning supplies are also too high. A can of instant mashed potatoes was $13, which is ridiculous. But damaged boxes of goods are usually priced great. In fact that same can of instant potatoes in a dented can was only $4.

If any of you have any restaurant supply companies near you, I would look into buying some things there. Some things can be very reasonable at them because they don't sell damaged goods to food service.

[NCLee]

Just some observations......

When I get to the major highway I can turn right or left to go to a Food Lion with about the same travel distance to each one. You'd think that with less than 10 miles between them, they would be alike. Not so. If I go to the right, I get to one, recently built, targeting residents of the new housing develpments filled with McMansions.

Turn to the left, I go to the older one more geared towards small town and rural residents. Both the merchandise and the prices reflect the differences. Bet you know which one I visit. :)

In this age of computers you'd think that the big chain stores would have the same sale items and loss leaders for each location. Not so. I have 2 Lowes Foods, each about 10 miles from me. I have to check the sales flyers of both, since one won't honor the sale price of the other one. I go to the one that has the best prices for what I need.

Speaking of sales flyers, I get so frustrated because the basics rarely go on sale, except for holiday cooking. Often, as I look through those flyers, other than some meats, there isn't a single thing on sale that I want to put in the pantry. For example, in the frozen food section, I don't want vegetable recipes that are ready for the microwave. All I want is a plain bag of peas. Yet what's on sale isn't a plain bag of peas.

There's less and less plain, simple, food in the refrigerated/frozen cases. Fewer and fewer choices, as the space is being expanded for the ready to cook and eat / heat and eat stuff. I don't want chicken breasts already seasoned. I don't want 50 choices of frozen pizza. Yet that seems to be what the buying public wants, so my dollars are insignificant.

Back to the point of this thread. (sorry for the rant.) When we moved into this home, I lined the shelves with heavy duty aluminum foil because I use cast iron cookware. (Pieces are often oiled after washing to hold rust at bay.) When I decided to replace it a few years later as it was getting ragged looking, discovered that the new box of "heavy duty" foil was the equivalent of the "regular" of a few years before. Today, regular foil is so flimsey that it's a waste of money to buy it.

When I grew up a pound of coffee, butter, bacon, sausage, and more was 16 oz. Absolutely no problem in determining which was the best buy in terms of price. Now it takes a calculator, magnifyer glass, and far too much time to do simple grocery shopping.

Have you noticed that supermarket roast chicken is getting smaller and smaller while the price has really jumped up. Today's sale prices are more than the regular price was just a couple of years ago. Used to buy them when we needed a quick meal. The leftovers went into batches of soup for the freezer. So I could get a lot of milage from that "convenience" food. Not any more..... :mad:

Thanks for listening to my ramblings this morning. This thread hit a sore spot, that's for sure.

Lee

[bookwormom]

quote

When I grew up a pound of coffee, butter, bacon, sausage, and more was 16 oz. Absolutely no problem in determining which was the best buy in terms of price. Now it takes a calculator, magnifyer glass, and far too much time to do simple grocery shopping.

if that aint the absolute truth. I hate it.
Our income has not changed, but prices sure have. Yesterday at ALDI I looked at cans of peaches, I thought prices were getting up there when they were 99 cents a can. Now they have them for $1.49. One year's difference.

My heart goes out to those people who are dependent on getting their food at supermarkets. I think I'll go check on the wild black berry patch.