Have you noticed that some manufacturers are decreasing the amount of product in their packages rather than increasing their prices? I’ve read some commentary on this happening with ice cream. (Who wouldn’t be mad when there’s less Cookies ‘n Cream in the container!?!?) But I hadn’t really seen it much with other products.
My parents were over for dinner one evening last week, and my mom was looking at the newspaper. I noticed a Save-a-Lot ad on the back of what she was reading. What caught my eye was the Pepsi product cubes priced at 2 for $9.00. I was excited, because I’m a Diet Mt. Dew addict that even beat the $5 price we had at Walmart a while back.
Then I read the fine print.
The price was for a 20-pack of 12 oz. cans. A 20-PACK? That’s highly uncommon around here, and it struck me as a little dishonest. If that was a common size for Pepsi products in our area, then I wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow. However, since people are used to grabbing 24-packs, my guess is that they were hoping that people would snatch them up without looking at the number of cans. Something about that just doesn’t sit right with me.
Does anyone else find this happening? Do you think the 20-pack of Pepsi is strange? Or is it just me? Have you found other products where the size of the box has been changed while the price remains the same?
I’m really curious to know if this is happening more than we realize. I don’t want us to become such creatures of habit that we don’t realize we’re paying more for less product. So, please chime in if you’ve seen this.
I noticed awhile back (because of our Doritos/Cheetos addiction) that the “size” of the chips bags is the same, but the weight is less – there just seems to be a TON of air in those bags and less and less chips!!
I’m noticing that we’re all mentioning less healthy choices in our examples. 🙂 Glad I’m not alone in that one!
Here in Southeast Texas we have had the 20-packs of Pepsi products and Coke products for probably about 15 years. I didn’t realize they were not available everywhere.
I hope this helps.
How strange! I can’t believe there’s been such a difference for such a long time. Just out of curiosity – How much is a 20-pack of Pepsi or Coke? I’m wondering how it compares to our $5-$6 24-packs.
@Jennifer, Basically the same price. I have seen them almost to $7 before Wal-Mart decided they needed to start dropping prices again.
Ice cream has been that way for a while now. Gone are the half gallons. Now we get 1.5 quarts!
I think it was done so universally that people didn’t seem to take much notice. All of the brand’s got smaller…. For some reason I’m thinking that there was one brand that didn’t. I can’t remember which brand, but I remember someone advertising that they still had half gallons.
I think I’m going to have to go and see if there’s any ice cream in my fridge. You’ve made me crave it. 🙂
I have noticed this happening for some time now. I’ve seen the 20 packs of pop popping up at various places. Remember when Lay’s chips came in 1 pound bags? Now they’re 14 oz. or much less. Also, candy seems to shrinking. M&M’s bags are getting smaller, as are individual candy bars. Many other non-food item packages are decreasing in size, too, like tampons and panty liners. You’re right. Manufacturer’s think we don’t notice these changes, but we do.
I’ll have to be on the lookout for the 20-packs of pop (or soda for you non-Ohio folks!) in the area. And I’ll definitely have to check on M&Ms. No one should mess with a girl’s chocolate!
I HAVE seen this and don’t like it one bit. I thought maybe that was the reason Walmart had the 24 pack for a reasonable price—assuming they were going to switch to the 20 pack. So far that hasn’t happened here, where I live. It does frustrate me, because we budget for our expenses and I try to get the best ‘bang’ for the buck.
I hear you on the “bang for your buck” idea, Beth!
I’ve noticed it in ice cream and canned cat food and dry dog food.
I hadn’t even thought of checking my dog food. Have you seen it happening in a specific brand? Or just overall?
First of all, I want to thank you for the picaboo link on this site. I checked it out and orderd a photo book. The total was $11, after the $40 off from your link.
Yes, we noticed those crazy 20 packs. Whatever! We keep our eyes out and avoid them. Don’t give producers the satisfaction. On the same note, reward those distributors that get it- Safeway has a few popular ice cream flavors in the half gallon size. Surprisingly, the price was (sale) was around $3!
I’m glad you were able to do such a nice photo book for such a small price after the promo code!