Shrinking Products

Further to my post last week about "getting nickled and dimed to death," here's a concrete example using....ice cream! One brand's ice cream packaging is getting smaller, offering less dessert for your money. Of course, this isn't the first time something like this has happened nor will it be the last. The article is here.

I've noticed it locally -- our favorite Japanese fast food place now does not fill the rice bowls up to the top (where before it was packed full) and you have to ask for chopsticks (when before they were on the counter).

I do realize that inflation is having an impact -- I'm waiting for it to "un-supersize" the meals at the major fast food chains. In that case, I think the lesser economic value of a "value meal" or the equivilent may be in our nation's best interest.

One place I've seen this type of behavior over the last few years is in the clothing department at our local discount and department stores. I'd buy a particular style of a "staple" clothing -- something I'd be wearing for a long time (white t-shirts to exercise in is a prime example). I'd decide to purchase another one or two in other colors and go back to make the purchase. Voila, I'd end up with the same LOOKING top, often for the same price, but not in the same quality. Time after time this happened, where the material was thinner and less expensive. Annoying. Of course, that practice has kept clothing prices very low, much longer than I thought they'd be low.

In the jewelry world, we see this type of thing as well. It's not about putting less pearls on a strand, for example, but reducing quality of manufacturing or materials so that profit margins can stay up.

I think all consumer know, in the back of their minds, that one must pay for quality and the old saying "if it's too good to be true, it probably is" is quite correct. I have a friend who says all this is because MBA's run the world, not the people that are passionate about what they sell -- maybe he's right.

posted by Caroline Stanley @ 11:22 AM