Friday, August 9, 2013

Shrinking Value






It is a sign of the times.
I always purchase this spaghetti sauce when my store has it on
special  10 for $10, sometimes it can be on sale for even less.
  It's not my normal brand but it's pretty 
good and great to store away in bulk.
Do you see something different about the can on the left?
Yep, when I pulled out a can from storage and compared it to
the newly purchased can there is a size difference.
Not so much that you would immediately notice, especially
if you are in a hurry or distracted.


I'm not singling out this brand either.
You can see this in many other products on store shelves.
Watch the size of cereal boxes, check how much larger the cardboard
core of toilet paper is, compare weights and measurements with
products you have tucked in the back of your cabinets.
Expenses have increased but they can't easily pass along a price increase
 so the keep the price the same or close and then reduce the size just a little bit. 
Over the course of thousands and thousands of sales, it adds up.
This is a 10% reduction. 

Don't think this means the company is raking it in-
they still have fixed costs to cover: salaries, benefits packages, taxes, packaging, transportation, promotional allowances, advertising, etc.  They may be barely breaking even as the dollar is devalued and costs rise.  But you should be aware of these slight changes so you can make wise purchases and get the most value for your money.  

Here is a link from 2011 reviewing this product, notice
that they mention the standard size of 26.5 oz.

Size The net weight of the standard - sized container of Hunt's Traditional Pasta Sauce is 26.5 ounces. According to the product's nutrition facts label, the container holds about six 1/2 cup servings of sauce.

I doubt it will get any better so you may want to stock up
when you find a great sale or take advantage of canning and 
dehydrating when you grow or come across some great vegetables.

13 comments:

Sunnybrook Farm said...

The government propaganda keeps telling me how good things are and yet I keep finding things at the store like you found. Another reason to can your own food as they keep reducing the size to where you don't have enough sauce or what ever to make the dish properly. It was the right amount for most recipes.

HIBISCUS HOUSE said...

I agree with everything in this timely post Kathy. Chuck and I went shopping yesterday. The size of everything is getting smaller and has been but now they are miniature. I thought when we looked at for example salad dressing I thought dang if my girls were still little I could buy these for their playhouses but dang expensive. My mouth just drops open every time we go shopping because of the prices! Thank you for saying stock up because that is what we should do with all we can if we have the space. Good Post as always.

Harry Flashman said...

I've seen a lot of this kind of thing too.

When I find products I use on sale, I try to buy several cases.

Gorges Smythe said...

Something else to consider is that recipes that say "add one Xoz. can" - will be unwittingly altered, if you aren't watching.

Kathy Felsted Usher said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kathy Felsted Usher said...

Gorges makes a great point- watch your measurements! Recipes won't be the same.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

That's why I can my own sauce, other than to reduce my consumption of chemicals. Lots of things are shrinking in stores this year. I'm so glad I make my own detergents. So far the ingredients for my detergent(s) have not changed in size, other than in price.

Candy C. said...

Gorges is right about the can size affecting recipes, I have noticed that too.
The one that kills me is C&H sugar is now in a FOUR pound bag instead of a five pound bag. Sheesh...

Michelle said...

It's only going to get worse. Fast foods are doing the same thing. We have always liked Subway, but each time we go we notice the meat gets less and less. I have finally stopped going to subway. You can't even taste the meat any longer.

Yahoobuckaroo's Blog said...

Well at least they didn't change the ingredients. Look how bad candy bars are now that most manufacturers have done away with "milk" chocolate trying to save money. I can't even eat Snickers bars anymore.

6 oz. yogurts that are now 5.5 oz. Puffs is making tissues thinner. And look how much smaller clothes, even shoes, are getting. They can charge more for larger sizes.

Kathy Felsted Usher said...

Yahoo- That HAS to be it. I thought I'd lost my taste for chocolate. I've tried buying a candy bar twice lately and could barely finish it (maybe that's a good thing). It was just "different" than it used to be.

Catawissa Gazetteer said...

Kathy and I went to the store today and I looked at the box of bacon that I used to buy, the one that's made up of odds and ends that are too ugly, thick or misshapen to sell with the normal bacon. Two years ago that box cost around fifteen dollars. Today? Nearly thirty. Boy, I'm glad that there's absolutely no inflation going on, at least if we are to believe the gub'mint reporting.

Yahoobuckaroo's Blog said...

Gas has probably been the biggest killer for most of us though. It cost about $85 - 90 to fill up my pickup, and I fill the tank nearly once per week because I work all over the place. You've almost got to have a part-time job to pay for your gas now. If I didn't have this side-job formatting eBooks I'd be in much worse trouble than I already am. And thank God my house is paid for, although it probably won't be my last.

Hope your health is better Tom. I went to the cardiologist last Wednesday, and she says my heart is nearly back to normal. Yahoo!