The UK consumer is pretty unsophisticated TBH, as evidenced by our tolerance for what passes as food on these shores.
FTFY
The UK consumer is pretty unsophisticated TBH, as evidenced by our tolerance for what passes as food on these shores.
Are you kidding? Go to America.
In my working life, I used to sell packaging to the food industry. Speaking to a fairly senior person at one of the big dairy chainsiirc it was Arla, they told me the invention of spreadable butter was a game changer in terms of the profitability of butter as they were able to introduce air to fluff up the product whilst charging more for the privilege of doing so.
Consumer research suggests differently. There’s a price above which people just won’t buy something. So you have to shrink it to keep below that point. That point may well move over time but there is a top end.
Exactly – as I mentioned in my earlier post – people on a budget buy £1 tubes of toothpaste as, mentally, it is a good budget price. However, that £1 tube of toothpaste did contain 100ml, but it now contains 75ml.
Exactly – as I mentioned in my earlier post – people on a budget buy £1 tubes of toothpaste as, mentally, it is a good budget price. However, that £1 tube of toothpaste did contain 100ml, but it now contains 75ml.
Correct. They won't buy it at £1.25 even though the cost per mm is lower at £1.25.
Are you kidding? Go to America.
I recall having exactly the same feeling about food when I went to California as I got returning to the UK from New Zealand....
How do people eat this shit it's so bland precessed, tasteless and awful.
Correct. They won't buy it at £1.25 even though the cost per mm is lower at £1.25.
I once read a report that consumers are more likely for 'three for the price of two' rather than 'BOGOF' as they perceive it to be better value...
Are you kidding? Go to America.
I recall having exactly the same feeling about food when I went to California as I got returning to the UK from New Zealand....
How do people eat this shit it's so bland precessed, tasteless and awful.
I've been unfortunate enough to spend a fair bit of time eating in the US... and working in a commercial kitchen.
I was sad to find Canada not much better. There was a thing they call cheese that was yellow and orange and genuinely tasted like solidified oil... (but not 'nice' oil - the hydrogentated oil used in all the commercial biscuits but without the excessive sugar that hides that taste). One of my kids took it out of their sandwich and I rolled my eyes and said "ok, i'll eat it." I didn't. One bite and it was binned. It was foul.
Very often the underlying issue with shrinkflation is not tied solely to the expense of ingredients. It’s often closely linked to distribution costs.
When I was in Northern Canada this was very obvious as the price of stuff was related to its volume rather than weight given that it all was trucked up. so a bag of crisps was very expensive compared to rice.
cost depended on how much room they took up in the truck
I didn't take pictures but cougar's examples above, I had a sandwich disappointment where I opted for a change for the nice artisan looking one rather than the standard 2 triangles carton. It was on nice bread, a lovely window alongside the description showing me the quality of the ham and pickle filling, etc.
Open the pack and behind the description at the other end to the window is a full inch of cardboard divider, so the sandwich is about 5/6 of the actual size of the package. Cheeky bastards.
Not so far mentioned in shrinkflation is clothing. Garments I bought recently in the same size I've worn for the last 10 years clearly has less material in it, as the buttons won't do up. There's nothing they won't scrounge on.
(weirdly, there's also less material in garments I haven't bought recently, and indeed owned 10 years ago)
One of the kids bought my wife a journal to document her day to day activities/ events/ thoughts for the coming year each page has a header with the day but not the date. She has diligently written something every day since Jan 1st, it has about 30 pages left!
Also when a pack of Peanut M&Ms says "more to share" and I think that there's barely enough for me, never mind any sharing!
In a similar vein of thought, resealable chocolate bar wrappers are the most pointless "invention" on this planet. Opening a bar of chocolate is the Pandora's Box of confectionary.
Bought a Tony's easter egg this year. Half price. It was not egg shaped at all, more a blob of chocolate in a box the size of a small car. Even at half price it was a complete rip off.
In a similar vein of thought, resealable chocolate bar wrappers are the most pointless "invention" on this planet.
Ah yes. Mars (etc) Duo, "one for now, one for later!" Uh-huh.
I vaguely remember something about King Size bars being banned (or at least, discouraged) because something something obesity crisis something, so chopping them in half dodged that.
cost depended on how much room they took up in the truck
This is Catch-22 isn't it. If cost is dependent on delivery then make the bloody boxes smaller. But then if the boxes were smaller, no-one would buy them.
it’s amazing to look back at one of the massive old tin 80’s cans and the pale impersonation masquerading as it now.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a Christmas without one but after this years disappointment in taste and the lack of quality I won’t be bothering anymore
They were also expensive, meaning that they were only for Xmas. These days people buy carton of Xmas chocs regularly for weeks through autumn and winter.
Rather OT :
In my working life, I used to sell packaging to the food industry. Speaking to a fairly senior person at one of the big dairy chainsiirc it was Arla, they told me the invention of spreadable butter was a game changer in terms of the profitability of butter as they were able to introduce air to fluff up the product whilst charging more for the privilege of doing so.
Takes me back to my days working in food development and having the enviable task of taste testing spreads, cheese and processed cheese for shelf life dates, etc. I still don't like chives, after a particularly hung-over tasting session.
And manufacturing costs, some time ago a cheese manufacturer changed the zip lock opening from the long side to the end of it's bag, from a customer perspective it's barely noticeable, from a production cost perspective it's probs. saving a few grand a year.
I worked on a lot of similar stuff, and that was one of the reasons I left. Senior management didn't care whether it worked, they just wanted it to be cheap and look good on the shelf. The meeting where I decided to walk out was when I was told that the processed cheese I'd developed needed to be saltier and sweatier (I'm not exaggerating this!) to match a competitor, and was castigated for not having tested the viscosity of my cheese. When I asked why we needed a viscosity figure I was told to just do it and make sure it matched the competitor. I left, the company was bought out shortly after.
Luckily our independent butcher sells really good quality cheeses. There is no shrink flation as the pieces are sliced off a truckle, however the cost goes up every month. I'm just buying less in weight and fewer pieces a week (we like a small selection to go on our ripped off Jacob's crackers) :O0
I always look at the “price per weight” number on the shelf when buying anything. Regardless of the shelf unit price, container size or my perception of what a good deal may look like - the price / weight never lies 😊
I always look at the “price per weight” number on the shelf when buying anything. Regardless of the shelf unit price, container size or my perception of what a good deal may look like - the price / weight never lies
Buying things like bananas which are available both prepackaged and loose, I'll use the scales for the packaged. If I weigh a bag of bananas and the scales give me a lower price, I'll put them back and get the loose ones instead.
You know where you get a string of three onions in a little mesh bag? Compared to loose or plastic bagged, that mesh bag costs more than the onions.
I too look at the prices on the little info card on a shelf. Quite often a ‘pack’ will be a certain price, but sometimes buying the same items separately are cheaper - madness.
