Shrink-flation in Thailand

[SamSanuk]

In case you didn’t know the term shrink-flation : instead of raising prices, let’s say on a bag of potato chips, the manufacturers just put LESS chips in the bag for the same price. 
 

I rarely pay attention to this devious downsizing of commodities, but after I buy my liquid laundry detergent (from a Thai company) I did notice this: I always pour the liquid into an empty 8 oz. drinking water bottle and normally one package fills it right up to the tippy top. Not anymore. Slightly less this time. 
 

Then I read today about PepsiCo possibly raising prices (again) next year. Seems like recent price changes didn’t slow down sales. Or maybe another round of shrink-flation is coming to Lays and Doritos and Gatorade. Buyer beware. ????

 

[JayClay]

When did this buzz term get invented? I'd always known it as "product shrinkage".

 

Anyway, regardless of how you label it, it's not a new phenomenon by any means.

 

(also what does any of this have to do specifically with Chaing Mai?)

[Lacessit]

I've seen shrinkage in condo prices and rents in Chiang Mai.

Potato chips and Pepsico are bad news for anyone trying to lose weight, I don't consume them. The manufacturer will shrink as much as some four-eyed bean counter thinks they can get away with.

[jaideedave]

I ordered take away from Mac,s for the 1st time this year the other day.The sausage mac muffin sangy was reduced in size by about 25% but priced the same. A good example of shrink-inflation.

Its nothing new but its still notable.

[noserious]

33 minutes ago, JayClay said:

When did this buzz term get invented? I'd always known it as "product shrinkage".

 

In US retail lingo the word shrinkage refers to product pilferage, shoplifting, loss, destruction etc.
Factors contributing to shrinkage include employee theft, stealing, administrative errors, vendor fraud, product damage and more.

[JayClay]

1 minute ago, noserious said:

In US retail lingo the word shrinkage refers to product pilferage, shoplifting, loss, destruction etc.
Factors contributing to shrinkage include employee theft, stealing, administrative errors, vendor fraud, product damage and more.

I said "product shrinkage", not "shrinkage".

[JensenZ]

44 minutes ago, SamSanuk said:

In case you didn’t know the term shrink-flation : instead of raising prices, let’s say on a bag of potato chips, the manufacturers just put LESS chips in the bag for the same price. 
 

I rarely pay attention to this devious downsizing of commodities, but after I buy my liquid laundry detergent (from a Thai company) I did notice this: I always pour the liquid into an empty 8 oz. drinking water bottle and normally one package fills it right up to the tippy top. Not anymore. Slightly less this time. 
 

Then I read today about PepsiCo possibly raising prices (again) next year. Seems like recent price changes didn’t slow down sales. Or maybe another round of shrink-flation is coming to Lays and Doritos and Gatorade. Buyer beware. ????

 

Are you suggesting with laundry detergent (and other profucts) they are cheating on the legally stated volume/weight. Like displaying 400 ml on the package and giving you 380 ml?

 

All packaged detergent indicates clearly the volume in ml, which haven't changed at all. Perhaps the price has increased, but the volume is as indicated on the packages. You should get a gram scale and measure it. I'm sure it will be as indicated. If it isn't, the company would be in big trouble and you can report them rather than complaining about it here.

[WhatMeWorry]

Ive been suffering from shrink-flation for years. Nothing seems to help:

 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=seinfeld+shrinkage

 

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, noserious said:

In US retail lingo the word shrinkage refers to product pilferage, shoplifting, loss, destruction etc.
Factors contributing to shrinkage include employee theft, stealing, administrative errors, vendor fraud, product damage and more.

Well the US 'lingo' is wrong. Size or weight reduction would be a more appropriate and understandable term.

Other factors contributing to 'shrinkage' is your willy (UK word) just after making love. 555

[FritsSikkink]

Buyer beware?

What do you want to do against it? Things get more expensive all the time.

[clokwise]

1 hour ago, JensenZ said:

Are you suggesting with laundry detergent (and other profucts) they are cheating on the legally stated volume/weight. Like displaying 400 ml on the package and giving you 380 ml?

 

All packaged detergent indicates clearly the volume in ml, which haven't changed at all. Perhaps the price has increased, but the volume is as indicated on the packages. You should get a gram scale and measure it. I'm sure it will be as indicated. If it isn't, the company would be in big trouble and you can report them rather than complaining about it here.

No, that's incorrect. Try going to Tops and buy a 2 litre bottle of Coca-Cola. You can't - not any more. Because at some point, recently, they shrunk the bottle size ever so slightly. So you can buy a 1.95 litre bottle of Coke now. Costs the same price as the old 2 litre bottle. And the bottle basically looks the same as before too. It does say 1.95 litre right on the bottle (look close), so they're not lying. But now they can sell you 2.5% less product for the same price. Step 4: profit

 

Just as egregious, IMO, is something like what Tipco and Malee and other local major juice brands have started doing. Try to find pure 100% Apple juice. Sure, the bottle says "Apple Juice", and below it, "100% juice". But look at the fine print in the ingredients and you'll discover it's some percentage from 75% to 90% apple juice, the rest is grape juice. In fact they have started mixing grape juice with most of their products. IMO, even that small percentage of grape juice ruins the rest of the juice. I'm willing to pay more for 100% of the juice I want, but that can be challenging these days.

 

[Ben Zioner]

Wasn't  Singha  beer the first culprit in  Thailand?

[StayinThailand2much]

Noticed that with many products. Smaller size and/or higher price, or different mix of ingredients.

[Lemsta69]

18 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

Wasn't  Singha  beer the first culprit in  Thailand?

That's was a very long time ago wasn't it? They went from 355ml to 330ml at least a decade ago, if not double that.

[Guffman]

I've noticed this. The shops put the larger bags of crisps in the prominent position and the standard size on the bottom shelf hoping that people will just pick the bigger bag and spend more. Also, they are selling bags of Lays for 22 baht for 42 grams where they used to be 50g. If you buy two of the smaller 10 baht bags, you will get 50g for 20 baht. I've seen this in different shops. Not sure how long this will last as they will inevitably shrink the cheaper bags too. 

[In the jungle]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

Well the US 'lingo' is wrong. Size or weight reduction would be a more appropriate and understandable term.

Other factors contributing to 'shrinkage' is your willy (UK word) just after making love. 555

Shrinkage was in use in the UK as far back as the 1970s referring to theft by staff.

[Chris Daley]

I am thinking of taking out a loan to buy a pizza.  A tiny slab of bread covered in sugar 600 baht +.

[spidermike007]

It is a real term and is happening all over the world. Actually, it is happening here considerably less than in the US and Europe, where prices are skyrocketing. 

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, Chris Daley said:

I am thinking of taking out a loan to buy a pizza.  A tiny slab of bread covered in sugar 600 baht +.

You are obviously going to a crappy pizza place, aimed at Thais. There are quite a few good ones especially in Falang areas, but I never paid Bht 600 for one.

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, In the jungle said:

Shrinkage was in use in the UK as far back as the 1970s referring to theft by staff.

Sorry for my mistake, I just phoned Susie Dent and she told me that your definition is also correct. Nicking, pilfering, half-inching are also acceptable. Cheers.

[SamSanuk]

Of course I’m waiting for PepsiCo Truth in Advertising:

 

“Lay’s Original….now with 15% less chips!”

[Yorkshire Tea]

12 minutes ago, SamSanuk said:

“Lay’s Original….now with 15% less chips!”

They're thinking of your health ????

[In the jungle]

35 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Sorry for my mistake, I just phoned Susie Dent and she told me that your definition is also correct. Nicking, pilfering, half-inching are also acceptable. Cheers.

I heard it when I had a holiday job at Marks and Sparks on one Pound an hour.  It was management speak for staff theft.  It was a bloody awful job.  Soul destroying.

[Dionigi]

This has been happening for years in Thailand. body wash in pump action bottles are 500ml, then the quantity drops to 450 and the price stays the same, then the packaging size drops but the contents remain the same then the new size comes out with 500ml at a higher price and so it begins again. Even worse are the large supermarkets which bundle 3 packs pf something together and charge more that 3 times the price. Selling 2 for the price of one (buy one get one free)should just tell you never to buy the single as it is overpriced but Thais love anything free. My wife will buy stuff she doesn't want just because she can get something free.

[1FinickyOne]

I think I have lost an inch and a half myself... in the last 5 years. 

[FlorC]

Lays are 58B for the big family pack (158 gr I think). Lotus or Bigc have them often in "buy two get one free".

38,7 B/pack .

 

[GreasyFingers]

A couple of years ago there was a promotion for  butter that came with a plastic container to fit 250gm. Allowrie then reduced the butter to 240gm, them 220gm and now 200gm so the plastic containers are the wrong size. We do not need to talk about the price increase as well.

[puck2]

The same experience as the thread opener:

 

The (closed) packages i.e. of sweets have the same size as before. But the air volume in  them has grown up.

[arithai12]

Another trick, this by a famous Chiang Mai supermarket chain. The marmelade I prefer was usually 165B. Now, they increased the nominal price to 220 but mark it permanently as "discounted" to 165.

[clokwise]

8 hours ago, arithai12 said:

Another trick, this by a famous Chiang Mai supermarket chain. The marmelade I prefer was usually 165B. Now, they increased the nominal price to 220 but mark it permanently as "discounted" to 165.

Here's my take on why that is: Typically when you purchase "discounted" items you are not eligible to also use points or coupons at the checkout for those items, so you have to pay the full "discounted" price.