The packages are getting smaller!
I knew I wasn't losing it on a recent trip to the grocery store when I realized that I was paying the same amount of money for an eight-pack case of Coca Cola that I usually do for a 12-pack. It seems that is not the only packaging that is shrinking, according to this Los Angeles Times story.
The photo used with the story shows that a jar of Skippy Super Chunk peanut butter has an indentation in the bottom that makes the jar hold only 16.3 ounces, even though the jar is the same size as the old 18-ounce jar.
Often the changes are so subtle that they create "the illusion that you are buying the same amount," Frank Luby, a pricing consultant with Simon-Kucher & Partners of Cambridge, Mass., said in the story.
So, this begs the question: Better to pay more for less or to pay more for the same amount? With grocery being so expensive these days, it's hard to know which is better.
-- Sherry Robinson
[Photo: Associated Press]
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
Amy Hollyfield is a workaholic mother of two young
daughters, blessed to have a work-at-home husband who makes their life possible. She was born in Detroit and moved around a lot as a kid (read: Air Force brat). She has lived in Florida since the month after she
graduated from Northwestern University. She lives for the yelps, hugs and kisses that greet her on nights that she makes it home before bedtime.
Sherry Robinson was born in the Sunshine State but she feels more comfortable inside a mall than outside at the beach -- thank goodness her husband is the outdoorsy type. He takes their two sons on night hikes, beach runs and bug hunts while Sherry does her best to take care of the homestead -- and find out what is new on the store shelves. A graduate of the University of South Florida in 19noneofyourbusiness, Sherry has been at the Times for nearly 20 years. And with nearly 10 years of parenting experience, Sherry is eager to offer up some great dish on raising kids and keeping your sanity.
Guest blogger Tracey Henry, a.k.a. Suburban Diva, is a frantic, slightly frazzled mother of four. She is a freelance humor writer and author which is the only thing that parenting four children ages 12-1 trains you for, except perhaps court jester and professional bull rider. She and her husband have lived all over the country, but settled in Florida eight years ago because the beachcombing is so much better here than on the banks of the Mississippi. Their family time includes a lot of sport -- both watching and playing -- and fun in the sun and surf. Catch her in Whoa, Momma! and on her site, 
Sherri Day and her husband welcomed their daughter into the world in early 2008. So far, she describes parenthood as exciting, exhausting and exhilarating. A self-described Southern belle with small-town values and big-city idealism, Sherri was born in rural Georgia. She received her bachelor's degree in journalism from Clark Atlanta University and her master's of journalism from the University of California at Berkeley. She is the Brandon bureau chief for the Times. Sherri moved to Tampa from Brooklyn four years ago.
Yes, all those Thanksgiving recipes calling for two cups of something? Read the labels, they are 14.5 oz!
Posted by: Lainey | December 05, 2008 at 11:20 AM
We cannot BELIEVE what our grocery bill has totalled in recent months, and I am an OCD-grade coupon clipper! My husband's take on this: "Oh, well, maybe we'll all be too poor to be gluttonous and America won't have such an insane obesity rate anymore." Um...I guess that's a bright side...thanks, honey.
Posted by: ThriftyMomma | December 03, 2008 at 03:35 PM
The recently-coined term for this (via Consumerist) is "Grocery Shrink Ray" --
Consumerist editor Ben Popkin did an interview about this on NPR:
http://consumerist.com/5024071/ben-popken-on-npr-talkin-bout-grocery-shrink-ray
Posted by: webdoyenne | December 02, 2008 at 12:36 PM
i do like the indent in the peanut butter jar tho. pretty smart. a shopper would hardly notice the new package design. pretty innovative thinking on Skippy's part
Posted by: Ms Martin | December 02, 2008 at 11:08 AM
and this is new? it's been going on for decades. i remember candy bars and similiar items shrinking when i was a kid. same size package almost -- smaller product inside. I'm 39 now and can remember this happening like 30 years ago. don't act like this is new newsworthy info. just more of the same.
Posted by: Ms Martin | December 02, 2008 at 11:06 AM
how's about the shrinking of the Girl Scout cookies!! what a shame!!
Posted by: lew | December 02, 2008 at 09:43 AM
I knew I wasn't crazy! Thanks for explaining what was happening.
Posted by: wait a minute | December 02, 2008 at 09:29 AM