They will still put an indicator line on the inside of the cup showing to where you should fill it with product. But the line is a barely visible "raised" area, instead of being clearly marked. I think it should be clearly marked in a contrasting color. I can never read the lines inside my Downy lid!!!

There is an old story about how somebody suggested making the size of the 'nozzle' of a toothpaste tube bigger to sell more -- people still squeezed out a brush-length, it was just a bigger around one!

IIRC, One of the earlier stories of this kind of thing...

@Sherryness:

You know, I just figured that out, rarrr. I was trying to figure out why my washed loads were so soapy.
Dark basement+barely visible line in dark blue Tide cap=too much soap.
I just realized a couple days ago there was a "fill to" line inside the dark blue cap.
It's not so much the money, it's my too soapy laundry.

Can't you get a measuring cup or something and use it to measure your detergent instead of using the cap?

I've known about this phenomenon for a long time (maybe I read it in The Tightwad Gazette), and never use more than half a capful of detergent in a load of laundry. I think that not overfilling the washer is more important than anything else in getting clean and properly rinsed clothes, anyways.

There's also the fact that the instructions on most detergent bottles recommend using significantly more detergent than the average load requires. I think HungryGrrl has it right when she recommends using a separate measuring cup. Just figure out how much you really need to get the wash done and use your own cup.

This is probably common with consumer items that have full market saturation. There's only so much toothpaste, detergent, dish washing soap, etc. you can sell to a household.

I understand the toothpaste/cap length and laundry detergent/cup size for measuring but how does one judge the amount of shampoo based on cup size?

re: Shampoo

Most people shouldn't wash their hair every day, much less "apply, lather, rinse, *repeat*"

@Sherryness: It would cost waaaaay too much to add a differently colored line to the cap. A better solution is to find the line, mark it with a sharpie, and then just save that cap when you run out of the product. That way you'll always have a cap with nice, clear markings.

Not news.

My mother gave me this advice in the early '80s: don't use the cap to measure detergent.

HEY! Sneaky bastards!

wait, people actually use the container cap of SHAMPOO to measure?

Most shampoos are TWICE the strength you actually need.
I always keep a the empty bottle of Suave,fill it halfway with water and the rest from a new bottle.
Works just as well.

I thought "lather rinse repeat" was the scam to get people to use more shampoo.

Cough syrup is the worst. Read the label (2T). Look on cup where the 2T mark is on most cups: abouth 1/3 of the cap. Many consumers end up guzzling down 3x the amount they should. And of course, the time you're least likely to read a label is when you're sick and feverish, or Lil' Timmy's coughing up a lung.

Sneaky!!

If your long distance service runs an ad that says, "Hey everyone! You should make twice as many phone calls!" Is that a scam? Jeez, people just use as much of a product as you find effective. You need someone to tell you this?