Where did those two ounces of yogurt go? The dreaded grocery shrink ray has blasted them to oblivion, my friends. Not even store brands are safe.
Josh says:
Publix did a great job not making it obvious — they pulled all of each flavor off the shelf before replacing it. But I found that one Mango one in the back and was able to make this comparison.
Speaking of not making it too obvious— these two containers look the same. Why does one have 6 ounces and the other have 4?
if you look at the bottom, that’s where they get you. In the old days, the bottoms were flat. Now, not so much.
If you spot evidence of the ray’s malevolent beam in your grocery store — take a photo and send it to us at tips@consumerist.com — or upload it to Flickr and submit it to our Flickr pool.
(Photos: Listener42
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Is there some reason the shrink ray isn’t hitting restaurants, too? I’d definitely prefer to get smaller portions for the same price when I eat out as opposed to the current trend of getting the same (already too-large) portions for more $$$.
@FrankTheTank: Consumerist has done stories about that, at least with deceptive laundry detergent cups that prod you to use more than necessary. It’s all part of the same practice.
@Corporate-Shill: You’ve said that a gazillion times. I’ve agreed with that statement a gazillion times.
I think the general concensus (though it’s not unilateral, make no mistake) that many of us would rather see price going up rather (which is a clearly visible and noticeable change) rather than containers secretly shrinking (which many mfgs. have taken great pains to avoid disclosing or make obvious) and ultimately misleading us on a price per unit basis.
Hence, I believe the Consumerist has a good point to be on this crusade to expose the grocery shrink ray.
uhh… the yoplait whips were always 4oz, and the regulars 6oz.
air or not, the chocolate mousse one is *damn* good.
@bobfromboston: gotta defend myself here:
a) The yogurt from the store comes in some sort of container no matter what size you buy—->
b) Yogurt is a lunchbox mainstay in my family —->
c) If I take the yogurt out of large container, transfer to small container, there is still only a 75% chance that I will be able to reuse that small container (thrown away by pre-schoolers, crushed in backpacks, lost at the office, etc.—->
d) what have we gained by buying in large containers? (besides that large containers come with lids)
Also, my environmental halo is untarnishable:
Our family:
does not own a car
does not fly (we take a car trip once a year for vacation)
lives in an apartment building
and uses cloth diapers
We are far from perfect (faint hum of air conditioner…)
but I feel really, really comfortable wanting an 8 oz. Stonyfield yogurt with a cap. ‘kay?
(this comment should be read with the lightheartedness with which it was written– not sanctimony.)
Boy, that’s the ultimate in sneakiness!
@AD8BC: i can second that. Whips is like mousse. Also it’s very tasty, and it weighs less than a regular yogurt of the same volume. Always has. This is not another strike of the shrink-ray.
@dh86sj: beat me to it.
@Sidecutter:
Right next to the ounces measurement is grams, which is mass.@Applekid:
Yes, they are sleazy. I wonder if in this case the indentations actually make them easier to stack? The top of one fits inside the bottom of another?@AaronZ:
Read closely. The units are of mass, not volume.
@Sidecutter: If it were Fluid Ounces it would say Fluid Ounces, like this: “8 FL OZ”. It’s not, and it doesn’t.
@TeraGram: Marketing idea for those of you planning on trying this with your kids: “It will be just like Coldstone only with yogurt! Choose any 2 Mix-Ins.”
/Calling the Reese’s Pieces.
One thing that irks me is the snarky attitude some editors take with their writing, but it only makes them look uninformed:
The answer is they are different products. One is a whipped product with a lot of air, one is not. Is that too hard to understand? Or (as I think is the case) the editors are so eager to yell and scream “evil corporation!” all common sense seems to immediately evacuate their collective brain?
It’s getting old, really.
There is a lot of stuff this site needs to fight for, a lot of injustice continues to infect our society. Making up false claims about yogurt sizes only hurts that broader mission.
Thanks.
I work at a Publix(well, putting in my 2-week notice today), and I stock dairy the majority of my time working.
The pictures are certainly misleading in terms of Yoplait. The Whips have been 4oz for as long as I can remember, it’s not the shrink ray getting to them.
I can’t really attest to the indented bottoms being a byproduct of a previous shrink-ray, but they are far from new and make the product much easier to handle because their narrow top makes stacking difficult otherwise. You can’t call that a shrink-ray effect unless you’re willing to prove there was some point previously where they were 2oz or so larger and didn’t have false bottoms.
And, to defend the reputation of Publix, they’ve been making strides to keep prices down. I’ve looked at price/cost histories for some products and can clearly see there are plenty of products that Publix is cutting the extra costs from the manufacturer out of their profits by not raising consumer prices anywhere near as much as what the manufacturers are.
The Yoplait has been shrinking. I think I remember there being a 12oz since. I’m not 100% on that, though, so don’t blast me. I definitely remember 10oz, though. Now it’s down to 6oz. Sheesh.
In the future we’ll be buying big containers of yogurt that are 0 ounces (0 grams) and we’ll be happy to get that much! The grocery shrink ray is too powerful, yet not powerful enough to work on our bellies!
If you eat a lot of yogurt then it might be worth looking at buying a yogurt maker from amazon (or other store). All you need to do for mine is take some 1/2 c. of plain yogurt and add 4 cups of milk. Bring it to a certain temp. (110 F I think) and place it in the yogurt machine(really just a warmer) for about 4 hours. After you get it to the consistancy you like then take out 1/2 cup for the next batch then add sugar or splenda. Refrigerate for a while and eat it like you normally would. Mmm-mmm.
There is even a method for doing it without purchasing a warmer so google it if you want to learn more.
omg…I shop at Publix all the time (South Florida) and I’m quite shocked…I buy this yogurt a lot too…
Rats. Publix was just about the last holdout with true 8 oz. yogurt containers. I predict their ice cream will shrink from the true half gallon size to 3 pints real soon now too.
If Publix wanted to do something with the yogurt, they could get rid of some of the HORRIBLE flavors they have.
@Applekid: That’s exactly the point I was making.
@everyone_else: The Yoplait picture was just to show the containers and the bottoms. I know they were different types of yogurt.
Honestly I like the grocery shrink ray, maybe everything will shrink down to an actual serving instead of 1.2-2x as much.
Hopefully that shrink ray will hit America’s fat ass along with smaller groceries.
Jewel yogurt’s been hit by the shrink ray too. Luckily, Meijer still sells 8oz containers of yogurt.