As an avid Consumerist reader, Drew knows to watch out when the boxes on the supermarket shelves get a makeover. Oftentimes these are tell-tale signs that the grocery shrink ray has been at it, reducing the amount of content you get and charging you more. His favorite cereal, Kashi Honey Sunshine, was a recent victim, dropping from 12 oz to 10.5 oz and getting a “New Look!” in the process. [More]
Orville Redenbacher Uses New Fancy Bowl To Disguise Shrink Ray Effects
By August 9, 2011
Looks like old Orville Redenbacher has been working on his sleight of hand technique. He wants you to focus on how his kettle corn popcorn is in a new easier to use “pop up bowl,” and ignore how it’s been downsized to 2.9 oz per bag from 3.3 oz. Worse, writers tipster Derek, the popcorn doesn’t pop as well. [More]
Grocery Shrink Ray Zaps Pop Secret Popcorn
By July 25, 2011
Consumerist reader Bryan says he tends to buy a new box of Pop Secret microwave popcorn every month or so. But while he was putting away his groceries the other day he noticed that the new box seemed a bit thinner than he’d become accustomed to. [More]
Nestle Zaps Lil' Drums With Rare Grocery Growth Ray
By May 20, 2011
We are humbled and delighted to report that our previous report that Nestle’s Lil’ Drums frozen dairy-like dessert products has shrunk from ten cones per package to twelve was inaccurate. Nestle reached out to Consumerist and shared the amazing news that our tipster spotted the packages in the wrong order: the number of Lil’ Drums in a package is actually increasing, from ten to twelve. [More]
Lil' Drums Ice Cream Cone Packages Now Even More Lil'
By May 12, 2011
Fans of Nestle’s perfectly dessert-sized mini Drumsticks will be disappointed this summer. While the individual cones have stayed the same size, there are now only ten to a box instead of the former twelve. Update: Nestle let us know that the change is actually the other way around: the package is becoming less lil’, not more. [More]
Shrink Rayed Noxzema Jar Has 2 Fewer Ounces, Bonus False Bottom
By April 20, 2011
Last year, Noxzema scooped two ounces out of their signature blue jars after a minor redesign. Mike noticed that the jar still appeared to be the same size as the previous 14-ounce incarnation, so he did the only logical thing one can do in this situation: he attacked the jar with a saw to confirm that it did indeed have a false bottom. [More]
Grocery Shrink Ray Widens Blast Radius In Tough Times
By March 30, 2011
Grocery Shrink Ray use tends to be more prevalent during a down economy, as manufacturers look to cut down on costs while making it appear through packaging as though they’re giving you the same amount. The practice takes more of a toll on consumers when they have less money to throw around. [More]
Check Out This Adorable Little Breakfast Burrito
By January 17, 2011
DJ must have used tweezers and a microscope to set up this shot of this microscopic breakfast burrito, which he says have been hit by a Grocery Shrink Ray of sorts. At its side is a salsa packet. [More]
Dish Customers Could Ring In New Year With Fewer Channels
By December 31, 2010
A showdown between Comcast and Dish Network may leave Dish viewers without Comcast-owned channels E! and Style Saturday, as licensing agreements are set to expire. [More]
DirecTV Hints At Channel Dumping
By December 6, 2010
DirecTV viewers who are angry that the provider dropped G4 may have more to complain about soon. DirecTV execs said the company is thinking about zapping its offerings with a Grocery Shrink Ray of sorts, taking a hard look at costs and looking for more unpopular channels to drop in the coming months. [More]
Grocery Shrink Ray Zaps 60 Pumps Away From My Dawn Direct Foam
By December 3, 2010
Reader Psychodad1961 noticed that his Dawn Direct Foam dishwashing soap had been zapped by Consumerist’s patented, trademarked and copyrighted Grocery Shrink Ray — to the tune of 25%. [More]
Comic Strip Ponders Horrible Future Of The Grocery Shrink Ray
By November 3, 2010
Team Consumerist aren’t the only ones with a watchful eye out for the Grocery Shrink Ray. Cartoonist Jen Sorensen of Slowpoke Comics recently noticed the phenomenon, and illustrates a bleak future for beloved products as the shrinkage continues. The fate awaiting the iconic plastic honey bear is too horrible to imagine. [More]
Walmart Beef Jerky Hit With Grocery Shrink Ray & Label Hyperbole Laser
By October 6, 2010
Consumerist reader Joshua popped into his local Walmart the other morning to get his beef jerky fix, only to find that his snack of choice been hit with the Grocery Shrink Ray. Making matters worse, someone had tried to disguise that fact with a blast from the Label Hyperbole Laser. [More]
Papa John's Deploys Anchovy Shrink Ray
By October 1, 2010
Some people like to eat anchovies. Reader H., for example. While H. likes to eat anchovies, however, he’s deeply disappointed that Papa John’s charges enough for the little fishies to disappoint even Philip J. Fry. [More]
Dial Hand Soap Bottle Grows Slightly Taller To Disguise Shrink Ray Attack
By September 30, 2010
Todd reports that while the new Dial hand soap bottle has a sleek new design that is slightly taller and adds more sexy curves, it’s all a facade to distract us from how the product has been Shrink Rayed. The old bottle was 11.25 ounces, and the new is 9.375. Todd writes, “But perhaps the most audacious part of it is the fact that they shrunk the bottle, redesigned the shape and label ever so slightly, and slapped a “NEW!” label on it, thinking we would never notice.” [More]
3 New Victims Of The Grocery Shrink Ray: Cookie Crisp, Oreos, And Finish Detergent
By September 8, 2010
What do Cookie Crisp cereal, Double Stuf Oreos, and Finish dish detergent have in common? None of them are particularly good for you if you eat them, even if the first two are delicious in moderation. Yet all three were recently hit by the Grocery Shrink Ray, making each Finish tablet a tiny bit smaller, reducing the amount of cereal in the box by more than 20%, and giving consumers four fewer Double Stuf Oreos in a package. When will the indignities end? [More]
Grocery Illusion Ray Altered The Packaging On Deodorant
By August 31, 2010
Reader Ben seems to have identified a phenomenon that could be called the Grocery Illusion Ray with 3 oz. Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal at Walmart. The pricing and content are the same but the newer packaging is wider, with a larger roll-on ball, giving the impression that you’re getting more odor-eating goodness for your dollar. [More]
Grocery Shrink Ray Minimizes My Brownies
By August 30, 2010
Maurice took this beauty shot of two generations of Betty Crocker’s Turtle brownie mix side-by-side. The new version, on the right, gives you less brownie for the same cost. By his calculations, the new version, meant to fill out a 64 square inch pan, makes barely more than half as many brownies as the old, which were suited to a 117 square-inch pan. [More]
