Consumerist
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grocery shrink ray
Oh, Popchips, Say It Isn't So!
A little over a week ago, we brought to you a heart-warming tale of good publicity, free stuff, and tasty snacks from PopChips. Lurking in our files, though, was evidence that Popchips have been savagely zapped by the Grocery Shrink Ray. More » -
grocery shrink ray
Peter Pan Saves The Earth By Giving You Less Peanut Butter
Pedro discovered that ConAgra Foods focused the Grocery Shrink Ray on Peter Pan peanut butter and came up with an excuse for the downsizing straight out of Never Never Land: It's good for the environment. More » -
grocery shrink ray
Naked Juice Removes Supplements, Now Just Boring Juice
Bryan, a longtime Naked Juice customer, noticed that that Strawberry Kiwi Kick brand he always bought had a different colored cap. He writes, "Alas, the 'Kick' is no more. Gone are the supplements, including plain ol' Vitamin C. Strawberry Kiwi Kick is just fruit juice." When he contacted them to complain, they responded that their "devotees" preferred it that way, and they sent him a coupon and a temporary tattoo. Because if there's anything that says "we take your input seriously," it's a temporary tattoo. (Or maybe they're trying to tell him what they expect of real devotees.) More » -
grocery shrink ray
Grocery Shrink Ray Squeezes Energy Out Of Red Bull
Looks like the power of taurine, caffeine and glucuronolactone is no match for the Grocery Shrink Ray. Alert reader Denis sent us this side-by-side comparison of the new "large" Red Bull (left) and the old one. Original: 16.9 ounces. New, taller, thinner version: 16 ounces. We're not sure when the Bull's wings flew off with the remaining 0.9 ounces, but we already miss them. When it comes to caffeine (and glucuronolactone, of course), that bit can just make the difference between crashing on the couch, or sprinting into the office (or at least that's our excuse, and we're sticking with it). -
short filling
Grocery Shrink Ray Extends To Propane Refills
When the cost of propane shot up to $1.70 or more per gallon last year, propane dealers quietly cut the amount they were putting into refilled tanks without telling customers. Now the cost of propane is under a dollar per gallon, but retailers aren't increasing the amount back to previous levels. More » -
grocery shrink ray
Grocery Shrink Ray Affects Innocent Eyeballs and Adorable Babies
Reader Dan noticed something different when buying a new can of formula for his daughter (at left.) Her delicious colic-preventing formula had been hit by the dread grocery shrink ray. Waaah! More » -
grocery shrink ray
Ben & Jerry's Announces Their Grocery Shrink Ray Immunity
1 pint = 16 fluid ounces — at least mathematically. In the ice cream world, however, there seems to be some shrinking going on. More » -
groceries
Gas And Ingredients Are Cheap, So Why Are Grocery Prices Rising?
With the the cost of ingredients, gas prices, and interest rates dropping, why are food manufacturers continuing to hike prices and shrink products? According to the L.A. Times, supermarkets don't know, but they're as pissed as we are.
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grocery shrink ray
Grocery Growth Ray To Hit Ketchup, Chips
A grocery growth ray is set to hit a popular condiment and several kinds of baked corn with names ending "tos." To push the brands as being good values, Heinz will be selling slightly larger ketchup bottles, and Frito-Lay is adding 20% to Tostitos, Fritos, Cheetos and Doritos - without raising the price. Unlike the grocery shrink ray, you can bet this change will be loudly trumpeted on the package.
Consumer-Goods Makers Heed 'Paycheck Cycle' [WSJ] (Thanks to RandomHookup!)
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grocery shrink ray
Cascade Beer Drinkers Defeat Grocery Shrink Ray
When Fosters-owned Cascade beer (different from regular Fosters in that it tastes decent) switched to 330ml from 375ml while charging the same price, consumers let their discontent be known in a highly visible fashion: they stopped buying it. Fosters reported a 33% drop in sales and some retailers reported up to a 50% drop. In response to the steep drop-off, Fosters is going back to 375ml, the standard size for canned beers in Australia.
Foster's cans 330ml stubbies [smh.com.au] (Thanks to Kevin!) (Photo: James Cridland)
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grocery shrink ray
M&M's Valentine's Day "Cupid's Mix" Is 10% Lighter Than Regular M&M Packs
Do you want to lose weight for Valentine's Day? Then M&M's special Valentine's Day Cupid's Mix is just for you! Since they're 10% lighter than M&M's usual holiday pack, they'll help you lose money too. More proof that M&M's Cupid traded in his arrow for the Grocery Shrink Ray after the jump...
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videos
Ben Popken On NBC Nightly News Tonight, Still Pimping That Grocery Shrink Ray
Yours truly Ben Popken was featured ever so briefly in a NBC Nightly News report tonight about the Grocery Shrink Ray. More »
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grocery shrink ray
Grocery Shrink Ray Hits Girl Scout Cookies
Sad news for lovers of the Thin Mint — you'll be paying the same amount for fewer cookies this year. More » -
shrink ray
Shylockian Shrink Ray Extracts Pound Of Flesh From Tyson Frozen Chicken Wings
BUH-KAW! Tyson's five-pound bag of frozen chicken wings is now Tyson's four-pound bag of frozen chicken wings.
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shrink ray
NYT Investigates TV Shrink Ray
Is nothing sacred? The New York Times is reporting that the grocery shrink ray, that scourge of the savvy supermarket shopper, has now been turned to televisions. -
media whoring
Ben Popken On NBC Nightly News Rescheduled
The NBC Nightly News Grocery Shrink Ray piece I'm in that was to air last night has been pushed back. Will keep you posted as to when its next slated to air. -
media whoring
Ben Popken On NBC Nightly News This Thursday
Watch NBC Nightly News on Thursday, 12/04/08, for a snippet of yours truly, Ben Popken, laying down some tough talk on the good 'ol Grocery Shrink Ray, THE STORY THAT NEVER DIES!!! MUAHAHA! -
grocery shrink ray
"Holistic Margin Management": What General Mills Calls Grocery Shrink Ray
Guess what they call the Grocery Shrink Ray at General Mills? "Holistic Margin Management." I thinks that's also what they call it in 1984. Another interesting fact from a StarTribune article looking at shrinking packages: customers are more likely to notice a change in the height rather than the width of a box. But does anyone really care? More »
grocery shrink ray
New York, 10:16 PM
Sat Jul 4
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