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grocery shrink ray
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grocery shrink ray
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grocery shrink ray
Le Petit Fromage
Violating every conceivable standard of decency, the Grocery Shrink Ray has unleashed a heartless attack on baby cheese. Mini Babybels, those adorably pudgy wax-encrusted cheese cylinders, were once allowed to grow until they reached 132 grams. Now, the Babybel's are a stunted 120 grams.
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Not Even Mini Babybel Cheese Can Escape The Grocery Shrink Ray
Violating every conceivable standard of decency, the Grocery Shrink Ray has unleashed a heartless attack on baby cheese. Mini Babybels, those adorably pudgy wax-encrusted cheese cylinders, were once allowed to grow until they reached 132 grams. Now, the Babybel's are a stunted 120 grams.
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grocery shrink ray
Grocery Shrink Ray Zaps Pampers
The grocery shrink ray doesn't just target food. It's coming after your baby's diapers. More »
grocery shrink ray
Ben Popken Talkin' 'Bout Grocery Shrink Ray In Various Media Outlets
Media interest in The Grocery Shrink Ray sweeping across America continues, I was interviewed recently by CNNMoney.com, The Brian Lehrer Show, and Agence France-Press. Everyone knows prices are higher and manufacturers need to pass them on somehow. I don't like the method of shrinking sizes while keeping the prices the same. Or when they combine it with a package redesign, hoping we'll be so distracted by a new spigot that we won't notice we're getting less. My local pizza parlor went about it differently. They raised prices and taped up two articles explaining how rising wheat costs are driving up the cost of making pizza. They didn't, however, cut their pies into 12 slices instead of 8.
The Incredible Shrinking Portion [The Brian Lehrer Show]
US manufacturers beat inflation by selling less for same price [AFP]
Shrinking groceries [CNNMoney]
arby's
Grocery Shrink Ray Hits Arby's In OK-KS-MO-AR
Starting this week, a few portions are smaller and prices higher at Arby's in the OK-KS-MO-AR region. Here's the aftermath:
AuJus sauce (by itself, not with meal): from free to $.50
Sandwiches in "Pick 5 for 5.95 combos": 2oz of sliced beef to 1.5 oz, 4" bun to 3.5" bun.
Sandwiches with cheese: $.10 increase
No word yet on whether this shrinking/price increase combo will spread to other regions.
One of the Arby's employees we spoke to over the phone said the changes were necessary because of rising costs, "of oil and stuff."
arizona ice tea
Grocery Shrink Ray Hits Arizona Ice Tea?
It looks like the fell Grocery Shrink Ray may have hit cans of Arizona Ice Tea, reducing the size of their 12 oz cans to 11.5 oz cans. We couldn't find any definite pictures of 12oz Arizona Ice Tea cans, but we did find them being sold on this website in 12 oz cans. What happens to a product when the shrink ray hits it? I imagine it goes eek! eek! eek! and the last eek is an octave higher than the first.
(Thanks to Cynicor!)
grocery shrink ray
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.
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Grocery Shrink Ray Hits Publix, Yoplait Yogurt
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.
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grocery shrink ray
Adapting to the threat of informed consumers, the insidious Grocery Shrink Ray has mutated to enlarge select items. The Grocery Shrink Ray is seen here needlessly inflating the size of the scoop bundled with Cheer Color Guard detergent. Is Cheer encouraging consumers to burn through their product faster, or is the new Cheer simply less effective? Reader Mark investigates, inside...
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Cheer Color Guard's Newer Scoop Wastes More Detergent, Money
Adapting to the threat of informed consumers, the insidious Grocery Shrink Ray has mutated to enlarge select items. The Grocery Shrink Ray is seen here needlessly inflating the size of the scoop bundled with Cheer Color Guard detergent. Is Cheer encouraging consumers to burn through their product faster, or is the new Cheer simply less effective? Reader Mark investigates, inside...
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media whoring
Ben Popken On TV Talking 'Bout Shrinking Packages
Here's the clip of yours truly, Ben Popken, on FOX 13 Tampa yesterday talking about the Grocery Shrink Ray that all the writers on the site have been doing a great job of covering. The interview was done over Skype webcam and I think it came out pretty well. "Shrinkage" and "downsizing" may be nothing new, but I think we're going to see more goods shrinking and by greater degrees in the coming months. It's practically a secret inflation. At the end of the story they say that some manufacturers are considering doing away with gallons of milk and instead selling 3/4 of a gallon, for the same price. If that happens, I think a lot more messages like the recording of the good ol' boy upset over the downsized Jimmy Dean's sausage are going to be left on customer complaint lines across America. As the guy in the New York Daily News shrinking package article (which I was also quoted in, whoo), said, "Soon people will be buying empty bags and empty boxes."
Consumerist Editor Ben Popken (hey, that's me!) talks about the grocery shrink ray today at 5:30 PM Eastern on WTVT-TV FOX 13 in Florida.
grocery shrink ray
How To Thank Kellog's For Shrinking Cereals
We thought we'd use The Simple Dollar's guide to writing an effective thank you note to "thank" our friends at Kellogg's for trying to pull the wool over our eyes with the ever-present grocery shrink ray. Here it goes: More »
grocery shrink ray
Grocery Shrink Ray Hits Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks
Kellogg has confirmed that the much-feared grocery shrink ray has now focused its malevolent beam on Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks. Boxes were shrunk by an average of 2.4 ounces. More »
shrinking packages
These Sun Chips have shrunk from 11.5 oz to 10.5 oz and are still being sold at the same price. "Not even healthy foods that normally are already sold in smaller portions are safe," says tipster MasonTwo who spotted these on the shelves at Walmart. CNN says the products most vulnerable to the Grocery Shrink Ray are paper towels, potato chips, sticks of gum, toilet paper, detergent and candy bars. Hey, look at the bright side, maybe the Grocery Shrink Ray is just what we need to fight the obesity crisis.
Grocery Shrink Ray Hits Garden Salsa Sun Chips
These Sun Chips have shrunk from 11.5 oz to 10.5 oz and are still being sold at the same price. "Not even healthy foods that normally are already sold in smaller portions are safe," says tipster MasonTwo who spotted these on the shelves at Walmart. CNN says the products most vulnerable to the Grocery Shrink Ray are paper towels, potato chips, sticks of gum, toilet paper, detergent and candy bars. Hey, look at the bright side, maybe the Grocery Shrink Ray is just what we need to fight the obesity crisis.
falsies
Tony Roma Corporate Responds To Shrinking Beer Complaint
Tony Roma corporate sent Alex the following response to his complaint over being sold a 16 oz beer and getting a 14 oz beer instead:
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falsies
Tony Roma's, Where 16oz = 14oz
UPDATE: Tony Roma Corporate Responds To Shrinking Beer Complaint
Alex and his friend went to Tony Roma's, a casual dining place known for its ribs, and got a little twinge in their torso when they realized that the "16 ounce" beer they were served came in a 14 ounce glass. The glass was just as tall as a normal glass, but it had a thicker bottom, making it hold less. These glasses are known as "falsies." The friends might not have noticed the difference except that Alex's buddy got his beer served in a normal glass and Alex got the thick-bottomed one. They conducted experiments involving pouring water between the different glasses and concluded that yes, Alex got 2 ounces less. When they complained, the manager said, "who said we served pints?" and said it was policy to only serve beer in 14 ounce glasses, and soda in 16 ounce glasses. Which might have been ok, except when the waiter first took their order, he specifically asked whether they would like 16 ounces or 23 ounces. 16 is not 14. Alex's letter, inside...
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Attention Floridian Consumerists! Provided everything goes according to schedule, I will be on Fox Tampa Thursday during the 10pm newscast, talking about the mysterious Grocery Shrink Ray sweeping across America.
grocery shrink ray
Grocery Shrink Ray Hits "Science Diet" Cat Food
We've been getting quite a few complaints about Hill's Science Diet Cat Food. It seems that they've shrunk their bag and (in some stores) the price went up too. More »
14 Oz. To Freedom
