Frugal Frugalson over at Picking up Nickles made a side-by-side comparison of General Mills’ newer “Right Size, Right Price” cereal boxes. Apparently, the right size is 1.5 oz less, and the right price is about 9% more.

Donning my detective’s cap, I found that the 14oz box of General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios at my local market had been replaced by a 12.5oz box for the same $2.99 price. That works out to a 8.9% price increase, which is a bit larger than the average price increase of 2.9% claimed in this New York Times article.

To add insult to injury, General Mills designed the 12.5oz box so that it appears to be larger on the shelf than the old 14oz box since the new packaging is taller and thinner than its predecessor.

We have seen this shadow inflation before with Cadbury eggs and Charmin Ultra Big Rolls. One way to fight back: buy a year’s worth of cereal at once. Thanks to our February trip to Rite Aid, we’re still rolling in 14 oz boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios.

Grocery price inflation update [Picking up Nickles]
PREVIOUSLY: General Mills Will Decrease The Size Of Cereal Boxes, Raise Prices

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