Edit: New readers to the topic can join it as of May 2023 by clicking here.
Costing more and getting less - we’re hearing more and more about the issue of ‘shrinkflation’. Here’s a list of some of the more prominent examples we uncovered.
Feel free to add your examples below.
I don’t have a record of past price & size for ‘Smitten Feline Care’ crystal cat litter, but I suspect that they have downsized the quantity and increased the price of their product. A 2 kg bag of crystal cat litter from ‘Smitten Feline Care’ currently sells for $11.00. I am fairly confident that their previous bag was larger in size but I have no record of what it cost.
I just spotted another downsizing of a cadbury block of chocolate marble. Other blocks are 180gm whilst the marble one is 173 gms. I have no idea how they get away with it. That needs to be added to the shonky list… Also the price of the marble block at the servo was 2 dollars dearer than Coles or woolworths. Be aware i say. I wont be buying a block from local servo anymore. How they justify the price and less product
It’s a constant problem. The only solution is to check what you buy and where you buy it. Incidentally the servo doesn’t set the size of the block and the maker doesn’t set the retail price.
Yes i understand what you mean about the price being higher but size is crazy how they reduce it.
Yeah getting more expensive and some package sizes have gotten smaller. Though I’ve always saved a bit to mitigate the rising costs.
Works out that I save between $100-200 per month from the above 4 measures to offset the price hikes 
Example, if I bought $500 Woolworths gift card with 4% discount = 500 - 20 = $480 paid. Then if I bought $500 of groceries with 10% once a month Woolworths discount = 500 - 50 = $450 paid via gift card
Inflation on wholesale prices of Supermarket goods have risen sharply as we all know. Metcash have revealed that in October and November prices rose by over 8% per month.
"Group chief executive Doug Jones said the company had performed well with strong growth since July despite the impact of increasing inflationary pressures.
‘It has been another pleasing half for Metcash with strong sales and earnings growth in the face of higher inflation and while cycling the impact of extensive lockdowns,’ he said.
‘We are prioritising volume growth … to keep our retailers competitive, particularly whilst facing their own cost pressures.’
The inflation report, however, revealed wholesale prices of food grew rapidly from 4.9 per cent in the first quarter to 7.4 per cent in the second.
In October, prices rose by 8.4 per cent, which then accelerated by 8.8 per cent the following month."
That sort of monthly rise would be and is likely an unsustainable rise in costs for many households. With the rise in official interest rates, it will likely add more pressure to business costs and add further cost rises to the goods we need to purchase.
Cost of living crisis: Australian grocery shops rocket in price (msn.com)
There is a fair chance that the writer of this article doesn’t have a good understanding of the topic and/or numbers. It is likely that the percentages relate to annual or year to date figures.
I had noticed a 13% increase in 4 weeks in the cost of a birdseed block I purchase for the enjoyment of our bird visitors. Over the past year it had risen more slowly from roughly $7 (specials etc and where it is purchased from) to $8.30, then in the last 4 weeks that price has now sharply increased to $9.40.
17% wholesale increases are not out of probability, often businesses will smooth increases out to reduce jolts to customers. Another example of a rapid rise is the 3.5 litre A2 milk sold at Costco has risen from $6.99 to around $9.60 in a couple of months.
Im not sure what you think but weekly shopping can vary vastly. Im never sure if it depends on wher one lives. Or who the supplier is. When you said about Costco price going up is that usual or unusual. I don’t shop at Costco just curious to know.
Usually Costco have fairly stable prices. The rapid rise in the milk price is unusual but expected with the rises in inflation.
The birdseed block is Coles pricing, Woolies block of similar type rose from around $7.60 to $9 in the same period.
I think most shoppers have experienced the rapid rise in any product pricing over the last couple of months.
There’s no other way to describe the following other than “An outrageous price rise by stealth”.
For some time I have purchased protein bars by NOWAY such as
Woolworths sell them, not Coles. The standard piece is 60 gms and sells for $4.95, but often it’s discounted by 30% to $3.45
The tasted very good when compared to other protein bars and are ideal for gluten free folk like my Mum, who can’t find GF foods that are both tasty and low in sugar and also ideally low in fat.
Today I again visited Woolworths. I saw new flavours in place of old ones.
I bought one, Marshmallow, for $3.45
It tasted OK, nothing special, but seemed a tad light when compared to what I recall from earlier purchases.
When I looked closely I saw that it, like the other flavours now available (in place of the flavours formerly available) is only 45 gms. That is a whopping 25% LESS in weight than those previously (maybe a month ago) available for purchase.
But selling for the same price.
For shame on Noway.
Maybe it’s time for consumers to say “No way” to "Noway!
Another eye gouging experience thanks to Woolworths.
(Yellowfin) Tuna in oil, 125 gm was for at least the last 18 mths sold for $2,see from today’s website
I needed to restock this morning and saw a whopping 25% price rise to $2.50, see
When I mentioned this to a staff member, she said prices change on a daily basis and she has seen rises of 20% or 30% (ie many times the rate of inflation) on items which are NOT in short supply. The inference was - and I accept - was that others in Woolworths decide prices. She’s just the messenger.
She offered to sell it to me at $2 if that was the sticker price on the shelf. It was not. The sticker price is $2.50. Apparently it was changed in the last few days.
Brendan. Have you thought about removing the reference to 2022 in this topic’s name so that people are encouraged to post current examples of shrinkflation?
The cost of of living crisis means that more manufacturers of packaged food and grocery products are reducing pack sizes to try to maintain or increase their margins and as a result unit prices (prices per 100g/100mL etc.are increasing).
But often these are not well known and the media often does not hear about and publicise them
Publicity about pack size downsizing and shrinkflation can deter businesses from doing it, and may even (but very rarely) result in a return to the original pacl size.
A recent extreme and interesting example of shrinkflation is the 25% reduction in the size of Cottees jams from 500g to 375g that, despite a 7% (20 cents) reduction in the selling price, resulted in a 25 % increase in the unit price from $0.60 to $0.75 per 100g
Hopefully, the small reduction in the selling price (a clever marketing move) will not result in too many shoppers thinking that the value for money has improved. .
Good suggestion. Done.
I am not sure if this is Shrinkflation, or the other sort where the quality degrades.
Mr Z grabbed a box of frozen Patties Party Pies to take to a friend for lunch. He came back with some and when comparing with the old box, I noticed a big reduction in size.
The old (we rarely buy these) pies ere 47g and the newer ones 25g. The pack picture is the same, meaty pastry. They are sold with the number more prominent than the weight. I would have to do some digging to find the price of the old ones and what the new ones “on special” were normally.
The nutrition panel has the same info, but with smaller serving size, both have 22% beef.
Shrinkage comes to, of all places, Aldi.
Rexona men’s original roll on antiperspirant sells at Coles, Woolworths and Kmart in 50 ml units. The same is not offered at Aldi.
But exactly the same item, packaging, design is now sold at Aldi but in a 10% smaller size ie. 45 ml.
Shame on you, Aldi.
Were the 25 g pies sold as “party pies” or as" mini party pies" in a combo pack (photo below)?
The websites for Coles, Woolworths and IGA each include packs of 47g party pies. They only show the 25g pies in combo packs and refer to them as mini party pies.
The pack looks different, but the word “mini” did appear on it. Sausage rolls & pies. The picture of the pies looks the same (a full tub, rather than a small knob with a wide lid).
Perhaps this should go under the “Pack shot” category as the Minis look miserable against the illustration.
I did an online woolies shop today, and what I used to buy for $50-ish is now costing $80-ish. Fresh fruit and veg, cream and catfood.
