Jun 22, 2008 6:28 pm US/Mountain
Products Shrinking, Prices Remain The Same
DENVER (CBS4) ―
Consumers really are paying more for less at the grocery store. From ice cream to paper towels, manufacturers are shrinking the package and the contents, but not the price.
"I feel that I'm being ripped off in a quiet way," said a consumer.
A box of Fruit Loops just got lighter. Kellogg's just announced several cereal boxes will drop two ounces.
There are fewer chips in bags of all Frito Lay snacks.
Bounty cut the number of towels on a roll from 56 to 48.
"I think consumers should be made aware that they are spending the same amount of money and getting less product," another consumer said.
Consumers may think that shrinking content is just a sneaky way to increase prices, but manufacturers say it's necessary.
A jar of Hellman's mayonnaise that was 32 ounces is now 30.
"The price of our ingredients has gone up dramatically," a Hellman's spokesperson said. "Manufacturing and transportation costs also have increased significantly."
Eggs are up 45 percent, and corn is up 70 percent. At the same time, the cost to haul products to the stores has nearly doubled.
"It's just going to make me be a more conscious shopper, like look for the sales, cut coupons," a shopper said.
Inflating prices for shrinking products are hurting cash-strapped consumers.
In the frozen food aisle, Edy's ice cream reduced the size of its containers by 14 percent, but didn't change the price.
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