Waitrose Indian Rices, previously 350gm now 300gm. Shrinkage coincides with a total repackaging AND a promotion on said rice so I guess they`re hoping us dumb sheep won`t notice. Ironically the package carries a "25% off" sticker referring to the promo price when really the truth is the contents are @15% smaller. Promotion ends in a couple of weeks so at that time people will (mostly) unknowingly be paying even more for less. Shelf-edge offer notice still had the old size details on so they are effectively misleading punters right now. Their Chinese rices are currently staying the same size but after this I fully expect a repackaging of those to signal similar bait-and-switch tactics.

Expect this kind of tactic from some of the less prestigious supermarkets but I guess they`re all the same at heart.

Any other notable ones to watch out for?

People ARE less likely to notice a size reduction than a price increase, and more willing to put up with it as well. So, annoying as it is, it does work.

My mum keeps saying she's sure you get fewer slices of bread in a Hovis than you used to, but I haven't noticed.

The most obvious one for me is tins of Quality Street and the like. Compared to what you used to get they are absolutely tiny, and made with cheaper packaging (plastic instead of metal) but still around £5 each.

I noticed one tonight and I'm not happy. Bought the Old El Paso fajita kit and the tortillas are noticeably smaller and poorer quality. They are £3.25 a kit and have always been worth the extra because the quality was noticeably better than cheaper alternatives.
We couldn't believe the size of the tortillas and they didn't really puff up in the pan.
Very annoyed.

Most chocolate bars are much smaller than they used to be.

Coke did this earlier this year. The ditched the 2l bottles in favour of 1.75l (from memory) bottles instead. Prices stayed the same and the bottles, now designed to look like the classic glass bottles, take up the same amount of room in the fridge.
We no buy Pepsi that is still in 2l size at the same pricing or less. The price annoys me, but reducing the capacity whilst taking the same space in my fridge annoys me even more!

Lots aren't though. Wagon Wheels for a start.

I have to disagree. Wagon Wheels are at least a third smaller then when I was a kid.

Thing is they most definitely aren't, you are just imagining it. They adjusted sizes in line with other countries which meant they reduced ever so slightly but that was it.

I don't believe they are smaller, but they are definitely more stingy with the mallow and chocolate. I bought one recently and you could easily see the biscuit through the chocolate.

No agree with MTUK1. Wagon Wheels have shrunk several times over the years. They were definitely bigger when I was kid.

They have shrunk in width by 5mm. You must have some eyesight.

Also most things were bigger when you were a kid. It's called perception.

No a lot more than 5mm. If my mum was still alive I would ask her as she worked in Burton's Slough factory for a while.

Yea, it is getting worse. But there is little resistance from the consumer..

I am sure by the time it gets the point where food is too expensive to buy for many people the Government will give the green light to a two year investigation on whether the Supermarkets are pricing food fairly... the results of that investigation will be mulled over for a further year and a half. The result will probably be a stiff warning to supermarkets to buck up their ideas or else.

Greggs - reduce the size of the cheese pasties, put the price up and also take the salt out and other things so they do not taste as good as they used to. Brilliant. No wonder local bakeries around here are doing so well.

Years ago, Jaffa cakes used to be bigger, they had lots of orange in the middle, and thick chocolate on the top

No, it's whats called a fact. Look it up if you don't believe me.

I have looked at Wikipedia and Burtons website. Wikipedia confirms the size has changed but needs citations and Burtons deny it, how I don't know.

They came in open top bags and were about 4" diameter and had real chocolate as the coating, not the mini things you get now with chocolate substitute.

So you believe what you want.

All I'll say is that it's funny how all the people who claim Wagon Wheels have dramatically shrunk have absolutely zero evidence to back their claims up.

Hysterical.

With hindsight I should have had the forethought to measure one to post on a internet forum forty years later. Kids eh!

If you look at Wikipedia they do state the size is smaller now.

LINK


.

Yes and I've already stated they have shrunk by 5mm, not the 'at least 25mm' that someone else is claiming on this thread.

Ain't that the truth. After the last budget, several cigarette manufacturers reduced the number of cigarettes in a packet from 20 to 19. This was done very quietly, and the number in the pack is now printed on the cellophane wrapper, which you discard, rather than the pack itself, meaning that many people have not realised that their 20 fags are now, in fact, 19. It also allows the manufacturers to further reduce the number in a pack without reprinting the packaging.

yup, Wagon Wheels are smaller. I only needed to eat one 25 years ago. Now I have to eat four because they are smaller.

I'm in the 'wagon wheels are smaller' camp. I have no evidence but I'm certain they ARE smaller.

I think what some people object to is that the shrinkage seems tricksy, with manufacturers using a 'repackaging' to cover what they're doing, some even telling us it's 'new and improved' or some such nonsense. If you ever find that your favorite product is unavailable for week or two, it's likely they're changing the size/price, so they tell you it's out of stock as they don't want any 'old' packages around for comparison.

You do realise that ingredients costs, power costs, manufacturing costs, Labour costs increase.., therefore they have to raise prices. Generally, they're profit margin is no better.