Consumer goods companies frequently practice shrinkflation, a strategy where they subtly reduce the size or weight of a product while keeping the retail price exactly the same, hoping you are too distracted to notice.

A closer look

Consumer goods companies frequently practice shrinkflation, a strategy where they subtly reduce the size or weight of a product while keeping the retail price exactly the same, hoping you are too distracted to notice. You are paying the exact same amount of money, but your favorite cereal box is suddenly thinner, the toilet paper rolls have fewer sheets, and the candy bars look like they went on a strict keto diet. This allows corporations to pad their profit margins during inflationary periods without triggering the immediate outrage that a direct price hike would cause. It is essentially legal gaslighting by the grocery industry, slowly conditioning you to accept paying a premium for an increasing amount of literal empty air inside the packaging. Someday soon, you will happily hand over five dollars for a beautifully branded bag of potato chips containing a single, perfectly seasoned crumb, and the shareholders will rejoice