9 hidden ways companies cheat on their customers

In economics, the term “shrinkflation” can be described as a process in which a product decreases in size or quantity, or even decreases in quality, while the price of that product remains the same. Sounds unfair? Well, for many it is. Regardless, various well-known food and beverage companies have been using this strategy for years.

The hardest thing about this practice is that the change is usually almost invisible, so only the most attentive customers will notice. And in the end, even the smallest change ultimately saves the company millions of dollars.

Without further ado, Pictolic invites you to browse a few examples of products that have been affected by shrinkflation at some point.

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1. Last year, someone on Reddit noticed that the Doritos “Big bag, more share” package actually had the same amount of chips as the regular-sized package. “More air to share,” someone joked in the comments.

2. In 2016, Pringles fans began to notice that their favorite chips were getting smaller. In addition, some have noticed that the tube itself has shrunk as well, making it difficult for some people to access. Despite this, the price remained the same. "Is this Pringles getting smaller or is my arm getting thicker?" the consumer took to Twitter to voice their concerns. The company explained that the reason for these changes was the relocation of manufacturing from the US to Malaysia. “The equipment we use in Malaysia is slightly different from our subsidiary plant in the US ... you will notice that both the chips and the can are slightly smaller to fit the production facility,” the company explained.

3. Back in 2016, Toblerone announced that they were redesigning the iconic design of their UK bars, adding larger gaps, which meant there would be 10% less chocolate in the bars for the same price. Apparently, the unfortunate change was due to the increase in the price of ingredients. People didn't like it too much, to put it mildly. Two years later, the company decided to return to its original form. Unfortunately, the price had to be raised as well.

4. According to Metro, last year a man named William Knight stumbled upon a 1996 "vintage" Mars bar at the bottom of an old drawer in his attic. Having measured an old chocolate bar in comparison with a modern one, the man was surprised how much more "vintage". Despite this, the price of the bar has more than doubled since then.

5. For a long time, the Pyrex clear glassware brand has been known for producing refractory glassware. Ironically, a few years ago, pans started to explode when they got too hot. Apparently, the manufacturer switched to a cheaper ingredient that hardened the glass to protect it from falling but weakened it from heatstroke.

6. Toilet rolls have been shrinking for some time. Most rolls are half an inch shorter than before. Despite this, consumers still pay the same price.

7. Many famous chocolate bars have shrunk over time, but prices have not changed. For example, Twix is now about 14% smaller than it used to be. Apparently in 2012 Mars, Inc. (which makes Twix) announced a 250-calorie restriction on all chocolate bars, and because of this, many of their products have been cut.

8. It turns out that some brands are replacing cotton in their "fabric T-shirts" with cheaper and much thinner synthetic fabric. This makes the T-shirts look almost transparent.

9. In 2014, Coca-Cola reduced the size of its large bottle from 2 liters to 1.75 liters. However, the price remained the same.