Whether you realized it at the time or not, you’ve probably been a victim of shrinkflation. A combination of the words ‘shrink’ and ‘inflation,’ shrinkflation is what happens when companies reduce the size of their products, and either keep the same prices or raise them. And it feels like you’re being scammed.
The ‘Shrinkflation’ online community calls out the most brazen examples of this happening, shaming companies for ‘subtly’ shrinking their products in stores. We’ve collected some of the worst recent examples to show you how shockingly shameless it can look.
#1 I Measured A 8 Inch Tortilla… Guess What I Found?
Image source: Hopeful-Bit6187
#2 I Can’t Do This No More
Image source: BackyardBOI
#3 Celebrations Are Nothing To Celebrate
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At its core, shrinkflation is a stealth tactic. It is most commonly seen in the food and beverage industries, though it can be spotted elsewhere, too. Investopedia stresses that companies rely on it to maintain or boost profit margins as production costs are rising.
Shrinkflation can sometimes go unnoticed because the reductions in size are minimal.
However, this tactic can backfire. Immensely!
#4 Chocolates Are Shrinking (Again)
Image source: markgatty
#5 Black Diamond See Through Cheese Slices
Image source: Thorns89
#6 For What Purpose😭
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Shrinkflation can massively harm brand loyalty, consumer trust, and the company’s reputation.
“Businesses risk consumer disappointment and losing customers if buyers notice the smaller packages and understand that they are getting less product but paying the same price that they paid for the larger amount,” Investopedia points out.
#7 So We Got A Birthday Cake From Carvel
The size was literally unbelievable.
I would have actually been mad but I found it more comical than anything, the Chocolate layer was virtually non existent which actually came out to be a good thing because I dislike chocolate to begin (the crunchies were there with vanilla & frosting) with but the size is truly what made me take my time to take a picture & post it here.
Image source: Missingyoutoohard
#8 Just Discovered This Subreddit And It Irritates Me To No End
I bought a new cake mix box, not realizing I already have one from a earlier in the year sitting in my pantry. And to my surprise I realized how much less was in a box but in all likelihood costing more than it did.
Anyone who bakes, knows it’s like a science and that a few ounces make a big difference. America, are we great yet?
Image source: Last-reddit-user-
#9 So What Is It Called When They Do This??
Image source: Matok
In a nutshell, when consumers spot concrete examples of products shrinking, they might feel like they’re receiving less value for the same (or bigger!) price.
One way that you can become more aware of potential shrinkflation at play is to pay attention to product packaging redesigns.
#10 General Mills Casually Makes 17% More Profit By Dropping A Bar From The 6 Pack!
Image source: Live-Environment1444
#11 Does This Count? (IKEA)
Same products from IKEA, bought a few years apart. Went from metal to plastic, and the plastic ones are chipping after a couple of uses.
Image source: ClickIta
#12 Is This The New Standard Breakfast Burrito Size At McDonald’s?
I had some McDonald’s points expiring so this burrito didn’t cost me anything but if I did have to pay for it, $3.29 in Prescott, AZ. The price and size is the reason I rarely go here anymore, only to get my daughter a rare overpriced Happy Meal. I don’t know if this is the new size burrito or if because they are currently selling wraps that this was some leftover tortilla option but either way it’s pathetic and my last one. It was nice when I could get this meal for $5 but it is now $10.39 and I don’t know why they call it “extra” “value” meal.
Image source: snakeiiiiiis
Check the net weight of the product or the number of units included in the packaging, and compare it to what you used to get before.
If you find that your favorite brand product has shrunk, you should remember that you always have alternatives. Vote with your wallet! Either refuse to buy the product or boycott the brand and buy the same thing made by another company.
#13 This One Will Always Hurt
Image source: Few_Bet_5715
#14 All I Hear About Is Food Shrinklfation, Which Lets The Other Companies Get Away With It
Image source: Mediocre-Iron-7991
#15 Charmin Ultra Soft Strikes Again
Image source: Comandochris77
Broadly speaking, businesses tend to see shrinkflation as a more viable alternative to raising prices. The former is more subtle. The latter is much more noticeable and likely to anger customers
“When raw materials or labor become more expensive, manufacturing costs rise. Consequently, this weighs on profit margins; the percentage of revenue remaining after all costs,” Investopedia explains.
#16 Red’s Organic Burritos
Image source: UnderstandingOk4286
#17 McDonald’s Meat Is Now Thinner Than Its Cheese
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#18 Orion Brand Cooking Chocolate Shrinkflation
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“Management can either sit back and hope investors do not become too despondent, or seek to find other ways to recoup some of these losses. For companies lacking strong pricing power, reducing the weight, volume, or quantity of products sometimes represents the best option to maintain a healthy profit without jeopardizing sales volumes.”
Raising prices might force customers to choose another brand. Meanwhile, small reductions in size typically allow companies to stay profitable and competitive.
#19 Marathon Toilet Paper Has Been With Me Through The Thick And The Thin For More Than A Decade. I Feel Betrayed By Costco
Image source: milquetoastmustache
#20 Leave My Cat Out Of Shrinkflation!
I am really upset that Purina has decided to decrease the amount of HydraCare per pack. I am on an autoship so this is 100% the same product/variety. I called Purina to complain and they confirmed this change. Our economy is horrible and shrinkflation is already impacting humans so much. I’ve been upset about all of this and this is honestly crossing another line I didn’t even think about. Why can’t we leave the pets out of this?
Image source: Possible-Ad278
#21 Mini Haribo Gummy Bears With 4 Total Bears Each
Image source: Practical_Media4176
The ‘Shrinkflation’ subreddit invites customers from all around the world to share examples of products shrinking in size. Not only is it interesting to look at these comparisons, but it’s also a good way to stay up-to-date about product changes in different countries.
This community has been shaming brands for brazen shrinkflation since mid-2017. And it remains active. At the time of writing, the online group gets 62k visitors every week.
#22 I Knew It Looked Odd On The Rack, Now I See I’m Right—
Image source: SnooRobots116
#23 Was $8 Now It’s $10 :(
Image source: Covert_ist_Panda
#24 This Is What Every Cookie Packaging Is Like
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According to the moderators, members should focus exclusively on examples of shrinkflation. For example, price increases alone, without a reduction in size, weight, or number of items, don’t count.
Moreover, packages that contain lots of empty space also aren’t an automatic example of shrinkflation. “Chips have NEVER shipped in fully-full bags. There has always been airspace. Same for cereal and other dry goods sold by volume. Just because the packages aren’t full doesn’t mean you got cheated,” the mods point out.
#25 Reese’s Cups Don’t Fill Up The Whole Candy Cane
Image source: basketball328
#26 Where Are The Chocolates?
Image source: Perfect-Bee1990
#27 A Pretty Egregious Example Of Shrinkflation: Sainsbury’s Frozen Cherries Have Shrunk From 450g To 300g, While Still Costing £3.30 A Bag
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Something else that the subreddit encourages is being factual and specific. Just because you remember a product being bigger doesn’t mean much if you don’t have the evidence to back it up.
On the other hand, comparison photos showing the exact changes in weight, volume, and item count are exactly what prove that shrinkflation is taking place.
#28 The New John West Tuna Cans Are A Scam (79g vs. Advertised 102g)
Image source: II7_HUNTER_II7
#29 I Have Been Telling My Boyfriend Jersey Mikes Doesn’t Seem As Great As It Was Before So I Looked At An Old Picture And Damn. Both #9 With Chipotle, No Other Differences
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#30 Yankee Candles Are Now Lighter, Have An Easier/Cheaper To Produce Jar And A Double Wick, Making It Burn Out Faster So You Buy More
Image source: DrDinoDiplodocus
What is the very worst, most shameless, top-tier infuriating example of shrinkflation that you’ve personally witnessed in stores?
Did you continue buying the product despite getting less of it, or did you end up boycotting the brand?
What do you think consumers can realistically do to push back against this tactic? We’d like to hear your insights, so be sure to share them in the comments, at the bottom of this list.
#31 Bounty Paper Towels: 2027
Image source: whoocanitbenow
#32 KFC You Cannot Be Serious
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#33 Am I Crazy Or Did Pringles Get This Small Without Me Noticing? Especially When They Are Like 5 Bucks When Not On Sale
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#34 Holy Freaking Hell, I Can’t Believe I Just Paid $2.69 For A Chips And Cheese At Taco Bell. I Had No Idea, Never Again
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#35 Popeyes Makes Me Cry With This 5 Piece Tender Box Tho…
Average 5 piece tender box from Popeyes in the San Jose/Bay Area.
Full transparency, I got a 27 piece tender meal, but the worst part is that almost half of the tenders looked like this. 12 of the 27 were this bad. I didn’t realize they serve you tendons when you ask for chicken tenders. I have a photo of more “tendon nuggets” to prove it 🥺
Image source: PinkMomochi
#36 Hotpocket Went From A 5-Pack To A 4-Pack
Image source: Just_Reputation_7057
#37 Same Seeds From 2022 And Now
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#38 Twizzler Hiding How Much Shorter Their Product Is With Extra Packaging
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#39 Hungry-Man Lopped Off An Entire Slice Of Turkey And 77 Grams Since The 2000s
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#40 Sprouts [Us] Sells Underweight Beef, Legally
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#41 Dang, Even Marriott Hotel Mini Soap Can’t Outrun The Collapse Of This Economy 🤣
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#42 Shirnkflation And Deceptive Packaging
I hate 99 ranch for doing this, using the larger batch to cover up the smaller ones so you don’t see it until it is too late. $3 for this….
Image source: Burrito_Mussolini
#43 Airhead Not So Extremes
Wasn’t even that sour :/
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#44 Almond Joy Snack Size Shrunk 24%
Image source: Calcium-Hydroxide
#45 Shrinkflation More Like Iceflation
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#46 Anything To Save A Buck I Guess
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#47 No Context Needed
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#48 Let Down By Target. Same Price, Less Sheets
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#49 Apparently Shrinkflation Has Hit My Waste Disposal Company
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#50 94 Loads
Why even count the loads if they are so arbitrary – I bought the one on the left a few months ago and got gotten with the new one on the right.. at 84% of the old volume
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#51 Nice
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#52 Giving Mickey And The Beanstalk Sandwich
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#53 Every Chocolate Chip Brand At Walmart Has Shrunk To Match Each Other
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#54 Last Year Romance. This Year Heartbreak
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#55 Our Cool New Sponsor, Fellow Redditors
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#56 Tesco UK Shrinkflation, Outraged!
partner exclusively drinks Cadbury hotchoc so I obviously bought the 500g and took a pic because something didn’t sir right.
Sure enough, 3 weeks later… the 500g is no longer on the shelf, neither is the 250g! Instead they offer 300g for £4.40 Thats almost £1 extra for 50g!
Absolutely outraged at Tesco, what the actual hell!?
Genuinely can’t afford to shop at Tesco anymore
Image source: KaleidoscopeProof640
#57 Not My Brownie Mix. 2023 vs. Today
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#58 This Classic Swedish Chocolate Box Has Gone From 500 Gram To 410 And From 50 Pieces To 42
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#59 Finally Caught My Own [aussie]
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#60 More Stems Than Florets
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#61 How Is This Not Illegal?
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#62 There Is Room For 1 More If Not 2
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#63 Found A Packet In My Freezer From Last December Versus Buying Them Again This December And I Noticed A Change…
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#64 Half Full. All Of Them Are Like This And Its 2-3$ Each
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#65 Now “Large Size”
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#66 Caseys Being Sneaky By Raising The Height Of The Bottom Of Coffee Cups
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#67 $6 For Way Less Cookies
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#68 They’re Taking The Cream From The Middle Of The Oreo Now :(
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#69 Dove Deodorant Slimmed Up A Bit
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#70 Betty Crocker Cake Mix
I’ve already had to adjust my White Almond Wedding Cake recipe once because the mixes went from 18.25oz to 15.25oz. Just bought a mix today to replace the one I’m about to use, and saw they dropped it another 2oz to 13.25oz.
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#71 2010 vs. 2025
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#72 “Large” Casey’s Pizza. With A Suspicious Slice As Well
Paid over 15 bucks for this They were huge like 4 months ago. This is a treat, split 2 ways because of the already outrageous price. Then a slap in the face with this weirdo slice to top it off.
Image source: anon
#73 Old Rum Cake Recipe Once Called For An 18.5oz Box Of Cake Mix. Later We Noted The Recipe Still Worked Ok With A Shrinkflated 15.25oz. Now The Box Is 13.25oz. Same Brand As Always
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#74 My Mcdonald’s Asked Me To Pay For Refills
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#75 Dole Watering Down Juice And Reducing Carton Size, Went From 120 To 110 Calories Per Serving, Same Ingredients Same Serving Size
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#76 ‘Nothing To Hide’
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#77 64 To 59 To 56 To 49 And Now Just 46 – Just Leave Oj Alone
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#78 Naked Blue Machine Not So “Packed With Vitamins” Anymore
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#79 Two Sets Of Subway Coupons Sent Out About Two Weeks Apart
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#80 These Skinny Salmon Filets From Target
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#81 Miss Vickie’s
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#82 Hershey’s Bar With Almonds Too Thin To Even Cover The Almonds
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#83 Remember The Big Thick Rectangles?
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#84 If They’re Not Even Making The Bag The Right Size Anymore
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#85 Someone Was Selling 5 Year Expired Coffee… Decided To Dig Into The Wayback Machine And Chart The Shrinkflation
Image source: SligPants
#86 Standard Spreadable Butter
Just opened a new container of butter for the first time in maybe like 6 months and was shocked that nothing was stuck to the wrapper. I looked at the fill line of the container and was really surprised to not see it filled, only to discover I’m paying the same price (actually a bit more) for 13oz instead of the typical 15oz… same container btw.
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#87 365 Cookies. New Recipe. 7.5 Oz Less. The 20oz Boxes Are Discontinued
Image source: Main-Raisin4430
#88 The Recipe Calls For A Pound. Fooled Me Once. Done
Does Johnsonville REALLY think I’m adjusting my gumbo recipe because they think they can fool us? That’s my last Johnsonville.
Image source: Icy_Rub3371
#89 Bic Pens Use White Ink Tubes Now Instead Of Clear So You Can’t See Ink Levels When Purchasing Or During Use
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#90 This Is How You End A Successful Franchise
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#91 Costco Ziploc Sandwich Bag Amount Decreased By 25
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#92 Really?
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#93 25 Percent More Granola, 50 Percent Less Of Everything Else
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#94 Turtles Chocolate
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#95 Take Away 60 Gummies And Slap Value Pack On It!
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#96 Thought I Was Restocking With The Bigger Container But I’m Down 15 “Actionpacs”
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#97 Equate (Walmart) Brand Floss. The Plastic Is Cheaper, And The Actual Floss Is Thinner. I Also Tried To Floss My Teeth And The New One Shredded And Got Stuck In Between My Teeth
Image source: ritzysharkz
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