In recent years, and with rising inflation, the topic of “shrinkflation” has become a prominent area of discussion across the internet.
For example, one user showed how the average box of Kraft Dinner, the Canadian version of Kraft Mac and Cheese, has become smaller. Another shared how Betty Crocker changed their cake mix to produce less cake. A further user alleged that he bought a bag of Doritos—only to be given just five chips in the bag.
TikTok user Melissa (@realmelissasimo) has been at the forefront of many of these discussions. From her videos on how “full” containers might not be as filled as they seem, to how garbage bag manufacturers are giving customers fewer bags per box, her videos have shown many TikTok users just how much they’re losing thanks to shrinkflation.
Now, another one of her videos on the topic has inspired discussion, this time relating to claims that products are offering a bigger size and/or better value.
In a clip with over 56,000 views as of Saturday, Melissa shows several products that advertise that they offer more value than others. However, as Melissa notes, this claim isn’t as straightforward as it may initially appear.
“Anytime you see something that says ‘bigger size, better value,’ there’s always the travel size that they could technically be comparing to,” she explains. “Technically, anything that’s bigger than their travel size is a bigger size and a better value, or a certain percentage more.”
She then notes that many of these claims are provided with asterisks. Upon examining those asterisks, one can have a better idea about the veracity of the claim. To prove this, she shows two oil sprays that appear to be the same size; however, one claims to offer “33% more.”
@realmelissasimo Have you noticed this on products you’ve purchased recently? What we need is a cheat sheet for quick reference 🤔 #shrinktok #shrinkflation #groceryshopping #marketing ♬ original sound – Melissa Simonson
“If you see these two side by side on the shelf, you’re going to pick the one that says 33% more,” she details. “It just looks better. It’s only on close inspection that you see that they are both 8 ounces. So what do they mean when they say 33% more?”
“You see that star that’s up there next to ‘more’?” she continues. “That means somewhere on the packaging, it will tell you exactly what they mean. Once you hunt it down, you can see down here, it’s comparing to the 6-ounce, randomly.”
In the comments section, users expressed their dismay at this apparent deception.
“Companies really be playing mind games instead just being direct with their packaging,” said a commenter.
“So trust no one???” asked another.
“Always look at the price per oz,” advised a third.
Update 9:22am CT, April 15: In an Instagram DM exchange with the Daily Dot, the TikToker says she “couldn’t say for sure” whether this deception is more common now, but it now “feels more prevalent” to her.
“That could be because it’s happening more, or might just be because I’ve started pickling up on it, and now I’m more attuned to seeing it and identifying what it looks like when they’re disguising that kind of change,” she wrote. “There’s no doubt this has been going on for decades, but I think there’s a stark difference between 30 years ago and the last 4 years of rapid change.”
As for why this is an issue, the TikToker makes her stance clear.
“A lot of people don’t seem bothered by this and that’s totally fine, but I feel like that may just be because it is now everything, everywhere, all the time and that’s impossible to worry about, so people have to let something go or go insane,” she stated. “There’s no way for the average person to grocery shop without feeling anxiety that actually affects daily life. It’s not just a minor annoyance anymore…People really have to choose between shampoo or body wash on a semi regular basis.”
“The deception of ‘bigger size better value’ is across so many brands and the code words change depending on what they’ve changed in their box, but is almost never referring to the size next to it on the shelf,” she continued. “If my kids pulled that, they’d find themselves in trouble for a lie. Omission, implication, otherwise, doesn’t matter. It’s deceptive and that’s how they treat their end customers.”
To resolve this issue, the TikToker said she thinks regulation could help.
“I definitely think there should be regulation. I didn’t used to think so because I thought competition would sort out this kind of behavior, but we have such a monopolistic group of mega corporations who own everything that it’s not realistic to think they’ll stop unless they are stopped,” she wrote. “I have my link on TikTok going to the .gov site where people can find their congress member to let them know what they think. In the meantime, I also think consumers can talk about it and make it a bigger part of the conversation and companies will sometimes react by changing things. If we can also learn and teach each other the marketing tools the companies use to disguise some of these deceptive changes they make, we can sometimes make better buying decisions or opt out altogether and go with homemade!”
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