As inflation continues, companies are pulling out all the stops to suck more cash out of consumers without directly raising prices. This phenomenon, often called "sneakflation," seeks to lower the amount or quality of a product without lowering the price or to hit you with hidden fees.
It's an infuriating practice guaranteed to outrage customers who notice, but they keep doing it anyway.
Sneakflation, shrinkflation, sadflation
Many have already heard the term "shrinkflation," which describes the practice of reducing the amount of a consumable product sold in the same size of packaging at the same price. Shoppers often buy these items without noticing the change, at least until it's too late.
Sneakflation includes this, but also encompasses practices like switching out better ingredients for something cheaper or adding surprise fees to the bill. It's anything that sneakily puts more financial burden on average shoppers, already overburdened with a rising cost of living and stagnated wages.
For example, in 2024, one Cadbury egg lover noticed that the mini-eggs suddenly tasted different. TikToker @realmelissasimo investigated and found many others had noticed a change, resulting in a rash of bad reviews. Though the company refused to confirm a recipe alteration, they did famously make a switch away from real milk chocolate in 2008.
Instead, the candy giant started using cheaper vegetable oil to save itself money without passing on the savings to you.
15 more cases of sneakflation
There are plenty more examples of sneakflation all about the internet as angry shoppers expose it wherever they find it. Here are some of the worst cases:
1. Bigger cardboard tubes in your toilet paper roll
2. Angel hair pool noodles
3. Half gallon no more
4. Replacing your bag of pet food with a smaller one
5. Noticeably smaller cans of coffee
6. Your kale is now mostly stems
7. That soap container might look bigger, but it's not
8. There's barely any glue in there
9. Who are these tiny tampons for?
10. Fewer pills and they're more expensive?
11. They're not even trying with the string cheese
12. Can they make candy any tinier?
13. Those new airline fees
14. Almost nothing in your ice cream
15. Three cookies per bag
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