Grocery shrinkage is nothing new. Manufacturers slowly alter the size of the products they provide without telling you or altering the packaging. This way they can provide less for the same money, or in some cases, even charge you more.
I am well aware of these practices, but in some cases it has gone into the ridiculous.
This week’s grocery trip included bread, as it usually does. I do make a lot of homemade bread, but with a larger family who takes lunches, I can’t keep up with the volume of bread needed. However, this week’s experience has me wondering if I should invest in a second bread maker.
I picked up two loaves of Giant store brand bread. In the days now of $3 a loaf bread, the Giant store brand seemed like a good deal. I didn’t feel a need to examine the bread, other than to check the date. It was a long loaf, made to seem longer than it actually was, as I found out later.
When I took the bread home to make sandwiches, it was very obvious that something was wrong. The slices of bread were tiny, I mean really tiny. I could hardly fit a teaspoon of peanut butter on one. Four good bites and the sandwich would be finished. The site of the mouse sized piece of bread was ridiculous and disheartening. No wonder the loaf seemed so long and full of slices. The illusion of the tiny size (width and height) made it seem deeper.
I took out a piece of bread from the freezer, bought stale a few months ago and stashed to make french toast or croutons. The freezer slice of bread (the same Giant store brand) was about twice the size.
I can only wonder about the big jump in shrinkage. It was too noticeable. Plus, how much money had to be spent purchasing new loaf pans to make the tiny bread?
First rotten turkey for the holidays and now Lilliputian bread. Perhaps it is time to find a new grocery store to be loyal to.
What do you think? Have you noticed tiny bread at your own local grocery store?
Related Articles:
How to Win the Competition for Grocery Bargains 3