The taco bell app, buggy as it is, does have some good points to it. Lots of free items or $1 promos and points you can earn by scanning any receipts you've found. (Though they've recently limited scans to just a few per day to block receipt scavengers.) The $10 Taco Pass (1 Free Taco A Day For A Month) deal was good.
Also with apps you can avoid touch those public ordering screens and using your cards there. You also decrease the possibility of human error from employees inputting data when giving your order verbally.
I know they're selling my data but at this point it's already been sold so many times I might as well get something out of it.
I feel the same but it's the price you gotta pay to save, and save you will. I'm a regular at McDonald's. If you stick with the deals, freebies and aquire points it's cheaper than grocery shopping.
That's crazy. I buy premade grass fed patties from Aldi (4 pack) or Publix and buns for under $10. I pop them into the oven or on the George Foreman grill.
I've cut WAY back too. If I'm in a pinch I'll go to McDonald's and grab a mcdouble and small fries. It's about $6.50 where i am and clocks in at about 600 calories, which is also a reasonable portion of food for a single meal.
Just a heads up, if you order on the app, 2 McDoubles has a hidden discount. Used to be 2/$3.50 but went up to around $4 in my area but doing that and the $1 for any size fry will still save money. As much as I hate shilling for the app. I’m still pissed they raised the price 50¢
This is what I do if I really have a craving for fast food. I'll use the apps for the special deals or stick with the lower priced items on a 'value' menu. But overall, I don't bother.
If I'm going to spend money on take out - I now just get it from a small handful of restaurants near me(non-fast food places) via delivery. I have my favorite items that are reasonably priced (many are the same and some are actually less than fast food now), I get larger portions (almost always enough for 2 meals) and better food for not a heck of lot more than what it's cost me at fast food drive thru's over the past year.
One of my regulars is a huge burrito from my favorite taqueria for $17 total delivered. It is quality ingredients, generous portions (consistently makes 2 meals for me) and it's just ridiculously tasty.
What sold me was the last time I went to El Pollo Loco on my way home to get my favorite burrito from them - just the burrito alone cost me a little under $11 (and is much smaller).
Obviously, not all restaurants and/or delivery is worth it and it can end up being more expensive. But the handful of places I have curated on my 'usual list of suspects' all fall into good food with large portions for not much more than I've paid for shit fast food.
And when I can afford it - I'm more than happy to pay more *if* I'm getting good food that's worth the cost. Which I think is what pisses me off the most about fast food - they've reduced the portions, reduced the quality but it's almost as expensive as a regular restaurant. It used to at *least* be the 'cheap' option - which is why you overlooked the quality. Oh well.
/rant
No doubt. It’s a money grab. Sure raw material and ingredient prices have gone up but nowhere near the rate of increase that they’ve bumped up all their prices across-the-board.
It’s funny, I cut out most fast food years ago in favor of spending my money at locally owned businesses whenever possible. But I do get craving sometimes and was horrified when it cost almost $20 for a combo meal last time I stopped at McD’s
A few days ago, I mentioned my favorite James Beard-recognized local butcher and their amazing burgers to someone, who scoffed, saying “oh, that place is too expensive!”
Local place’s grass-fed 6oz burgers have been $13 bucks for the past 5 years. A double is $16. A giant serving of their beef-tallow cooked French fries with house-made dipping sauces is $5. The only difference is that you order a la crate, so they don’t fool you with all the combo BS.
The same place’s soup of the day is now cheaper (oz for oz) than Panera.
It’s now cheaper to eat gourmet than it does to eat corporate fast food. But literally no one believes me when I show them the numbers.
I was at Costco and the samples lady had Pepperidge Farm Milano double dark chocolate cookies. I tried one and the “double” filling was the amount of filling the regular ones had years ago. I can’t imagine that there’s even much chocolate taste in their regular ones anymore.
Definitely. But they went from $1 at Dollar Tree in 2019, to damn near $2 at Walmart now. I mean, I suppose an argument could be made that they're worth $2, but it's just the fact that nothing should jump that much in price in such a short time. Our memories aren't ***that*** short.
I switched to Stax as well. Pringles now sucks because not only it comes less, but also tastes like a ripoff. Stax may not be the same as the old pringles, but at least it comes more.
I stopped buying most prepackaged snacks. I only buy popcorn kernels to make homemade popcorn. I still buy tortilla chips from Aldi and organic salsa, each $2.99
Do restaurants in general count? If so:
#Chili’s
Their portions and plates became so pathetically small it felt like I was ordering off the kids menu, and the prices were still ridiculously high for it. I used to love going but haven’t been there in like 6 years (except veterans day when its free)
I thought that was my imagination since the last time I ate there was over a year ago. I ordered the same meal as before and thought they forgot half the meat on the grill.
you have to take a serious look at big chain restaurant. Most of them are just glorified microwave food heateries. It sucks trying to find a local or less mainstream joint but if you find one that isn’t using Sysco as their primary source of restaurant food, that should indicate a decent level of food cooking.
When I noticed the obvious shrinkage of the southwestern egg rolls and thinner beef patties (especially on the sliders), I felt robbed. I have not returned to Chili's in months and I may never go back.
I've taken to only buying raw ingredients and making what I want to eat myself. Lately I've been baking milk breads and I just made and ate a big pizza that'll last me 2 or 3 days. Eating out these days feels like I'm getting ripped off.
I used cake mixes recently to make cupcakes for my sister's baby shower after not using them for years, and I never will use them again. I swear one box used to make 24 big cupcakes, but I barely got 17 or 18 out of a box, they were much smaller too. Fuck that
Cadbury.
Even the quality has gone down the potty.
They've even changed their slogan to "a glass and half in everyone".
Which is subtle for, we no longer have a glass and a half and have substituted it with cheap crap.
Cadburys used to be 250 grams (in the 90's). Last I checked it was 180. Just [checked](https://www.cadbury.com.au/product/blocks) and the fancy ones are 165, with some being 173.
I knew it tasted worse! I chalked it up to it being American chocolate (I’m from canada where it tastes so much better) but I’m like come on it tastes completely different!
Not a product, more like bad habit that's not worth it.
Any and all fast food.
Fast food used to be convenient and a guilty pleasure but with inflation and shrinkflation, it's cost is almost the same any ordinary restaurant.
McDonald's I don't miss, same with Burger King.
But KFC I miss their battered coatings on their chicken, nuggets and burgers.
Normally in a given week I'd eat there maybe thrice a week but in recent months their portions across the range have shrunk by a quarter, their prices have increased across their range also.
Now KFCs batter doesn't taste anything like their trademark flavour.
I've tried 5 locations near me only to be disappointed and now I'm resigned to the fact KFC is a faded memory replaced by some shitty doppelganger.
The next thing I stopped using that I don't miss are cigarettes. The brand I used to swear by is like $45 for 30 cigarettes. I've been a smoker for over 30 years tried quitting multiple times but even I can't believe I'm a non smoker.
it’s they way fast food was what my family could afford a lot of the time, when burgers were $1 🥹
now it’s cheaper to go to a sit down restaurant!!!
i keep the burger king app though because it’s only worth it on whopper wednesday. and their rewards points system is broken as fuck i can get a free meal every other order LOL it’s scaled so high the amount i’m paying compared to the amount of free shit feels like i’m gaming the system
In the UK and for my family of 4 it usually comes to near enough £40 for a single McDonald's meal for all of us.
Last time we wanted a McDonald's I went to our local Lidl and bought any and everything we wanted, burgers, nuggets, ice cream cake ect and it was about half the price and cooked it myself. Can't bring myself to spend that much on McDonald's.
Shhhhh, I love the bk app. Don't ruin it for us by pointing out how good it is! I got a double cheeseburger, large fries, and a drink the other day for like $3
For one, Guinness. I used to always buy the four pack of pint cans, the Guinness Draught with the little nitrogen ball thing to make it pour like draft. they are 14 and some odd ounces now instead of 16, I think 14.9? I noticed sometime within the past year that the cans felt slightly skinnier and thought I was crazy until I read the volume. They can go fuck right off with thats sneaky shit.
Problem is chuck has gone up in my area. I’ve been told because of the rise in popularity of a brisket. I went to make my first brisket a few months ago and was appalled at the price
I've always used a freezer. My family has always found a butcher to buy a half cow or whole pig worth of meat. We fill a freezer at a time.
The type of cuts can be a bit random, but everything comes at one price per pound. Beef steaks and roasts for the cost of hamburger.
Most takeout places and potato chips. I see no point in buying potato chips anymore, there is so few that I don't even count a regular bag as a snack.
Takeout has gotten stupidly expensive. I will not support such high prices for piss all. I think some companies need to go out of business with their shrinkflation and skimping. It would not be so bad if it wasn't always accompanied with things like "New and improved!" or "New improved recipe!" Like damn, just shut up and say you upped the prices and had to reduce quality of ingredients. Do not insult the consumer by acting like you did them a favor. And also "Healthier" should not apply when all they have done is to reduce the size until the product is x amount of calories.
Amy’s Frozen meals, as a vegetarian they were a godsend when I was busy. At one point during shrinkflation they got up to $9 (I used to get them at walmart for $3.50). Now I just pack my own lunch.
Yikes. The $5-$6 prices around here are about at the upper limit of what I'll take for Amy's. If they go up any more, I'll have to stop.
Which sucks, because their lasagna is one of the best IMO.
I will never understand how Pringles could have gone up That much in price?? Thankfully I've never liked em but holy sweet potatoes nearly $4 a can when they were easily gotten for 2-$1 for like Ever! Has the quality changed as well??
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That's a ridiculous hike. Our work has one of those things that a guy comes in stocks a bunch of refrigerators and then you pay at a scanner, like a self-serve convenience store. My buddy was in there one day when the owner of it was stalking it and he said he was considering pulling out because he doesn't make as much money as he does at the airport with the prices that he's forced to put on there by our company.
My buddy says " this isn't the airport, man. We're at work. We have to be here so why would you charge us airport prices at a place we have to be at 40 hours plus a week? That's just greedy."
Most candy now. I used to get a pack of 6 Reese's big cups from the grocery store and they were like 3-4 bucks, now they want 7 bucks for that same pack. M&Ms used to be reasonable too, like 3 bucks for a biggish bag. Now it's like 5 and they taste like ass. Doritos used to be 3 bucks, now at least 5 so I get a different brand. Not spending more than 3 bucks on chips, especially when that overinflated bag will only be about a 3rd filled.
Skip most fast food now. Subway wants 10 bucks for what used to be a 5 dollar footlong, and now they have those tip machines so you get begged for a tip in addition and it's not like you just just round up, no, it's 15-25 percent for a tip. I'll maybe tip a dollar extra at places like subway. Not doing 15-25 percent. And I'm not an asshole so if your place has one of these systems now, I'm not gonna go and not tip. I'll just not go. So congrats on losing business.
Only go to BK with a coupon. Whopper meal for 12 bucks, no. Not doing that. And everything is else is even more expensive.
Wendy's just lost me too. All their normal combos are like 10-12 now and suck, so I usually would just get the 5 dollar biggie bag then, but the burgers that come with that are like the size of a coin now, the nuggets suck and the fries ain't been good since the 90s so they always get thrown away too. And to top it off they raised the price on that to 6 bucks now. 6 bucks! I used to could get a spicy chicken sandwich combo for that price! F that.
Taco bell - you want 12 dollars for two steak chalupas and a basic ass beef taco that tastes like garbage now, and a drink? Nah, I can get more and better tacos from a nicer restaurant for that price.
Chick fila wants 10 bucks for a damn salad now or a #1 combo so barely go there anymore considering that chicken might be normal sized one day and then barely the size of a chicken strip the next. Either way not big enough for what I am paying.
I go to McDonald's for lunch since it is close, but I'm not paying 10 bucks for a big Mac meal. Especially when that big Mac has gotten 1/3 of the size it used to be. So I get the 2 for 3 which has now become 3.70, and just get a drink with it. And that double cheeseburger I get always tastes like shit now and is half the size of the double cheeseburgers they used to sell on the damn dollar menu...
It's sad. I don't see why people keep paying these prices. Cause enough are that they are happy to keep raising prices. Until we all just start not going to these places nothing is going to change either.
I've had an idea about this recently. I believe it has a lot to do with the younger people. Like the 20 something's. They are seemingly the ones who are overly indulging in Uber Eats and all the convenience stuff.. they don't have an accurate depiction of what stuff is Actually supposed to cost. So they just pay it. Where we've been shopping/dining for 20+ years (I have anyway) and the HuGe and quick changes in pricing is extremely disappointing and frustrating. But they won't care if we don't eat/shop with em cause all the young cats are paying it all day. Just my two cents.
And 100% on everything you wrote. I walk the aisles and am completely gobsmacked and can not comprehend how we are not rioting in the aisle!?? So crazy.
I feel a lot of this is the opposite. The older people who refuse to change and have been getting the same products for 40 years. So they don't know about any alternatives. So they just complain about the government and still get it.
Don't tip at restaurants that aren't sit down. You're just perpetuating the problem. They suggest more in the hopes that you'll figure a compromise is $1-2 instead of nothing. Then they pocket it as profit.
I get online for order dominos and can order a large pizza for around 10 to 11 dollars. Plus Sams club is selling Dominos gift cards 100 dollars for 75 dollars. For me that is multiple meals for every order.
Or I can go to fast food and pay the same for one meal.
Nestle Smarties (Canadian version that's like bigger M&M's.)
A while back they changed their container to have 3 little compartments "for easy snacking" they said. They removed 3g worth for 45g to 42g during this change. Then they got rid of the three compartments thing but kept the lower weight.
Fuck Nestle.
Tipping is also out of control. A tip for waiting on one at a restaurant is one thing. But getting me one donut and expecting a tip is kind of ridiculous. And a lot of these people make more money then I do. Just a pet peeve.
Switched diaper brands from Walmart to Costco.
No more chips or oreos.
I buy bulk meat and freeze more. A pack of chicken breast are sold in 3s now instead of 4.
The paper products aisle has the worst math I've ever seen. All the packages like 6=8! and 8=12! its all bullshit. 6 rolls of paper towels is still 6 rolls and shouldn't be priced as if it was 12. A lot of "double" rolls are not really double.
A new generation that has to learn how to cook and will actually be competent in the kitchen. My boomer parents grew up and thrived in the premade/boxed meals and the explosion of dine in and fast food restaurants. My mom doesn't know how to cook if it's not from a box/can/microwave meal. Nor does my dad. My grandmother didn't know how to cook either. I learned on my own on how to and now am teaching them, which is next to impossible... We will see more people treating dining out as a rare treat, and possibly far fewer establishments. With the rampant tipping culture going overboard, it's really pushing people away, as is the corporate greed that is driving up prices. So a lot of people will be without jobs for no real reason beyond things that the industry could actually control and remedy.
So those servers bullying people now for 30% tips will be jobless later without the skills to find another job, and those business owners will be in debt from the collapse of their businesses.
Chips in Canada have lost FIFTY FIVE GRAMS and are often down from 235 to 180 in the big brands, and also have their price raised. They couldn't even do it gradually and quietly, they just went all out all at once.
I ate like 12 bags of chips a month for 25 years and i am off them probably permanently. Just use my whirlypop now
Old Dutch still has theirs at 235G on the prairies but they will for sure lower it soon. They were the brand that would brag about bigger portions than the competitors but they've really cheapened out on the product in recent years, the potatoes are still fine but the seasoning is barely there now.
Yoplait individual cups. Which is where all the good flavors are. They used to be 3 for a dollar then 2 for a dollar they are like 75cent now. Don't remember the last time I had one now
YES, also different plastic tray is smaller (so it spills over when cooking) and thinner so it bends and spills. AND they absolutely changed the ingredients and it tastes like shit now. The end.
All types of crackers.
All types of cookies.
All types of chips.
All types of chocolate bars.
Many brands of breads.
Many pre-packaged foods.
We barely eat anything anymore because we do not support the theft and we simply can't afford to buy double the product to feed ourselves. We simply go without. Welcome to Canada.
Twinkies used to taste really good but each year they got worse. I was just hoping it was the pandemic and shortages but nope it got worse. They went with the cheapest ingredients.
I personally don't believe there were shortages or even supply line issues (at least not to the extent they make out). I thoroughly believe they're just using it all as piss poor excuses to justify the price hikes
I work in manufacturing and while it's not food we had awful supply shortages for damn near everything we needed to make the product we make. From raw material all the way through safety gloves and things like that it was almost impossible to run the shop the way we needed to.
Name brand soda. I'd have a can of diet coke/Pepsi every day with lunch. And while they didn't shrink, they did get to be more expensive per can than a beer.
Now I have store brand soda because it's literally 3 dollars less per sleeve
Soda is BAD. It's up to 7 dollars a pack. 7 DOLLARS for carbonated water and syrup, go fuck yourself on that one. It was a second thought to even buy a pack for 5, but 7????
Two years ago. Pepsi and coke did sales of 4 packs for $10. The last sale we saw was 2 packs for $12. Soda consumption has become a near zero in our house.
Same here. I used to stock our fridge when they were on sale 4/$10. I’d get the store brand too sometimes. I can’t remember the last time I had a soda. It was probably around July 4th when Winco had the mini cans on sale for like $2.
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My beloved caffeine free Coke left during the pandemic. I love me some Coke, and I can handle a little bit of caffeine, but a whole Coke’s worth will have me up all night and jittery. I found it in a few places over the last year, but the price is just way too much. It used to be 3 12-packs for $9.99, then it was 3/$11, and now they claim “on sale” as 3/$15. No thanks, I’ll drink water, it’s better for me anyway.
The quality of fast-food/cafe baked goods and snacks. It's not so much a change in the size, weight & volume, but more so shrinkflation of the ingredients. Everything is loaded with synthetic crap that tastes like nasty chemicals and makes you feel awful afterwards.
McDonald's - the nuggets are at least half as thick as they used to be and lately I feel nauseous no matter what I eat there.
Candy from the checkouts - far smaller packages for twice the price.
Most candy. I used to wince at 90 cents for a small candy bar. Now it is almost 2 dollars at most places.
Lays Stax. Like them better than chips, but the price went up from 1 dollars to 2 dollars in three years.
Fast Food. Only when travelling now. When at home I can buy a large Dominos Pizza for the same amount as a meal at fast food shops.
This exactly. An 8 ounce bag of corn chips is like seven dollars. That's $14 a pound for basically dehydrated corn. The wholesale price of corn is less than $0.12 a pound, and it's not like expiration or storage are a big cost either. Chips were actually initially so widely popularized because they were cheap to produce, transport, and store.
Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts. They left the box the same size (as of the final time I purchased them) but reduced the size and number in the box, and they have almost no frosting, filling, or flavor now. Never again.
When I get my next craving I’ll try the Great Value brand, their snack clones have been better and larger than the name brand versions for other items I’ve tried, like their Hostess Cupcake clones.
I only get such cravings once or twice a year, so maybe I’ll try their version of Pop-Tarts soon.
Almost all restaurants. My wife and I used to eat out at least two meals a day. Our daily food cost was running around $50.00 a day. It then jumped to $60.00 then to $70.00. We then noticed the portion sizes, especially meat, were getting smaller. We’re now eating out only about once a week. We’re both skilled in the kitchen so we’re eating tastier and healthier food for a fraction of the cost.
Right? Like even the local diner near us winds up being like 45 bucks after tip. Unless it’s like a really nice experience type restaurant it just doesn’t feel worth it half the time
Better late than never. I don't understand people who eat out 3 meals a day. In addition to being an enormous waste of money, don't you just miss home cooked meals?
I can't say I've completely stopped, as I occasionally take advantage of random app deals, but I've cut down ***SIGNIFICANTLY*** on fast food. I'll be damned if I ever pay fucking $5 for a single McDonald's/BK burger.
Popcorn. Used to be a simple snack for our family and you could get a 24 pack for $5. Walmart, Target, anywhere was $5. Somehow since COVID started the price has doubled to $10/box. Absolute bullshit. It’s fucking popcorn! The cost is mostly for packaging, and definitely not worth $10.
Some cereals. Completely stopped buying some of them al together because it just does not feel worth it when the size shrinkage feels like I could finish a box in 4 bowls (Cocoa Puffs)
Also Starbucks. The price is insane and then they usually give us partially filled cups when we ask for no foam.
Dunkin also started enforcing if you ask for no ice they will give you less.
As if coffee was not 1000% or more mark up for them.
Ice cream has also been affected. Price of haggen dazs has gone up about 50%. Container look a bit smaller. I might buy it bogo but just went to a Hagen dazs to give my kids a treat. A 3 scoop cup that was actually less than a third maybe a quarter pint and a 2 scoop cone was $15 in a mall. I am used to it being more expensive. But s pint is $6 and I had much less than a pint maybe closer to half a pint in ice cream.
McDonald’s, portions are pathetic small now, and sky high prices, can get far better food else where for less money. McDonald’s was only good for cheap, now that it’s expensive I have no reason to go.
Cheetos/Chester's Puffcorn
To minimize the potential for choking, my wife and I would get butter puffcorn for our toddler to eat when we had popcorn, then Cheetos saw fit to jack the price up north of $4 while simultaneously shrinking the bag.
I swear the price nearly doubled and the quantity dropped by like a quarter or a third.
It was so egregious I swore to never give them another dime of my money, no matter what the price/quantity is in the future.
Not a specific item but I used to love getting an iced coffee at Starbucks, Dunkin or Ellianos. Even when it was $3-$5 it was a splurge but I’d bring my own lunch to work and it was a fun start to my morning. Now these same coffees in smaller sized cups ( a medium is now a small) are even more money. An iced medium coffee where I live is now $7-$10. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I invested in a Nespresso machine (when it was on sale) and I haven’t looked back. The pod’s are about $1.25 each and I use a little flavored creamer and the creamer bottle (
$5) lasts me weeks. I’ve even been able to replicate some if my favorites ( caramel macchiato, mocha etc.) A coffee run used to be a fun thing and it turned into draining my bank account. I’m proud of switching and enjoying my less than $2 flavored coffee!
Gatorade and Powerade. Price has gone up 50% over the last few years while their portion size decreased from 32oz. to 28 oz.
I haven't stopped buying them, but now I wait for sales.
Stopped eating out. No shrinkflation, just prices are crazy. Also, dropped Amazon Prime plus some streaming services and have stopped buying any grocery products that are playing bullshit games with people. Just started ruthlessly cutting stuff that is a bad value, even if it was previously viewed as essential or staple in my house. Gotta send a message.
Most foods. My diet has mostly become the little food packages that come with slices of meat, cheese, and crackers. It's cheap and with the clear packaging, I can actually see what's in it.
i work in fast food. happy meals used to be $4.95 (aud) and some are now $10….
ice cream cone was 40c when i started and now its $1.10. cheeseburgers were $3 and now are closer to $6. its insane. i cant afford to eat there and i get half off…
Snickers. I'm pretty broke most of the time but I loved treating myself to the Snickers bar for a dollar whenever I was out. Slowly, it became less frequent, treating myself to a Snicker bar everytime it was on 50% off (still $1) and now that it's over the 1$ threshold with any discounts it's completely off my list unfortunately.
I miss it, I crave it when I walk past it. Hopefully I'll afford it without putting this much thought into it once day :")
TP. Kirkland TP to be exact. They shrunk the size of the sheets and roll and made it stronger/thicker and changed the softness, to make up for the smaller size. Now it just plugs my toilet.
It was a little more than this past year, but sometime in the last few years I tried Chewy bars again for the first time since elementary school in the early ots, the granola ones with chocolate or peanut butter chips in them. Not only are they smaller than they used to be, they're like, lighter, more airy, way less substantial overall. I tried them side by side with the costco brand granola bars and holy shit, it was like eating a bar of air next to eating an actual condensed oatmeal bar. Super bummed that the costco ones don't come in peanut butter as far as I can tell, but there's literally no reason to eat the Chewy ones anymore. I might as well just chew air with my mouth open, near an open jar of peanut butter for smell.
Then there's the stuff that I feel like the ingredients list itself has been shrinkflated; stuff that just tastes different now, though it's hard to tell whether that's because the excited and oblivious kid tastebuds are all dead and all that's left is the self aware adult tastebuds and stomach acid that are both dying to get you to eat a vegetable that you can't afford, or if it's because they genuinely changed the recipes. Maybe got rid of flavors or preservatives that are genuinely toxic, but damn, did they taste good anyway.
Cadburry eggs are runny on the inside now, instead of being a nice stiff frosting, it's this liquid goo that's both impossible to eat, and way too sweet. And they shrunk. Hersheys without almonds tastes chalky and weird, but the ones with almonds still taste mostly okay. Kraft macaroni tastes like it's actively poisoning me, now, instead of warm and flavorful. The picture on the box of that delicious drippy cheese still evokes strong memories of what it's supposed to taste like, but I can no longer have even a single bite anymore without genuinely retching. Grandma's cookies are tasteless and dry (and I think also shrunk). A hot fried drumstick at QFC is about two tiny bites of meat now, you're mostly paying for the weight of a greasy bone.
It's really upsetting that most of what's in all these comments is food. Yes, that's the most obvious example of shrinkflation most people think of, but things like clothing, school/office supplies, raw crafting materials (wire, beads, type stuff), hygiene products like soap and shampoo as well as menstrual products, comfort and bedding items like blankets, sheets, pillows, anything else you can think of, everything has gotten more expensive, usually disproportionate to inflation, and many other categories have displayed shrinkflation as well. But the top of everyone's mind is food. As a society and as individuals, who are collectively getting pretty sick of capitalism and consumption anyway, we can try to manage our issues with everything else, attempt to raise prices on our own products or labor to compensate, be more mindful and sustainable, find alternatives, be resourceful, privately barter and trade, to lessen the issue. But we can't really do anything about needing a base amount of calories that we just can't afford. About the absolute insubstantiality of the food that we can afford. You can only finesse actual starvation so much.
Frontera chicken fajita bowls.
A few years ago I bought a couple of these and they all had about half of the sauce than what they usually had.
I actually started meal prepping cause of how disappointing it was.
I do still occasionally have one, either the company reversed the decision or the batch that one time was a mistake, they have a reasonable amount of sauce again. But it went from one of my go-to easy meals, once every week or so, to the last time I had one was about half a year ago.
More like 2 years ago, or so....Taco Bell. While they never really put much into their tacos, a couple years ago they reduced even that little bit, to just enough to ensure your Taco shell would be broken and soggy by the time you got home.
McDonald’s Fries , remember those extra fries that does be laying around in the bag you’d feel around for , well they are gone so does the amount you get
All fast food
A single cheeseburger at McDonald's today was $5
Gotta use the app to get deals nowadays
Really? Damn. I hate downloading all these apps just for a coupon.
They want your purchase data, hence making you use the app.
I just realized something that never occurred to me before this comment. Damn, it seems so obvious now, why the fuck didn't I see that before?
Cause you hate that kid Scott Tenorman so much....
The taco bell app, buggy as it is, does have some good points to it. Lots of free items or $1 promos and points you can earn by scanning any receipts you've found. (Though they've recently limited scans to just a few per day to block receipt scavengers.) The $10 Taco Pass (1 Free Taco A Day For A Month) deal was good. Also with apps you can avoid touch those public ordering screens and using your cards there. You also decrease the possibility of human error from employees inputting data when giving your order verbally. I know they're selling my data but at this point it's already been sold so many times I might as well get something out of it.
I feel the same but it's the price you gotta pay to save, and save you will. I'm a regular at McDonald's. If you stick with the deals, freebies and aquire points it's cheaper than grocery shopping.
That's crazy. I buy premade grass fed patties from Aldi (4 pack) or Publix and buns for under $10. I pop them into the oven or on the George Foreman grill.
I've cut WAY back too. If I'm in a pinch I'll go to McDonald's and grab a mcdouble and small fries. It's about $6.50 where i am and clocks in at about 600 calories, which is also a reasonable portion of food for a single meal.
McDonald's is one of the most egregious in my opinion. Can't not spend 20 and everything is tiny.
Just a heads up, if you order on the app, 2 McDoubles has a hidden discount. Used to be 2/$3.50 but went up to around $4 in my area but doing that and the $1 for any size fry will still save money. As much as I hate shilling for the app. I’m still pissed they raised the price 50¢
This is what I do if I really have a craving for fast food. I'll use the apps for the special deals or stick with the lower priced items on a 'value' menu. But overall, I don't bother. If I'm going to spend money on take out - I now just get it from a small handful of restaurants near me(non-fast food places) via delivery. I have my favorite items that are reasonably priced (many are the same and some are actually less than fast food now), I get larger portions (almost always enough for 2 meals) and better food for not a heck of lot more than what it's cost me at fast food drive thru's over the past year. One of my regulars is a huge burrito from my favorite taqueria for $17 total delivered. It is quality ingredients, generous portions (consistently makes 2 meals for me) and it's just ridiculously tasty. What sold me was the last time I went to El Pollo Loco on my way home to get my favorite burrito from them - just the burrito alone cost me a little under $11 (and is much smaller). Obviously, not all restaurants and/or delivery is worth it and it can end up being more expensive. But the handful of places I have curated on my 'usual list of suspects' all fall into good food with large portions for not much more than I've paid for shit fast food. And when I can afford it - I'm more than happy to pay more *if* I'm getting good food that's worth the cost. Which I think is what pisses me off the most about fast food - they've reduced the portions, reduced the quality but it's almost as expensive as a regular restaurant. It used to at *least* be the 'cheap' option - which is why you overlooked the quality. Oh well. /rant
All of this shit is a scam in prices and quantity for the amount we pay. I'm over it. We made all our food at home.
No doubt. It’s a money grab. Sure raw material and ingredient prices have gone up but nowhere near the rate of increase that they’ve bumped up all their prices across-the-board.
It’s funny, I cut out most fast food years ago in favor of spending my money at locally owned businesses whenever possible. But I do get craving sometimes and was horrified when it cost almost $20 for a combo meal last time I stopped at McD’s A few days ago, I mentioned my favorite James Beard-recognized local butcher and their amazing burgers to someone, who scoffed, saying “oh, that place is too expensive!” Local place’s grass-fed 6oz burgers have been $13 bucks for the past 5 years. A double is $16. A giant serving of their beef-tallow cooked French fries with house-made dipping sauces is $5. The only difference is that you order a la crate, so they don’t fool you with all the combo BS. The same place’s soup of the day is now cheaper (oz for oz) than Panera. It’s now cheaper to eat gourmet than it does to eat corporate fast food. But literally no one believes me when I show them the numbers.
You can get a better quality meal and better overall experience for about the same price if you go to a local diner.
Local diners in my area charge nearly the same as any sit down restaurant
Pringles as well. Fuck that half tub of air.
Absolutely this, and Oreos.
I had double stuff ones recently and now they are the same stuffedness as the originals used to be.
I was at Costco and the samples lady had Pepperidge Farm Milano double dark chocolate cookies. I tried one and the “double” filling was the amount of filling the regular ones had years ago. I can’t imagine that there’s even much chocolate taste in their regular ones anymore.
The actual cookie part on milanos has changed so much too. It's like cardboard now. Absolutely ruined.
Agreed. It’s recent in the last few years it changed. Used to be wayyy better
Pepperidge farm remembers
Yes, and the damn creme is the size of a quarter. Never getting them again.
Yup this disgusted me, won't be getting them again any time soon
Yo, you noticed that too? I thought I must be mistaken. But you're right.
Stax is better anyway. But I don't eat chips anymore (not due to shrinkflation, just healthier).
Definitely. But they went from $1 at Dollar Tree in 2019, to damn near $2 at Walmart now. I mean, I suppose an argument could be made that they're worth $2, but it's just the fact that nothing should jump that much in price in such a short time. Our memories aren't ***that*** short.
I switched to Stax as well. Pringles now sucks because not only it comes less, but also tastes like a ripoff. Stax may not be the same as the old pringles, but at least it comes more.
It's insulting to get ripped off that bad. At least with a bag you can gauge how much is in there.
I stopped buying most prepackaged snacks. I only buy popcorn kernels to make homemade popcorn. I still buy tortilla chips from Aldi and organic salsa, each $2.99
Do restaurants in general count? If so: #Chili’s Their portions and plates became so pathetically small it felt like I was ordering off the kids menu, and the prices were still ridiculously high for it. I used to love going but haven’t been there in like 6 years (except veterans day when its free)
They also have the nerve to lie to you and tell you the portion sizes are the Same by weight. GTFO
I thought that was my imagination since the last time I ate there was over a year ago. I ordered the same meal as before and thought they forgot half the meat on the grill.
you have to take a serious look at big chain restaurant. Most of them are just glorified microwave food heateries. It sucks trying to find a local or less mainstream joint but if you find one that isn’t using Sysco as their primary source of restaurant food, that should indicate a decent level of food cooking.
When I noticed the obvious shrinkage of the southwestern egg rolls and thinner beef patties (especially on the sliders), I felt robbed. I have not returned to Chili's in months and I may never go back. 
Cake mixes. Used to be 16 ounces and are now 14.5. Betty Crocker you suck.
It's especially frustrating when you know the raw material cost is like 4¢ because it's mostly flour.
I've taken to only buying raw ingredients and making what I want to eat myself. Lately I've been baking milk breads and I just made and ate a big pizza that'll last me 2 or 3 days. Eating out these days feels like I'm getting ripped off.
I used cake mixes recently to make cupcakes for my sister's baby shower after not using them for years, and I never will use them again. I swear one box used to make 24 big cupcakes, but I barely got 17 or 18 out of a box, they were much smaller too. Fuck that
[удалено]
Cadbury. Even the quality has gone down the potty. They've even changed their slogan to "a glass and half in everyone". Which is subtle for, we no longer have a glass and a half and have substituted it with cheap crap.
their easter eggs were garbage this year
Cadburys used to be 250 grams (in the 90's). Last I checked it was 180. Just [checked](https://www.cadbury.com.au/product/blocks) and the fancy ones are 165, with some being 173.
Cadbury is not chocolate anymore, it's now 'confectionery' and it tastes cheap and nasty.
I knew it tasted worse! I chalked it up to it being American chocolate (I’m from canada where it tastes so much better) but I’m like come on it tastes completely different!
Did you also notice that they make them ½ as thick as they used to. I don't even bother with them any more
Have you had a peanut butter cup lately? They're so small now that they taste wrong. Like there's not enough of it to actually complete the recipe
Eugh too bad because I used to LOVE anything Cadbury. I remember when they sold to Kraft in 2010ish and the crap quality countdown began.
I paid full price for a Whittaker’s this weekend.
Not a product, more like bad habit that's not worth it. Any and all fast food. Fast food used to be convenient and a guilty pleasure but with inflation and shrinkflation, it's cost is almost the same any ordinary restaurant. McDonald's I don't miss, same with Burger King. But KFC I miss their battered coatings on their chicken, nuggets and burgers. Normally in a given week I'd eat there maybe thrice a week but in recent months their portions across the range have shrunk by a quarter, their prices have increased across their range also. Now KFCs batter doesn't taste anything like their trademark flavour. I've tried 5 locations near me only to be disappointed and now I'm resigned to the fact KFC is a faded memory replaced by some shitty doppelganger. The next thing I stopped using that I don't miss are cigarettes. The brand I used to swear by is like $45 for 30 cigarettes. I've been a smoker for over 30 years tried quitting multiple times but even I can't believe I'm a non smoker.
it’s they way fast food was what my family could afford a lot of the time, when burgers were $1 🥹 now it’s cheaper to go to a sit down restaurant!!! i keep the burger king app though because it’s only worth it on whopper wednesday. and their rewards points system is broken as fuck i can get a free meal every other order LOL it’s scaled so high the amount i’m paying compared to the amount of free shit feels like i’m gaming the system
In the UK and for my family of 4 it usually comes to near enough £40 for a single McDonald's meal for all of us. Last time we wanted a McDonald's I went to our local Lidl and bought any and everything we wanted, burgers, nuggets, ice cream cake ect and it was about half the price and cooked it myself. Can't bring myself to spend that much on McDonald's.
Shhhhh, I love the bk app. Don't ruin it for us by pointing out how good it is! I got a double cheeseburger, large fries, and a drink the other day for like $3
KFC tastes nothing like it used to.
Just had KFC for the first time in years yesterday. It's so bland now.
On the bright side, smoking and kfc 3 times/week were probably going to shave years) if not decades) off of your life.
Here for a good time not a long time baby
That just sounds like an excuse to start a heroin habit.
heroin would be cheaper than KFC or cigarettes
I swear KFC used to be so good we used to get buckets of chicken as kids, now anytime it’s like wtf is this
Any glass bottles of beer that went to 11.5 ounces instead of 12. You know who you are. Won't buy again.
They may know who they are, but *we* may not. Name some names!
For one, Guinness. I used to always buy the four pack of pint cans, the Guinness Draught with the little nitrogen ball thing to make it pour like draft. they are 14 and some odd ounces now instead of 16, I think 14.9? I noticed sometime within the past year that the cans felt slightly skinnier and thought I was crazy until I read the volume. They can go fuck right off with thats sneaky shit.
Heineken too… https://www.instacart.com/products/19548617-heineken-non-alcoholic-beer-11-2-oz
Stella Artois
Pretty much any branded food. Supermarket brands only now. Reduced meat to chuck in the freezer. Only way to eat protein regularly and affordably now
Problem is chuck has gone up in my area. I’ve been told because of the rise in popularity of a brisket. I went to make my first brisket a few months ago and was appalled at the price
I read their comment as, they only buy reduced meat i.e. discounted meat. And they chuck that in the freezer. Not that they buy 'chuck' cuts of meat.
I've always used a freezer. My family has always found a butcher to buy a half cow or whole pig worth of meat. We fill a freezer at a time. The type of cuts can be a bit random, but everything comes at one price per pound. Beef steaks and roasts for the cost of hamburger.
Goldfish! I’m still pissed about the large carton shrinking 3 ounces
As someone who doesn’t have this product in their country I was really confused for a second why shrinkflation had affected buying goldfish
Cultured people call them 'fishy crackers'
The container at Sam's went from $9.99 to $12.99.
Pringles. M&Ms, basically anything that has removed a lot of the product and raised the price. I avoid those, buy another brand- or go without.
Plain M&Ms also taste like shit nowadays
it’s been that way for a whiiile, the peanut ones are good but sounds like they’re screwing us over with shrinkflation so i intend to avoid them
Yes! Got the "snack size" and ALL I could taste was chemicals? Why?!?!
Most takeout places and potato chips. I see no point in buying potato chips anymore, there is so few that I don't even count a regular bag as a snack. Takeout has gotten stupidly expensive. I will not support such high prices for piss all. I think some companies need to go out of business with their shrinkflation and skimping. It would not be so bad if it wasn't always accompanied with things like "New and improved!" or "New improved recipe!" Like damn, just shut up and say you upped the prices and had to reduce quality of ingredients. Do not insult the consumer by acting like you did them a favor. And also "Healthier" should not apply when all they have done is to reduce the size until the product is x amount of calories.
Amy’s Frozen meals, as a vegetarian they were a godsend when I was busy. At one point during shrinkflation they got up to $9 (I used to get them at walmart for $3.50). Now I just pack my own lunch.
they’re still at target for $3.50-$4! i don’t get them though because of the union busting stuff
Last month at my target they were $7. Still too steep. But yes their union practices are bad, another reason to boycott.
oh man, i think it’s cause i love in a low income area haha the prices for everything y’all post are cheaper for me wish rent prices followed suit
They are overpriced as hell!
Yikes. The $5-$6 prices around here are about at the upper limit of what I'll take for Amy's. If they go up any more, I'll have to stop. Which sucks, because their lasagna is one of the best IMO.
Oreos and pringles
Both have become tragically pathetic
I will never understand how Pringles could have gone up That much in price?? Thankfully I've never liked em but holy sweet potatoes nearly $4 a can when they were easily gotten for 2-$1 for like Ever! Has the quality changed as well??
Last time I bought them, the can was only half filled, so they were all crushed at the bottom
Takis, potato chips, ritz crackers, chocolate bars, Powerade/gatorade, gum, etc
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That's a ridiculous hike. Our work has one of those things that a guy comes in stocks a bunch of refrigerators and then you pay at a scanner, like a self-serve convenience store. My buddy was in there one day when the owner of it was stalking it and he said he was considering pulling out because he doesn't make as much money as he does at the airport with the prices that he's forced to put on there by our company. My buddy says " this isn't the airport, man. We're at work. We have to be here so why would you charge us airport prices at a place we have to be at 40 hours plus a week? That's just greedy."
Most candy now. I used to get a pack of 6 Reese's big cups from the grocery store and they were like 3-4 bucks, now they want 7 bucks for that same pack. M&Ms used to be reasonable too, like 3 bucks for a biggish bag. Now it's like 5 and they taste like ass. Doritos used to be 3 bucks, now at least 5 so I get a different brand. Not spending more than 3 bucks on chips, especially when that overinflated bag will only be about a 3rd filled. Skip most fast food now. Subway wants 10 bucks for what used to be a 5 dollar footlong, and now they have those tip machines so you get begged for a tip in addition and it's not like you just just round up, no, it's 15-25 percent for a tip. I'll maybe tip a dollar extra at places like subway. Not doing 15-25 percent. And I'm not an asshole so if your place has one of these systems now, I'm not gonna go and not tip. I'll just not go. So congrats on losing business. Only go to BK with a coupon. Whopper meal for 12 bucks, no. Not doing that. And everything is else is even more expensive. Wendy's just lost me too. All their normal combos are like 10-12 now and suck, so I usually would just get the 5 dollar biggie bag then, but the burgers that come with that are like the size of a coin now, the nuggets suck and the fries ain't been good since the 90s so they always get thrown away too. And to top it off they raised the price on that to 6 bucks now. 6 bucks! I used to could get a spicy chicken sandwich combo for that price! F that. Taco bell - you want 12 dollars for two steak chalupas and a basic ass beef taco that tastes like garbage now, and a drink? Nah, I can get more and better tacos from a nicer restaurant for that price. Chick fila wants 10 bucks for a damn salad now or a #1 combo so barely go there anymore considering that chicken might be normal sized one day and then barely the size of a chicken strip the next. Either way not big enough for what I am paying. I go to McDonald's for lunch since it is close, but I'm not paying 10 bucks for a big Mac meal. Especially when that big Mac has gotten 1/3 of the size it used to be. So I get the 2 for 3 which has now become 3.70, and just get a drink with it. And that double cheeseburger I get always tastes like shit now and is half the size of the double cheeseburgers they used to sell on the damn dollar menu... It's sad. I don't see why people keep paying these prices. Cause enough are that they are happy to keep raising prices. Until we all just start not going to these places nothing is going to change either.
I've had an idea about this recently. I believe it has a lot to do with the younger people. Like the 20 something's. They are seemingly the ones who are overly indulging in Uber Eats and all the convenience stuff.. they don't have an accurate depiction of what stuff is Actually supposed to cost. So they just pay it. Where we've been shopping/dining for 20+ years (I have anyway) and the HuGe and quick changes in pricing is extremely disappointing and frustrating. But they won't care if we don't eat/shop with em cause all the young cats are paying it all day. Just my two cents. And 100% on everything you wrote. I walk the aisles and am completely gobsmacked and can not comprehend how we are not rioting in the aisle!?? So crazy.
I feel a lot of this is the opposite. The older people who refuse to change and have been getting the same products for 40 years. So they don't know about any alternatives. So they just complain about the government and still get it.
Don't tip at restaurants that aren't sit down. You're just perpetuating the problem. They suggest more in the hopes that you'll figure a compromise is $1-2 instead of nothing. Then they pocket it as profit.
I get online for order dominos and can order a large pizza for around 10 to 11 dollars. Plus Sams club is selling Dominos gift cards 100 dollars for 75 dollars. For me that is multiple meals for every order. Or I can go to fast food and pay the same for one meal.
Lurpak, pringles, Burger King, Luckily my local Chinese, didn't increase prices.
Nestle Smarties (Canadian version that's like bigger M&M's.) A while back they changed their container to have 3 little compartments "for easy snacking" they said. They removed 3g worth for 45g to 42g during this change. Then they got rid of the three compartments thing but kept the lower weight. Fuck Nestle.
Fuck nestle
Something seemed really off when they changed the design of Aero bars, they used to be taller and you'd notice more of the airiness of the chocolate
Damn shrinkflation even reducing the air smh
Not shrinkflation but definitely eat out a lot less since *service charge* has become a thing
Tipping is also out of control. A tip for waiting on one at a restaurant is one thing. But getting me one donut and expecting a tip is kind of ridiculous. And a lot of these people make more money then I do. Just a pet peeve.
Switched diaper brands from Walmart to Costco. No more chips or oreos. I buy bulk meat and freeze more. A pack of chicken breast are sold in 3s now instead of 4.
I didn’t realize how small ice cream cartons had gotten until we got half-gallon-sized ice cream tubs from Costco
ham, like 4 slices in a pack fuck off
Tortilla chips
Costco brand ftw. 3lbs is still $6
If you live in an area with Food Lion, their tortilla chips are constantly like $2 and they’re a solid option too
Paper towels.
The paper products aisle has the worst math I've ever seen. All the packages like 6=8! and 8=12! its all bullshit. 6 rolls of paper towels is still 6 rolls and shouldn't be priced as if it was 12. A lot of "double" rolls are not really double.
Yes! So fucking confusing. They do that on purpose so we just grab something and walk away shaking our heads in confusion and disgust
Yeah they break the price down different on each package so you cant compare.
Yeah them and toilet paper got a real cut in quality during the pandemic and it's never come back
Anyone care to predict where all this will end?
The collapse of civilization... 20-40 years I'd guess.
Didn't MIT run a computer test or something back in the late 70s that predicted the collapse of civilization starting in 2020 - 2040?
we are on track for a collapse in 2040. new studys show that still holds up lmao. lets enjoy these last years we have on this earth
Tonight we're gonna party like it's two zero thirty nine.
A new generation that has to learn how to cook and will actually be competent in the kitchen. My boomer parents grew up and thrived in the premade/boxed meals and the explosion of dine in and fast food restaurants. My mom doesn't know how to cook if it's not from a box/can/microwave meal. Nor does my dad. My grandmother didn't know how to cook either. I learned on my own on how to and now am teaching them, which is next to impossible... We will see more people treating dining out as a rare treat, and possibly far fewer establishments. With the rampant tipping culture going overboard, it's really pushing people away, as is the corporate greed that is driving up prices. So a lot of people will be without jobs for no real reason beyond things that the industry could actually control and remedy. So those servers bullying people now for 30% tips will be jobless later without the skills to find another job, and those business owners will be in debt from the collapse of their businesses.
Chips in Canada have lost FIFTY FIVE GRAMS and are often down from 235 to 180 in the big brands, and also have their price raised. They couldn't even do it gradually and quietly, they just went all out all at once. I ate like 12 bags of chips a month for 25 years and i am off them probably permanently. Just use my whirlypop now
Old Dutch still has theirs at 235G on the prairies but they will for sure lower it soon. They were the brand that would brag about bigger portions than the competitors but they've really cheapened out on the product in recent years, the potatoes are still fine but the seasoning is barely there now.
Yoplait individual cups. Which is where all the good flavors are. They used to be 3 for a dollar then 2 for a dollar they are like 75cent now. Don't remember the last time I had one now
Frozen Chicken Strips. First the price went up then the bag size shrunk.
Junk food. Not worth it.
Cereal. Pretty much all snack foods. Frozen microwave meals because they aren't worth their new prices.
That Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese. The large box used to be $3. Now it’s over $5 and contains less.
YES, also different plastic tray is smaller (so it spills over when cooking) and thinner so it bends and spills. AND they absolutely changed the ingredients and it tastes like shit now. The end.
Hot pockets! They're practically flat and wobble around in the little holder now !!
Fuck Nestle
Too many to list
All types of crackers. All types of cookies. All types of chips. All types of chocolate bars. Many brands of breads. Many pre-packaged foods. We barely eat anything anymore because we do not support the theft and we simply can't afford to buy double the product to feed ourselves. We simply go without. Welcome to Canada.
Twinkies used to taste really good but each year they got worse. I was just hoping it was the pandemic and shortages but nope it got worse. They went with the cheapest ingredients.
I personally don't believe there were shortages or even supply line issues (at least not to the extent they make out). I thoroughly believe they're just using it all as piss poor excuses to justify the price hikes
I agree totally. We all got bamboozled and the corporations are making more money than they ever have before. It's fucking disgusting
I work in manufacturing and while it's not food we had awful supply shortages for damn near everything we needed to make the product we make. From raw material all the way through safety gloves and things like that it was almost impossible to run the shop the way we needed to.
Food
Name brand soda. I'd have a can of diet coke/Pepsi every day with lunch. And while they didn't shrink, they did get to be more expensive per can than a beer. Now I have store brand soda because it's literally 3 dollars less per sleeve
Soda is BAD. It's up to 7 dollars a pack. 7 DOLLARS for carbonated water and syrup, go fuck yourself on that one. It was a second thought to even buy a pack for 5, but 7????
Two years ago. Pepsi and coke did sales of 4 packs for $10. The last sale we saw was 2 packs for $12. Soda consumption has become a near zero in our house.
Same here. I used to stock our fridge when they were on sale 4/$10. I’d get the store brand too sometimes. I can’t remember the last time I had a soda. It was probably around July 4th when Winco had the mini cans on sale for like $2.
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Boss: "Why are you drinking beer with your lunch?" Mr: "Because I can't afford soda on what you pay me. *belch*"
My beloved caffeine free Coke left during the pandemic. I love me some Coke, and I can handle a little bit of caffeine, but a whole Coke’s worth will have me up all night and jittery. I found it in a few places over the last year, but the price is just way too much. It used to be 3 12-packs for $9.99, then it was 3/$11, and now they claim “on sale” as 3/$15. No thanks, I’ll drink water, it’s better for me anyway.
The quality of fast-food/cafe baked goods and snacks. It's not so much a change in the size, weight & volume, but more so shrinkflation of the ingredients. Everything is loaded with synthetic crap that tastes like nasty chemicals and makes you feel awful afterwards.
McDonald's - the nuggets are at least half as thick as they used to be and lately I feel nauseous no matter what I eat there. Candy from the checkouts - far smaller packages for twice the price.
Most candy. I used to wince at 90 cents for a small candy bar. Now it is almost 2 dollars at most places. Lays Stax. Like them better than chips, but the price went up from 1 dollars to 2 dollars in three years. Fast Food. Only when travelling now. When at home I can buy a large Dominos Pizza for the same amount as a meal at fast food shops.
Well done all. Stick to your guns, do not cave in and send these greedy corporations out of business.
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This exactly. An 8 ounce bag of corn chips is like seven dollars. That's $14 a pound for basically dehydrated corn. The wholesale price of corn is less than $0.12 a pound, and it's not like expiration or storage are a big cost either. Chips were actually initially so widely popularized because they were cheap to produce, transport, and store.
Fig Newtons.
Charmin toilet paper.
Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts. They left the box the same size (as of the final time I purchased them) but reduced the size and number in the box, and they have almost no frosting, filling, or flavor now. Never again. When I get my next craving I’ll try the Great Value brand, their snack clones have been better and larger than the name brand versions for other items I’ve tried, like their Hostess Cupcake clones. I only get such cravings once or twice a year, so maybe I’ll try their version of Pop-Tarts soon.
Almost all restaurants. My wife and I used to eat out at least two meals a day. Our daily food cost was running around $50.00 a day. It then jumped to $60.00 then to $70.00. We then noticed the portion sizes, especially meat, were getting smaller. We’re now eating out only about once a week. We’re both skilled in the kitchen so we’re eating tastier and healthier food for a fraction of the cost.
Right? Like even the local diner near us winds up being like 45 bucks after tip. Unless it’s like a really nice experience type restaurant it just doesn’t feel worth it half the time
Better late than never. I don't understand people who eat out 3 meals a day. In addition to being an enormous waste of money, don't you just miss home cooked meals?
I can't say I've completely stopped, as I occasionally take advantage of random app deals, but I've cut down ***SIGNIFICANTLY*** on fast food. I'll be damned if I ever pay fucking $5 for a single McDonald's/BK burger.
Popcorn. Used to be a simple snack for our family and you could get a 24 pack for $5. Walmart, Target, anywhere was $5. Somehow since COVID started the price has doubled to $10/box. Absolute bullshit. It’s fucking popcorn! The cost is mostly for packaging, and definitely not worth $10.
It's so much cheaper to just buy the kernels and brown paper bags and make your own microwave popcorn.
Started cutting my own hair to save money, not half bad anymore
Chips ahoy cookies. $6.50 a box, are you KIDDING ME.
Some cereals. Completely stopped buying some of them al together because it just does not feel worth it when the size shrinkage feels like I could finish a box in 4 bowls (Cocoa Puffs) Also Starbucks. The price is insane and then they usually give us partially filled cups when we ask for no foam. Dunkin also started enforcing if you ask for no ice they will give you less. As if coffee was not 1000% or more mark up for them. Ice cream has also been affected. Price of haggen dazs has gone up about 50%. Container look a bit smaller. I might buy it bogo but just went to a Hagen dazs to give my kids a treat. A 3 scoop cup that was actually less than a third maybe a quarter pint and a 2 scoop cone was $15 in a mall. I am used to it being more expensive. But s pint is $6 and I had much less than a pint maybe closer to half a pint in ice cream.
Cereal is no longer worth it. They raised the price and shrunk the box. Looks like kid size boxes on the shelf now. I just make eggs instead
Pringles
McDonald’s, portions are pathetic small now, and sky high prices, can get far better food else where for less money. McDonald’s was only good for cheap, now that it’s expensive I have no reason to go.
Cheetos/Chester's Puffcorn To minimize the potential for choking, my wife and I would get butter puffcorn for our toddler to eat when we had popcorn, then Cheetos saw fit to jack the price up north of $4 while simultaneously shrinking the bag. I swear the price nearly doubled and the quantity dropped by like a quarter or a third. It was so egregious I swore to never give them another dime of my money, no matter what the price/quantity is in the future.
Not a specific item but I used to love getting an iced coffee at Starbucks, Dunkin or Ellianos. Even when it was $3-$5 it was a splurge but I’d bring my own lunch to work and it was a fun start to my morning. Now these same coffees in smaller sized cups ( a medium is now a small) are even more money. An iced medium coffee where I live is now $7-$10. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I invested in a Nespresso machine (when it was on sale) and I haven’t looked back. The pod’s are about $1.25 each and I use a little flavored creamer and the creamer bottle ( $5) lasts me weeks. I’ve even been able to replicate some if my favorites ( caramel macchiato, mocha etc.) A coffee run used to be a fun thing and it turned into draining my bank account. I’m proud of switching and enjoying my less than $2 flavored coffee!
Ice Cream...😞
Heavy cream, cocoa powder, a bit of sugar. Use a $40 ice cream Machine and make it fresh for like $5 for 4 people.
Old El Paso taco kits - the shells have become too small to hold their contents properly.
Gatorade and Powerade. Price has gone up 50% over the last few years while their portion size decreased from 32oz. to 28 oz. I haven't stopped buying them, but now I wait for sales.
Stopped eating out. No shrinkflation, just prices are crazy. Also, dropped Amazon Prime plus some streaming services and have stopped buying any grocery products that are playing bullshit games with people. Just started ruthlessly cutting stuff that is a bad value, even if it was previously viewed as essential or staple in my house. Gotta send a message.
Paper towels. They’ve gotten horrifically expensive! We have bar cloths, cleaning rags, and a mop, and that’s good enough for us.
Rarely eat Fast food now.. Sit down restaurants are about the same price and I get more food and a higher quality.
Cheez-its’s have really pissed me off. My go to snack has shrunk and the price is insane.
Most foods. My diet has mostly become the little food packages that come with slices of meat, cheese, and crackers. It's cheap and with the clear packaging, I can actually see what's in it.
I’ve cut restaurants mostly.
Should be Greedflation !
Any coffee that sells packages less than one full pound. Ice cream that isn't a full pint.
i work in fast food. happy meals used to be $4.95 (aud) and some are now $10…. ice cream cone was 40c when i started and now its $1.10. cheeseburgers were $3 and now are closer to $6. its insane. i cant afford to eat there and i get half off…
Snickers. I'm pretty broke most of the time but I loved treating myself to the Snickers bar for a dollar whenever I was out. Slowly, it became less frequent, treating myself to a Snicker bar everytime it was on 50% off (still $1) and now that it's over the 1$ threshold with any discounts it's completely off my list unfortunately. I miss it, I crave it when I walk past it. Hopefully I'll afford it without putting this much thought into it once day :")
Doritos. Local store has them for almost $8/bag. Absolutely ridiculous.
TP. Kirkland TP to be exact. They shrunk the size of the sheets and roll and made it stronger/thicker and changed the softness, to make up for the smaller size. Now it just plugs my toilet.
It was a little more than this past year, but sometime in the last few years I tried Chewy bars again for the first time since elementary school in the early ots, the granola ones with chocolate or peanut butter chips in them. Not only are they smaller than they used to be, they're like, lighter, more airy, way less substantial overall. I tried them side by side with the costco brand granola bars and holy shit, it was like eating a bar of air next to eating an actual condensed oatmeal bar. Super bummed that the costco ones don't come in peanut butter as far as I can tell, but there's literally no reason to eat the Chewy ones anymore. I might as well just chew air with my mouth open, near an open jar of peanut butter for smell. Then there's the stuff that I feel like the ingredients list itself has been shrinkflated; stuff that just tastes different now, though it's hard to tell whether that's because the excited and oblivious kid tastebuds are all dead and all that's left is the self aware adult tastebuds and stomach acid that are both dying to get you to eat a vegetable that you can't afford, or if it's because they genuinely changed the recipes. Maybe got rid of flavors or preservatives that are genuinely toxic, but damn, did they taste good anyway. Cadburry eggs are runny on the inside now, instead of being a nice stiff frosting, it's this liquid goo that's both impossible to eat, and way too sweet. And they shrunk. Hersheys without almonds tastes chalky and weird, but the ones with almonds still taste mostly okay. Kraft macaroni tastes like it's actively poisoning me, now, instead of warm and flavorful. The picture on the box of that delicious drippy cheese still evokes strong memories of what it's supposed to taste like, but I can no longer have even a single bite anymore without genuinely retching. Grandma's cookies are tasteless and dry (and I think also shrunk). A hot fried drumstick at QFC is about two tiny bites of meat now, you're mostly paying for the weight of a greasy bone. It's really upsetting that most of what's in all these comments is food. Yes, that's the most obvious example of shrinkflation most people think of, but things like clothing, school/office supplies, raw crafting materials (wire, beads, type stuff), hygiene products like soap and shampoo as well as menstrual products, comfort and bedding items like blankets, sheets, pillows, anything else you can think of, everything has gotten more expensive, usually disproportionate to inflation, and many other categories have displayed shrinkflation as well. But the top of everyone's mind is food. As a society and as individuals, who are collectively getting pretty sick of capitalism and consumption anyway, we can try to manage our issues with everything else, attempt to raise prices on our own products or labor to compensate, be more mindful and sustainable, find alternatives, be resourceful, privately barter and trade, to lessen the issue. But we can't really do anything about needing a base amount of calories that we just can't afford. About the absolute insubstantiality of the food that we can afford. You can only finesse actual starvation so much.
A large soda at McDs has 6 ounces of soda and two pounds of ice.
I used to manage 4 different McD. If you ever saw the ice machines, you would order without or very little ice.
Frontera chicken fajita bowls. A few years ago I bought a couple of these and they all had about half of the sauce than what they usually had. I actually started meal prepping cause of how disappointing it was. I do still occasionally have one, either the company reversed the decision or the batch that one time was a mistake, they have a reasonable amount of sauce again. But it went from one of my go-to easy meals, once every week or so, to the last time I had one was about half a year ago.
I haven’t bought any bag of chips since the pandemic. Pathetically expensive
Fast food
Cheese
More like 2 years ago, or so....Taco Bell. While they never really put much into their tacos, a couple years ago they reduced even that little bit, to just enough to ensure your Taco shell would be broken and soggy by the time you got home.
Just about anything in a vending machine!
McDonald’s Fries , remember those extra fries that does be laying around in the bag you’d feel around for , well they are gone so does the amount you get