How shrinkflation is playing havoc with economists’ models • Hacker News Board

Re: How shrinkflation is playing havoc with economists’ models

#171

Post by majewsky » Mon, Aug 12, 2019, 8:55 AM UTC

jml7c5 wrote: post #40

burfog wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Toilet paper should be measured by volume, not length. Both width and thickness of the sheets can vary. For both, larger is better. All three measurements interact together when forming a wad of paper. All three contribute to the size of the wad.

Density also matters, or you could cheat and sell a roll of paper "fluff". Also, many people fold rather than wad.

> Also, many people fold rather than wad.

This. Mass is just a nonsense unit for me as a folder. You might as well be advertising density or albedo. If anything, I'd want the base unit to be

  number of sheets * number of layers per sheet

Re: How shrinkflation is playing havoc with economists’ models

#172

Post by majewsky » Mon, Aug 12, 2019, 8:56 AM UTC

nootka wrote: post #110

burfog wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Toilet paper should be measured by volume, not length. Both width and thickness of the sheets can vary. For both, larger is better. All three measurements interact together when forming a wad of paper. All three contribute to the size of the wad.

Wadding is a sub-optimal wiping technique. www.urbandictionary.com/define.php%3fterm=G.I.%2bbutt%2bwipe&amp=true That said, the general point of your post still stands.

WTF happened with this link? Fixed version: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=G.I.+butt+wi...

Re: How shrinkflation is playing havoc with economists’ models

#173

Post by virgilp » Mon, Aug 12, 2019, 6:03 PM UTC

hnarn wrote: post #75

virgilp wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an EU rule, no? Because it's not just Sweden. Still, tbh, it still works on some items. Eg here most producer gradually shrinked yoghurt from 175 to 140g - pisses me off, but I must assume it works.

Sweden passed the law in 1991 and joined the EU in 1995 — and as usual, stating "this exists in country X" is not insinuating "this only exists in country X".

FWIW, I was actually, honestly wondering whether this is now an EU rule. Didn't know Sweden initiated this, good for you guys, obviously it's a fairly advanced society so one would expect a lot of the good EU ideas come from you. But I was merely wondering if it was just mimicked everywhere, or it is now a formal EU rule (I suspect the latter since unfortunately our politicians are not quick to adopt good ideas, unless said ideas are somehow forced on them)

Re: How shrinkflation is playing havoc with economists’ models

#174

Post by manicdee » Tue, Aug 13, 2019, 7:17 AM UTC

frabert wrote: post #105

viraptor wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Australia the misleading part is what's actually weighed. The price per kg for canned beans doesn't help when 400g supermarket brand is 280g beans, 120g water. :( But on average, with pretty much everything else, it works just fine.

In Italy, canned foods must display a "dripped"(?) weight, that is the mass of the contents after the oil/water/whatever has been poured away

Then they start injecting meat with water and dye to make it heavier and more eye-pleasing.