Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands • Hacker News Board

Re: Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands

#471

Post by smeej » Sat, Sep 16, 2023, 4:54 PM UTC

I would have appreciated if the article would have included information about where the profits from these changes are going.

Without that information, the other plausible narrative is more like, "Governments try to cover up the negative consequences to consumers of their massive inflation of the monetary supply by forcing companies to continue providing products at the same price (especially products like food staples that are included in consumer price indices)."

In all likelihood, it's probably both the government officials and the execs/owners who are profiting off the situation at the expense of everybody who still needs to eat food.

Re: Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands

#472

Post by johnchristopher » Sat, Sep 16, 2023, 4:55 PM UTC

ericmay wrote: post #450

phendrenad2 wrote: post #435

Why does shrinkflation exist? Are people really fooled by smaller sodas? I think that anyone who believes that doesn't actually drink soda. Anyway, that leads me to believe that there must be some other factor, like maybe some law or contract prevents them from raising prices. Or maybe supermarket shelf space cost is tied to price somehow. Makes you think.

I’m not sure about pop, but I think you could see this play out easily with a bag of chips. The bag size stays the same, yet there is less in it.

Another one: width and height of cereal boxes stay the same but it's less deep than it used to.

Re: Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands

#473

Post by gruez » Sat, Sep 16, 2023, 4:56 PM UTC

randcraw wrote: post #412

satvikpendem wrote: post #394

If you as a shopper can track the unit price of what you want to buy, does shrinkflation really matter? For example, if I want to buy a liter of soda, I'll buy a liter's worth regardless of whether the packaging is now smaller.

Try buying a half gallon of ice cream or a proper sized roll of toilet paper. Corporate greed, especially that is intended to cheat the consumer invisibly, always deserves to be called out.

>Try buying a half gallon of ice cream

Why do you need half gallon specifically? Is there something about the half gallon form factor that other sizes doesn't satisfy?

Re: Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands

#474

Post by vjerancrnjak » Sat, Sep 16, 2023, 4:58 PM UTC

beebeepka wrote: post #470

kirykl wrote: post #451

Notice this with app food delivery as well. Smaller portions than in restaurant, for the same order on delivery, with higher charge due to app fees

These apps are just scamming young people and the restaurants. Get a wife, love and treat her well, and she'll likely cook for you.

Is a man incapable to cook for himself?

Re: Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands

#475

Post by nolist_policy » Sat, Sep 16, 2023, 4:59 PM UTC

zuminator wrote: post #447

People here are complaining about Carrefour selling the products it's stickering. At least they're taking some steps. The supermarket in my neighborhood is much, much worse. They use dark patterns to further obscure the real price of things to the consumer. They are mandated to provide a per unit price, and they comply with the letter of the law. But what they'll do is use totally different units. The 48 ounce size o…

Happy metric system noises

Re: Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands

#476

Post by mistercheph » Sat, Sep 16, 2023, 5:01 PM UTC

Shaanie wrote: post #454

phendrenad2 wrote: post #435

Why does shrinkflation exist? Are people really fooled by smaller sodas? I think that anyone who believes that doesn't actually drink soda. Anyway, that leads me to believe that there must be some other factor, like maybe some law or contract prevents them from raising prices. Or maybe supermarket shelf space cost is tied to price somehow. Makes you think.

Customers are absolutely fooled by smaller sizes. I've almost fallen for it myself when a coffee package was reduced from 500g to 450. Thankfully I noticed the price per kg was off, but without it I wouldn't have noticed.

This is often done by products using alternative packaging schemes that are meant to evoke personality or authenticity of the food. There are many ‘organic’ brands that sell milk in nonstandard packaging that appears to be a gallon or half gallon but is 10-20% smaller.

Re: Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands

#477

Post by eastbound » Sat, Sep 16, 2023, 5:01 PM UTC

smeej wrote: post #471

I would have appreciated if the article would have included information about where the profits from these changes are going. Without that information, the other plausible narrative is more like, "Governments try to cover up the negative consequences to consumers of their massive inflation of the monetary supply by forcing companies to continue providing products at the same price (especially products like food stapl…

The article is incomplete, as usual for CNN. Headline makes a bold statement, there isn’t even a photo of a sticker showing the French translation for “shrinkflation”, which I’m not sure exists, and it does put the opinions in perspective of others.

Re: Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands

#478

Post by johnchristopher » Sat, Sep 16, 2023, 5:03 PM UTC

My gut feeling is that it's a reaction to or at least has something to do with Inflation : Bruno Le Maire menace de publier la "liste des industriels de l'agroalimentaire qui ont refusé faire baisser les prix" https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/inflation/inflation-bru... Bruno Le Maire threatens once again to publish the names of industrialists who do not play the game https://www.archyde.com/bruno-le-maire-threatens-once-again-...

Re: Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands

#479

Post by costanzaDynasty » Sat, Sep 16, 2023, 5:08 PM UTC

This isn't a new thing, it's started to ramp up around 2008. PepsiCo will often change sizes and names of those sizes to create the illusion of value. Im sure other Mega Corps do the same. They do have to buy commodities many years in advance so a lot of these changes are baked in. They also have other things they do. If the price of say potatoes is going to be high for the next couple of years and they can't justify a price change or a bag size change, then they will move up corn products to eye level and move down the potatoes so that customers are drawn to the higher margin product.

Re: Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands

#480

Post by mistercheph » Sat, Sep 16, 2023, 5:08 PM UTC

polygamous_bat wrote: post #458

Longhanks wrote: post #432

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a super privileged opinion and wildly out of touch with the less fortunate classes of society. Also, if you don’t commit to price comparison, how can "shrinkflation" be a problem? If you can buy whatever groceries you want anyway, just buy the ones that make you feel comfortable regarding their price policy...?

> This is a super privileged opinion and wildly out of touch with the less fortunate classes of society. That's clear bait. What you're advocating for is a mental tax on the "less fortunate class" as you put it. Make price transparency legally required and see how the game changes.

This, the concern trolling of corporate apologia is becoming absurd.

“Don’t patronize poor people, of course they are smart enough to remember the ever shifting prices and unit sizes of every product in the marketplace to calculate the real price changes in the goods they are buying.