More shrinkflation in bread: 4 slices in a 2 slice toaster!

Shrinkflation is when you get less of a product for your money. Like a bag going from 220g to 198g, or a box with 10 items instead of 12... at the same price. It's a major sign of inflationary times, and people really hate it when they notice it happening. Shrinkflation feels like cheating, but it's technically legal. My latest experience with shrinkflation, again using bread as an example, is slices so small you can fit 2 in each toaster slot!

Right on, I got myself a 2 slice toaster, but I can make 4 slices at a time!

And I didn't even have to stuff them. They just slid right in, with some room to spare. In other words, the slices have become even thinner than they were.

This adds to the existing shrinkflation problems I've already identified, such as massive voids and tiny loaves:

So the loaves are shorter than they used to be, there are massive gaps of air where there used to be bread, and the slices themselves have become smaller and thinner. And the price hasn't gone down!

In fact... the price just went UP!

The above loaf is now $9.19 CAD ($7 USD) for 12 tiny slices! The 4 pieces of bread in the main photo of this post are now worth more than $3.

In 2009 and 2010, I warned anyone who would listen on YouTube that rampant inflation was baked into the cake across the Western world in coming years. Most said I was being dramatic, and some called me crazy. But here we are, with inflation OFFICIALLY in the double digits, with real food prices increasing by more than 1% every month.

I'm making light of it with this post, but in reality, inflation is a serious matter. It has been called the hidden tax, because it affects everyone, and is very hard to see or protect oneself against. The poorest are hit hardest, because they're already just barely surviving. When the cost of food goes up, those with the least ability to pay have to go without. Governments like to brush it off as a minor issue, but for hundreds of millions of people, this is life or death.

Companies know customers hate being tricked, and shrinkflation is a tactic that REALLY upsets a lot of buyers. But many companies choose to engage in it anyway, as a lot of consumers don't notice they're getting bamboozled. People assume companies must have to inform buyers when they've reduced the count or weight of a product, but they don't. People need to know about this, which is why I've been doing posts on it when I see clear examples in my daily life.

How about you, where you live? Have you seen food (and other consumer goods) sold in smaller amounts for the same price as before?

DRutter