Same Price, Smaller Package
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: February 25, 2011

Recently a friend asked me if I'd heard of food companies reducing their packaging size, yet keeping the price the same. She was upset that her normal 5-pound box of sugar was now 4-pounds, but she's paying the same amount. Unfortunately, yes, I'd heard of that and apparently it's not a new tactic and it's something that Consumer Reports
 has discussed for a long while.
Many companies have shrunk their packaging just enough to make a difference in their bottom line, but not enough to be blatantly obvious to consumers. Their reason? The price of raw materials and the cost of shipping have continually increased. But to the consumer it's a pretty disingenuous maneuver.
What can we do to help save money? Here are two easy things we can be diligent about when shopping:
Bigger is not always better.
Look at the price per unit or per ounce.
Look at the potency or active ingredient.
Some larger packages have half the potency as their smaller versions, like in some mouthwashes, and you need to use it more frequently.
Still, it's no consolation to my physical therapist friend who says, "In the world of therapy we often refer to a 5-pound bag of sugar as a  comparative example of weight they should be lifting.  Everyone knows  how much that is.  Well no longer."
Photo by: thisisbossi