I wouldn't mind paying higher prices for the same size, but not higher prices for the smaller size like I saw in Safeway this week.

They had Dreyers (it's called something different on the East Coast) as buy one, get one free. The price? $6.39. The size? Dinky. I could tell without even touching it that it was smaller.

There is no way I would buy something I don't need for that kind of price. I understand the rise in fuel costs, dairy and blah blah blah, but c'mon, where's my raise? If you want us to keep buying your stuff you have to realize that we are hurting too.

I know companies are in business to make a profit and not dole out charity, but these kind of moves are like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

FWIW: Fry's (Kroger) has Breyers Ice Cream for $1.99 a carton. Some of the flavors were still in the old size.

To answer your question, Marty Wolk, I think I would prefer the smaller sizes, same price, because I don't always need as much as they put in the package anyway.

I don't really mind this, as I often would not use all of the product I bought.

Also, I'm surprised the author of the story didn't mention it, but American portions had already gotten out of control, so perhaps this would help solve our obesity epidemic.

This has been going on for years...what was their excuse ten years ago. Supposedly then the economy was strong back then.

I don't feel that we have a choice but I would prefer they tell us that they are raising the price or making the product smaller. What I resent is that manufacturers think the public is stupid and try to pull the wool over our eyes.

This is where those companies will lose out in the end. People will eventually stop buying ice cream and other non-necessary food. Maybe the cure to America's obesity problem will be financial. Doe anyone really care if Baskin-Robbins or Dairy Queen goes out of business. Poor corporate planning, mostly the desire to offer as little as possible while charging as much as possible will kill a lot of companies in the end. Besides homemade cookies taste better the tiny little bags at the store......

Gauge how much is being used in each community/state/city/region, etc according to average income. The average income should determine the price and the ever so intangible and hypothetical theory of deflation and inflation rates.

Being a bean counter, what I'm about to say will probably be maddening for some, but probably make sense for the companies.

Why not go metric while for some items? It's a good way for America to start entering the global standard of measurements.

For example, instead of providing consumers with 1 gallon of milk, why not use the same gallon container and just fill 3.75 liters (0.99 gallons) and market it as a 3.75 liter product? Sure 0.01 gallons seems awfully small but it adds up for substantial savings every 100 container of "3.75 liters" of milk.

Some holds true with 10 pounds of flour: use the same bag and market as a 4.5 kg bag of flour (9.92 lbs).

Can of soda, instead of 12 fl oz, start marketing as 350 ml (11.83 fl oz). Frankly this is even a better idea because those things are bad for our health - the less the better!

How about simply consuming less? Not unlike oil, Americans gorge too much on food. Smaller cars, smaller waistlines, healthier planet, healthier bodies. Not such a bad thing, in my opinion.

This has been going on for many, many years. I worked in the packaging business, so I always knew when the carton size shrunk. What took the media this long to notice? How about those rolls of "bathroom tissue" that look like spools of thread? As a consumer, I always felt deceived by this sneaky practice. If this is merely a neccessary economical move, why don't they print a big "NEW, SMALLER SIZE, AND HIGHER PRICE" on the label? The food industry is all about deception, that's why.

Too little for same price? STOP buying the junk foods made in cyberspace and trucked across the country with the BAD ingredients. Support your local fresh produce markets. Make a difference. Eat less, gain better health, and lose weight!!!! Walk to the store and carry home only what you really need! We do it!
This is making a difference. Our "local chain store" is 3.5 miles from our home. Charming new lifestyle.

This is not new. Consumers have seen this practice many times with many products and with many companies. It is a fact of life that if the cost to produce a product rises, the producer must increase the price to maintain profitability. I don't like having to pay more for the same amount of something, but if all the producers suffer increased costs and consequently increase prices, I am faced with either paying for the higher priced item or doing without it altogether.

However, I don't like being deceived. Look me square in the eye and tell me that the price has increased or that I am getting less for the same money.

Since I work in manufacturing, I know that changing the package size also will increase the manufacuring cost even if the package becomes smaller (there are redesign costs plus machine modification costs to produce the new size box).

The thing that I wonder about and what also disturbs me is what happens if the manufacturing costs go down? Will the producers lower their prices or decide to rake in a little extra for the same amount of product?

How long did these mental midgets think it would be before we noticed. I guess they think we don't read the labels. Simple solution, buy a brand that does not play their game.

Funny this article was online today. Just this afternoon I went to the supermarket and noticed that EDY's Ice cream is now 1 1/2 quarts instead of 1 3/4 quarts and the the price went up, too! But..the supermarket did have it on sale for $2.99 per carton instead of (YIKES) $5.29!! I did notice one or two of the 'older' larger-sized cartons still in stock, but I am sure those will be going very fast! (I noticed some are mentioning Dreyers Ice Cream cartons also shrunk; I think they are owned by same company as Edy's) Also, don't know how long this has been, but, tuna is now 6 oz. for the normal-sized can. I remember when tuna was 7 oz.; then shrunk down to 6 1/2 oz.; and now it's 6 oz. Of course, the prices are either the same or more.

How long did these mental midgets think it would be before we noticed. I guess they think we don't read the labels. Simple solution, buy a brand that does not play their game.

Some of these comments are absolutely ludicrous. Spanking the consumer for objecting to smaller food containers on the basis that we are too fat, each too much etc. Hogwash!! Whether my cereal box is one pound or ten ounces, I (and most others) each the same size bowl of cereal for breakfast, ditto the amount of milk or fruit on the flakes. Some of the best buys in hard times are in larger size containers. Should we forgo those because we, as a nation supposedly each too much. How about if I am lean, fit, and eat sparingly, am I still not allowed to complain about short-sizing. Get a grip!! Having a company treat its customers as fools is always objectionable, and usually bad business as well. If costs are going up, charge a fair clear, price. We're smart enough to read the papers or the Internet, or watch what goes on around us to understand what's occurring in the economy, and we"ll "swallow" the honest price increases that result from ongoing economic trends.

'Shrink ray' hits consumers' wallets: It's called deceptive packaging and it's ILLEGAL. It's also a HIDDEN COST INCREASE to both the manufacturer and consumer, because the packaging cost per unit of merchandise goes up.

In times of hardship wouldn't it be smarter to cut into your profit and tell shareholders to go fly a kite since the American Consumer is a little more important then fattening the already fatmans wallet. Why does everyone see just black and white when there are hundreds of other options out there.

I swore off buying Edy's years ago when they switched to 1.75 from 2 full quarts....then everyone followed suit. But, I have still never purchased theirs again since they were the first swine to do it. And yes, that was when the economy was "strong."

I shop at Aldi....aldifoods.com. Look it up, see if there's one in your area..... incredible prices. They don't play these games.

Same some money and downsize the packaging as well. Why pay for packaging that isn't needed?

So what is anybody going to do about it? Used to be large cities like Chicago had a weights and measure division that weighted candy to gas pumps. Used to be a nice fine to someone. Now what? We are a society of saying " OH WELL"--GET THE SHAFT! I know retail --have been in it for 36yrs. and know who to pay off etc. I have worked for 8 major retailers from Woolworths to Michaels Crafts and they all get away with anything they want. Also have to blame the manufactuer. So what will we do--NOTHING! Keep getting the shaft. If the economy keeps going like this and an Iraq problem--I think a peaceful march on the capital is ok and a general national strike. In 2 years we would have lost everything we worked for because of our greed and it would be time to start over as a country.

This is not something new. I have noticed this a few years ago when I went to buy my usual 8 oz. yogurt at the local Savemart. I was used to eating 8 ounces and it filled me up. All of a sudden I was supposed to eat 6 ounces for the same price and be full. I complained to the supermarket about it and of course they told me it was out of thier control. Now I realize what was happening. Remember the old 8 oz. yogurt. Now you are supposed to be happy with 6 oz or less. Oh, and of course they can now put that there are only 80 calories rather than the usual 100. Like that is going to make a difference.

My family has worked in the grocery business for several generations and I'm well aware of all the marketing tactics. My family has always been supported by this business. But I noticed that one really important aspect of pricing was missing from the article. Unit price was never mentioned. Here in NY State, not sure if it's the same in the other states, we have to have unit price tags. So there's not two different sizes on the shelves at the same time. The Unit Price tag on the shelf must show the price per ounce, pound, etc., for the customary measurement of a product. The only sneakiness is for example selling soda pop, when some retailers use ounces for one brand and quarts for another brand. So the consumer has to covert. But you can compare and the unit price must go up even when the package shrinks. I keep waiting for all packaging to become single sizing, because that costs more now, so eventually they'll all meet in the middle. So watch those unit prices and you'll know exactly what you're paying. Buy locally and cook from scratch and you'll save big.

The biggest problem I run into with product downsizing is with my old family recipes. I'm sure we all have those recipes that our grandmothers wrote down half a century ago that list "add a can of corn" or "stir in a half jar of mayonnaise," etc. Now I have to do a bunch of math conversions before I can make a simple casserole that my family has eaten for generations! Just charge an honest price and give us the product we expect!

I know this has been said time and time again and I don't understand why prices keep spiriling when they do not need to be. Why don't the companies use a reusable and recyclable product. This is substituting for boxes, etc. that are opened and thrown out. Why put less in a box that is trown away?

Shrinking the package size of items while still charging the same price or raising the price just a little drives me crazy. I have recipes that call for a 16 oz can of tomatoes, but all tomato cans are now 15 oz. Same for many canned, bagged or boxed items. It makes it very difficult to throw together something when you have to convert all the ingredients and makes many old recipes obsolete. Also it makes me mad when an item's packaging is redesigned so that it takes up the same amount of space in your cupboard/fridge/freezer - yet it contains less product. An example is Bryers ice cream. The package is basically the same size but the packaging is tapered so you get less and it still takes up the same space. My freezer space is precious space and it really irks me that I can't fit as much ice cream in the freezer as I used to. Also it drives me crazy when I buy the same item over and over and rely on it to contain x amount of product (or certain ingredients) and when get home to use it I realize I don't have enough and have to make a second trip to the store (or they changed the formula and its no longer something I want to eat). I tell you the amount of time I spend in a grocery store had doubled because I now read every label of every product I buy so food manufacturing companies don't slip something past me. It makes me so mad!