Shrinkflation: it's not just for food

From Merriam-Webster -

"Shrinkflation" is when the manufacturer of an item, instead of raising the price for that item, simply reduce the quantity of that item while charging the same price.

It's a backdoor way of increasing profits.

CNET has an article on the practice, dated 4/26/2024, here.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) has issued on a report on the practice, here, dated 12/2023.

Most of the examples cited are for foodstuffs (ice cream, potato chips, etc.), but the practice isn't limited to food.

I found a recent example at Target.

One of the items I buy there is some disposable food containers for things like soups.

Those have changed.

Old style -

Newer style -

Not only are there fewer containers offered in each package, each container is a little smaller.

Note: I'm not certain that this is an example of pure shrinkflation, as I believe that they also raised their price a little, but I don't have photographic evidence of that (but they definitely didn't decrease the price)

Just of them decreasing the quantity and making the containers smaller.