Saladflation

[UncleEbenezer]

We all know about shrinkflation. My mum first explained it to me when I was very little: probably pre-school.

It seems to have happened by stealth at Morrisons' self-service salad bar. Their "medium", which serves for two lunches (or more as a side-dish) is clearly smaller than it was a few months ago.

They should have to display a less-corruptible unit than "medium". Capacity in millilitres, for instance.

Grrr ...

[jfgw]

Dilute-flation rarely gets a mention. It would be difficult to quantify as it applies to such a wide range of products.

Booze has ABV but shampoo, orange squash and liquid fertiliser don't.


Julian F. G. W.

[CliffEdge]

Four years ago a portion of fish and chips provided a piece of fish adequate for me and my wife and a huge portion of chips that could feed a family. £7

Now a portion offers a piece of fish equivalent to four or five fish fingers and a handful of chips each. £12

So we very rarely have fish suppers nowadays. Our loss, the fish and chip shop still seems to thrive, mainly on visitors.

But the local pub put up their "smaller appetite " steak and ale pie, chips , veg and gravy (entirely adequate for any non glutton) from £7 to £8.25 over the same period and the portion size is the same. The pub owner is very popular.

The profiteering fish and chip shop owner, many locals hate.

[UncleEbenezer]

Dilute-flation rarely gets a mention. It would be difficult to quantify as it applies to such a wide range of products.

Booze has ABV but shampoo, orange squash and liquid fertiliser don't.


Julian F. G. W.

Well, I don't regard ABV as a measure of the quality of my booze. Indeed, I tend to prefer relatively-low ABVs: for example, ales in the 4-5% range, ideally the lower half of that. As for your other products (shampoo being the only one I use), I've no idea whether and how an inflationary change in formulation might work.

The capacity of a self-serve container seems a whole lot more clearly-defined. So why don't they?

A local deli shop where I buy things like olives gets this right. I take my own jar, they weigh the jar, fill it, and charge me for the change in weight. Expensive, but clearly-labelled.

[Lootman]

We all know about shrinkflation. My mum first explained it to me when I was very little: probably pre-school.

It seems to have happened by stealth at Morrisons' self-service salad bar. Their "medium", which serves for two lunches (or more as a side-dish) is clearly smaller than it was a few months ago.

They should have to display a less-corruptible unit than "medium". Capacity in millilitres, for instance.

Grrr ...

Or do what you see in American salad bars. You pick the salad items you want and then your box is weighed. You pay by that weight.

So you get as much or as little as you want, and only the items that you want in your desired proportions, and then it is a unit price.

[Arborbridge]

If I may for a moment vary from the food based observations, I found a blatant case of shrinkflation last week. Here are two shirts of similar style in brushed cotton bought from Marks about five years apart. The modern one does not fit because they have decided to be penny pinching and cut the width around 35mm narrower at the shoulder and chest.
I have another one from about three years ago which is in between these two - again same collare size, same style - so it looks like this skimping has been deliberate and progressive.

Marks tell me that they have done this to respond to a requirement for a closer cut, but with an epidemic of obesity and shirts being cut tighter (I would allege, to save money) it is no wonder we see badly dressed men with straining buttons all over Britain.

I swapped my shirt for a larger size, but now the collar is too big while the body is about the same size as the old smaller size used to be.

Arb.

[bungeejumper]

If I may for a moment vary from the food based observations, I found a blatant case of shrinkflation last week. Here are two shirts of similar style in brushed cotton bought from Marks about five years apart. The modern one does not fit because they have decided to be penny pinching and cut the width around 35mm narrower at the shoulder and chest.
I have another one from about three years ago which is in between these two - again same collare size, same style - so it looks like this skimping has been deliberate and progressive.

Similar experience with M&S boxer shorts, which have lost upwards of an inch in an area where every inch matters. I do appreciate a bit of room for air to circulate down there, but to get it I've had to trade up a waistband size, or maybe more. Which seems like a cruel and unnecessary affront to my dignity.

I'm sure I wouldn't know whether M&S are simply being penny-pinching with their fabric, or whether a new generation raised on the budgie-smuggler style requires less room downstairs than the preceding generations did? Well OK, yes, I do have my suspicions.

BJ

[UncleEbenezer]

Similar experience with M&S boxer shorts, which have lost upwards of an inch in an area where every inch matters. I do appreciate a bit of room for air to circulate down there, but to get it I've had to trade up a waistband size. Which seems like a cruel and unnecessary affront to my dignity.

I'm sure I wouldn't know whether M&S are simply being penny-pinching with their fabric, or whether a new generation raised on the budgie-smuggler style requires less room downstairs than the preceding generations did? Well OK, yes, I do have my suspicions.

BJ

Is it the bungee jumping that's affected your shape? Where do you tie the rope?

[bungeejumper]

Is it the bungee jumping that's affected your shape? Where do you tie the rope?

My dear sir, you are allowing your mind to run riot. Answer, though: not there.

BJ