#shrinkflation

#shrinkflation

The rising cost of food has been tough to deal with everywhere, and it's particularly hard to accept how much Dunkin's prices have increased. It's not that the coffee chain should be exempt from the forces that have driven up fast food prices over the last five years, but Dunkin' has always been a value refuge from Starbucks and other competitors that like to pass themselves off as a little bit fancier.

The theme of this winter at Trader Joe's is shrinkage. Everything new is mini. Shrink-flation, or just adorable? Is this a grocery store for ants? The script really writes itself. We have a little cookies 'n cream cake. We have a personal-sized blooming onion in the freezer department. We have itty-bitty PB&J bites and (terrible) mini chocolate biscuit cookies. We have all that and more, reviewed here today.

Many of the Easter eggs already out on supermarket shelves this month not only cost more, but have been reduced in size or weight as the price of cocoa has driven a new wave of shrinkflation. Maltesers is living up to its the lighter way to enjoy chocolate slogan with its XL egg rather less large this year at 194g in many shops, down from 231g in 2025, while the price charged by Tesco has risen by 1 to 7.

As prices climb, shoppers aren't just spending less-they're spending differently. Nearly half are buying smaller quantities or trading down to lower-cost options, such as canned fruit instead of fresh, according to Capgemini's report, "What matters to today's consumers 2026." It's not about cutting things out entirely-it's about making budgets stretch. Low- and middle-income households are especially deal-focused right now: more coupons, more frequent but smaller trips, and fewer meals out.

You're experiencing a severe case of sticker shock while staring at an $8 price tag, which has become increasingly common as the cost of groceries continues to rise. It's also a particularly hard blow knowing that shrinkflation also means we've been getting less cereal in our boxes.

You're right it is smaller. The Terry's Chocolate Orange on shop shelves this Christmas weighs 12g less than it did this time last year. That's a decrease in size of 8% not as big a cut as when the product lost 10% of its mass in 2016, but a further whittling away of a favourite Christmas treat. Prices have been going up too, although it's been a series of increases.

When the price of an item stays the same, but you get less product for your buck, that's shrinkflation. Unfortunately, shrinkflation can be pretty tough to spot if you're not in the habit of holding on to old containers or tracking exactly how much product comes in a container. Luckily, people online (and especially in the r/Shrinkflation subreddit) are sharing the real-life examples of this sneaky tactic, and once you start noticing it, you'll likely find it much easier to spot. So, here are 22 infuriating examples of shrinkflation that people have shared in the last few weeks:

When it comes to fast food's biggest burgers, the prices are often stacked just as high as the patties. Hikes in fast-food prices and " shrinkflation" - a phenomenon in which people say menu items get smaller while either remaining the same price or costing more - are deterring customers, and chains have released meal deals aimed at luring them back.

I normally wait until the last minute to pick up candy for Halloween. This entails going to the supermarket during my lunch break on Halloween only to find that all of the Halloween-themed bags have already been replaced with Christmas ones. This usually leaves me with no option but to buy the only candy that normally comes individually wrapped in bulk: blow-pops and stacks and stacks of fun-sized chocolate bars. Beggars can't be choosers.

And if you don't get hit with higher prices, you might still wind up paying more due to shrinkflation, a tactic where companies quietly reduce the weight of a product, but not the price. The changes might be difficult for shoppers to detect, because this year's variety packs contain the same number of candy bars as they did in 2024. Both U.S.-based companies said their products may change due to changing customer preferences. Neither provided specific examples.

When it was first introduced to the market, it cost just a penny. But Ms Wadin, 74, said her dad was disgusted with how small it is now and how much they charge for it, adding: "He'd roll over in his grave if he could see it now; he'd be disgusted. It was a penny chocolate."