Retail products (food, consumables) qty shrinking, price THE SAME! (no surprise) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 02:56:26 am
content: So, this is a programme we have, here in England, called "Good Morning". This segment is showing something I knew I hadn't imagined, over the years; is this the same in Aus/USA too? Have a gander...I am not gonna rant, I'm just baffled as to how we soft-touch English allow them to get away with this crock:

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 03:27:10 am
content: Yep, sizes do shrink. I especially like it when the package size is the same, but on the bottom there is a huge bump taking up volume.I really like Russian processed cheese and this year when I was on vacation I've eaten quite a bit of it. One thing I noticed is that some vendors package it in 90 gram packs, but others in 80 gram packs. While in the Soviet Union times the standard was 100 grams. I wonder how long they can go on like that.

author: oPossum
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 03:29:55 am
content: Nothing new here. Has been happening for at least 30 years.

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 03:31:59 am
content: I found the Toblerone weight change the most devious. They kept the package dimensions the same but made the peaks further apart.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 03:33:42 am
content: Also, here is a picture of 9-egg carton, as opposed to a more traditional 10 egg pack.This was ridiculed so hard, that they actually quickly stopped doing that. But you can see their thinking here.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 03:38:02 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on November 21, 2019, 03:31:59 amThey got their inspiration from PWM

author: ebclr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 03:51:06 am
content: I bought 100 dual inline Ne 555 10 years ago, and one dozen, last week, The size still the same

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 04:18:54 am
content: Thankfully the UK and Australia have unit pricing on the tags in supermarkets, so its quick to check the relative value.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 04:20:44 am
content: So does the US. The issue is that one day you have a can of the same product that has less stuff in it. And unless you actually switch brands you like a lot, you will not be able to compare with the previous price/volume.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 04:21:57 am
content: Quote from: Someone on November 21, 2019, 04:18:54 am"Quick" ...LOL. Watch the video, you'll see how confusing they make it in the UK.

author: I wanted a rude username
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 04:22:39 am
content: You can't really blame companies for this. They are just responding to consumer behaviour. Inflation is inevitable, but people hate prices rising. Shrinking packages is a rational course of action to deal with this psychological quirk.Blame stupid consumers.

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 05:13:16 am
content: Quote from: eti on November 21, 2019, 04:21:57 amSo I did just waste time watching the full video and there doesn't appear to be anything about the ways in which unit pricing is made confusing. Instead their expert guest said:QuoteSo how is it made confusing?

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 06:22:34 am
content: Shelf-edge unit prices are often in different units even for adjacent similar products, and almost invariably don't reflect special offers in force. If you can't do long division rapidly by mental arithmetic, you *will* need a calculator.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 06:27:07 am
content: The big issue here is not even comparative price. If you like Nutella, you won't just go to some other brand simply because their cans are bigger. And if tomorrow Nutella drops the size of the package, there is no point in calculating anything. You will still get the smaller package.This works for generic products available from many vendors, but even there, the prices tend to change more or less simultaneously.So unless you want to buy off-brand stuff, you are locked into buying whatever they are selling and have to accept the overall price increase.

author: OwO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 06:33:48 am
content: In Europe I always looked at the "price per kg" small text on the sticker (which is probably mandated by regulation). Unfortunately doesn't seem to be a thing in most parts of North America so I was always seen using the calculator on my phone.

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 06:49:48 am
content: Quote from: Ian.M on November 21, 2019, 06:22:34 amThey're so common you'd be able to show some examples of these then? Using the metic units it is trivial if a package jumps from using g to kg. Promotions do still need to be clearly marked. If you have such big problems with it the UK has legislation to protect the consumer:https://www.eradar.eu/the-price-marking-order-2004/So you'd be able to make various formal complaints if its really not working. Australia is relying on the industry to self-regulate:https://www.accc.gov.au/business/industry-codes/unit-pricing-code#promotional-offersBut it just seems to work.

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 06:55:00 am
content: Quote from: ataradov on November 21, 2019, 06:27:07 amOk, you might only want a very specific brand of a product... butQuote from: ataradov on November 21, 2019, 06:27:07 amUm? Pick the size of package that is the cheapest unit price?Thats the change in thinking so many people here seem to be missing. The price of the packaged product is largely irrelevant if its something relatively non-perishable you are buying regularly, all that matters at that point is the per unit pricing. If you never pay attention to per unit pricing, you cant complain when they keep the per package pricing the same and reduce the contents, it was there all along.

author: SerieZ
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 07:04:25 am
content: I have been hearing about this phenomena since my early childhood... by now I've figured we would be buying Ant size packages.Seems more like Companies do this is cycles... rather than just downwards.As with everything in life...I blame marketing.

author: I wanted a rude username
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 07:11:44 am
content: Yes, the cycle culminates with the introduction of a "new, larger size!". It's the opposite of cars, which tend to grow with every generation, forcing manufacturers to introduce smaller ones at the bottom end.

author: Keicar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 07:31:39 am
content: Reminds me of Stephen Jay Gould's essay "Phyletic Size Decrease in Hershey Bars" written back in 1979 - where, in a bit of tongue-in-cheek extrapolation, he concludes that by December 1998 a Hershey Bar will weigh nothing, and will cost 47.5 cents...

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 07:35:51 am
content: Quote from: Someone on November 21, 2019, 06:55:00 amI buy dishwashing liquid in 900ml bottles. It used to be 1000ml. It used to be available in 1250ml sizes. It is the same liquid and the 1250ml size was cheaper/ml because it was marketed aseconomysize.However buying 9000ml in 1000ml bottles is 9 bottles and 10 bottles in the 900ml size. It might cost the same per ml. I don't think it does because they can reflate the price up nearer the threshold they were avoiding crossing. For a supermarket that proudly stops single use plastic bags they conveniently ignore the additional plastic in the extra bottle. Don't get me started.

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 08:51:44 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on November 21, 2019, 07:35:51 amAssuming this is the popular "Morning Fresh" brand it has also been available in 1250ml, 750ml, 500ml, and 400ml bottles (probably many other sizes) through history, the 1.25l is still available but not in the major supermarkets. The big supermarkets have a very large say in what appears on their shelves and will push for whatever package size they want, you can find products with a dozen or more different sizes with subsets of them available at any given retailer, per unit cost can be bumpy and not monotonically reducing proportional to size ("The Checkout" did a recurring "Skit" on this). Factor in sales cutting prices down erratically and the only metric that need be considered is per unit pricing. Thats before getting to "premium variants" that sell at the same package price, look to be the same size with a uniform presentation, but have less product in them (Tim Tam biscuits do this in their range).Quote from: wilfred on November 21, 2019, 07:35:51 amSo you are exactly the person who didn't and doesn't pay attention to per unit pricing, otherwise you would have noticed the the cost going up with the package getting smaller. Enjoy overpaying for your daily consumables.

author: Yansi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 09:27:30 am
content: Quote from: OwO on November 21, 2019, 06:33:48 amYup, this is indeed mandated by regulations round here. At least one good practical rule from the EU.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 09:57:09 am
content: Quote from: Yansi on November 21, 2019, 09:27:30 amLikewise, I almost exclusively shop based on unit price, regardless of any "specials" you might see. You save money in the long-run. Savings aren't always in the larger quantities either. Sometimes it's cheaper to buy two of something, than one larger "value pack".The only time I'll buy the cheapest of something is if I only need a smaller amount than what is in the package, it's perishable and not something I use regularly.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 10:43:35 am
content: Another eti thread.Googling for "shrinkflation" will show it isn't a new phenomenon, nor is it localised.Infamous example:

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 11:10:00 am
content: Quote from: Someone on November 21, 2019, 08:51:44 amIn my own convoluted way that's pretty much what I was saying. They only have to keep the package price below some fixed value. The per unit price is elastic as long as the ticket doesn't go over $5 say.I buy them when they're 1/2 price . Which is quite often.And you were spot on with the brand.

author: I wanted a rude username
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 11:35:26 am
content: Quote from: 3roomlab on November 21, 2019, 11:00:17 amSounds like Eastern Europe.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 11:48:16 am
content: It's curious that, despite the shrinking sizes, the consumers of these products seem to keep getting larger.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 12:01:50 pm
content: Quote from: Gyro on November 21, 2019, 11:48:16 amI've sometimes idly considered that companies might use shrinkflation to demonstrating that they are helping combat obesity.That will probably appear as a newsthump article or Private Eye cartoon sometime.

author: Yansi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 12:22:12 pm
content: Quote from: I wanted a rude username on November 21, 2019, 11:35:26 amIsn't it the exact opposite?

author: SerieZ
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 12:22:27 pm
content: Maybe we should return to the times where the Baker was flogged in public when he used less flour in his bread.Just sayin...

author: Yansi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 12:28:17 pm
content: I'm no old-timer by any means, but sure I can see some interesting concepts that have worked in the past.At least if you don't want to go with the stream to those multi-über-extra-market places with goods of questionable quality, you can still visit your local butcher, bakery, hardware store, etc... Luckily these shops still exist round here, even in small cities.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 01:27:01 pm
content: Quote from: SerieZ on November 21, 2019, 12:22:27 pmConsider semi-skimmed and skimmed milk. My father always said they would have been illegal when he was young

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 01:33:29 pm
content: Quote from: ataradov on November 21, 2019, 03:33:42 amNescafe' instant coffee originally came in 500g cans.They got clever & started using 400g cans, which the retailers sold for a little bit less, so it looked like a price reduction.It went over like a wrought iron hanglider, customers started buying other brands, so the 500g cans were restored.This stuff is quite expensive in Oz, at around $A20 a 500g can, normally, but is fairly regularly discounted to $A14, so people try to find a chain with a sale price.I was walking through Aldi, something I rarely do, & I saw cans of Nescafe' for $A14.95, which was "near enough".When I picked up a can, it seemed a bit small, & sure enough, it was one of the 400g ones, which I thought were defunct!That didn't improve my opinion of Nestle's or of Aldi .I already knew the other retailers were scumbags!

author: SerieZ
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 02:29:31 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on November 21, 2019, 01:27:01 pmEven uttering the word skimmed Milk might land you a Death sentence (or at least stare) here in Switzerland.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 02:48:18 pm
content: Quote from: ataradov on November 21, 2019, 03:33:42 amThe packaging box seems to be better to handle though. I am always extra careful with those regular long and skinny egg crates.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 03:15:52 pm
content: Quote from: vk6zgo on November 21, 2019, 01:33:29 pmAldi started after WW2, buy buying and reselling anything they could get their hands on this week. It is in their DNAAnd Nestle is just ... Nestle. 'Nuff said.

author: I wanted a rude username
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 08:50:38 pm
content: Quote from: Yansi on November 21, 2019, 12:22:12 pmNo idea about 3roomlab's location, but if you mean the opposite side of the globe, there are certainly similar conditions in parts of South America. Also the problem of a poorly developed refrigerated supply chain, as you move inland.

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2019, 04:45:56 am
content: Quote from: I wanted a rude username on November 21, 2019, 07:11:44 amI saw a documentary many years ago, about the Toyota Corolla...Selling primarily as a drivers ‘first car.’, or the second car in a larger family.They grew the car with each generation to track the original buyers personal growth as they aged, married and had kids... the car/model was familiar - so the customers just bought another Corolla, until they became more affluent, then bumped up to a Corona or Crown(at the time)..!You can still see that today when new entry level models are launched by manufacturers.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2019, 05:00:30 am
content: I hate this. I completely understand the need to increase prices, but when they try to hide the price increases by making the product smaller I notice and I feel like I'm being cheated. It makes me less inclined to buy more of the product in the future.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2019, 06:57:52 am
content: how about equipment chassis wall thickness?The walls are getting so thin, you don't need to panel beat anymore if there is damage. Just puff up your chest and give it a good exhale. Altoids tin is starting to look like anti tank armor with all the use of plastics.Mechanical engineers are slowly robbing usright.. to keep 'weight' down. One of the computer towers I got was so floppy it looked like a bugs bunny cartoon, you can sneeze on the thing and dent it.You used to need a dial indicator to see pressure waves in metal.. now you set down a equipment chassis and it looks like your unrolling the red carpet (and you are, to some persons ferrari).now stuff will sound like a Chinese gong if not for the powder coatFucking stain calculators... and how houses are built...

author: SparkyFX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2019, 07:03:50 am
content: Quote from: ataradov on November 21, 2019, 03:27:10 amThese topics are partially in the responsibility of the national metrology institutes, as long as there are"slack fill"regulations about package size indicating more volume than actually present.So not only the net weight labeling counts, but also the volume of the container. There is however not much to do if both shrink for the same price, that's the rule of the market then, don't buy it.What i find helpful is that stores need to state prices per 100g or per kilogram additionally to the price of the item over here. Its much easier to compare.

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 22, 2019, 07:38:21 am
content: Quote from: SparkyFX on November 22, 2019, 07:03:50 amI keep an updated list in my phone of what to buy and from where as many products are exactly the same but labelled and priced differently, for instance Aldi sellsTopzbiscuits which are identical toRitzbut on average are a dollar cheaper, it's the same for many other products as well.I shop at all three major chains, Aldi, Coles and Woolworths and the latter is the only supermarket where we need to use two shopping trolleys, one is for the shopping and the other is used to cart around the mantis microscope so we can read their prices, the price per unit fonts are tiny.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 03:41:17 am
content: Quote from: Gyro on November 21, 2019, 11:48:16 amA simple rule applies: if you want more,buymore. I reckon that's why. It's not as if there's wartime rationing in place.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 03:48:16 am
content: Also on the horse shit bandwagon, here in England (and I am sure in other locales too):-- "Artisan" food-- "Dairy-free" / "Gluten-free" food-- "Finest" bollocks - Tesco & Sainsburys use this ALL the time(I trust Sainsburys way, way more though; they're a decent lot on the whole). My Mum even said to me, last night -"It's one of their 'finest' pizzas, it's luxury, it has proper mozarella, and..." yadda yadda... yeah, I sighed insidesorry, WHO says they're the "finest" products/ingredients? Oh yeah, THE BRAND DOES.-- "Organic" veg/fruit (erm, ALL fruit grows organically - duh)etc, won't be too rhetorical.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 04:05:55 am
content: Quote from: Muttley Snickers on November 22, 2019, 07:38:21 amWoolworths have started rolling out e-ink shelf tags in several NSW stores. They even come in colour :-)

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 04:12:34 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on November 23, 2019, 04:05:55 amAh that's fantastic; finally a solution to the age-old problem of... erm, oh, hang on... QUICK - someome find a water-tight, provable justification for it - QUICK!

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 04:14:44 am
content: Quote from: eti on November 23, 2019, 04:12:34 amThere is something quite nice about e-ink displays. It's nice to finally see them on shop shelves. It would mean a lot less work for staff. Simply push new prices out over the air. Everything gets updated at once, the POS system, Website price and shelf price.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 04:15:19 am
content: Quote from: eti on November 23, 2019, 04:12:34 amThey can be updated automatically from a central database. You can change prices in real time. Just like Amazon does.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 04:20:20 am
content: Quote from: ataradov on November 23, 2019, 04:15:19 amAnd when all this "smart" junk goes wrong,thenwhat? A shelf-stacker could remove a paper slip and replace it in around 2-5 seconds, and no servers needed. Yet another example of making a simple, age-old system over complicated "just because"; just because you CAN do something, doesn't make the fact that you saw it through to execution, "better".Power cut = no e-ink update = problems. People are stupid.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 04:21:55 am
content: If there is no power, then the store is closed. Registers won't work either.Eink for tags is one of the better uses of "IoT".

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 04:32:52 am
content: Quote from: ataradov on November 23, 2019, 04:21:55 amHow can anyone predictwhichsystems lose power? I am talking about any arbitrary link in the chain going down, not JUST the store power, and within the store there's going to be fused/RCD's zones. There is NOTHING simpler than paper slips; it's irreducible complexity, so they should leave it alone. If this WAS that good, everyone would use it... but not everyone feels a need to "fix" something that was working perfectly for centuries, and which NO ONE thought about "fixing" until our ridiculous smart "revolution" came along (which is not AT ALL a "revolution", it's just an army of myriad hammers, thinking everything is a nail.)This is all one GIANT egotistical daydream from the sci-fi obsessed fanatical fantasists, "Buck Rogers" on a Saturday morning, and are fixated on FORCING it "to become so" just because. The luxury afforded to fictional futures is that they're DEVOID of flaws, deployment errors and lack of forethought - the sci-fi version is all "magic and perfect".Look at "AI" (LOL!) and how utterly SHIT that is... and the same protagonists think this garbage is "a revolution" also. Urrrrrm, yeah, and a BIG, sarcastic, chortling no.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 07:30:33 am
content: I don't think the e-ink tags are anything revolutionary but it doesn't sound like a big problem either. It's the sort of thing that can be built with cheap and proven commodity hardware, it will be reliable and offer some unique features, the day to day operation will be automated, integrated into the existing systems. So what if power is lost? You do realize that e-ink holds its state without power right?I'm not really sure why anyone would have such a strong opinion on this one way or another. I'm sure it will be a reality soon and it's not really going to matter.Have you been drinking? That's quite the angry rant about some silly price tags.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 08:38:44 am
content: Quote from: eti on November 23, 2019, 04:20:20 amI'm not normally one to support "smart" technologies (especially crap you see stuffed in people's homes these days) but e-ink tags is one example of a great use of a solid and well understood technology.There is very little to go wrong and if the tag is faulty, simply remove and provision another one. If there is an issue with the infrastructure, the tag is stuck displaying the previous price. No big deal. I can guarantee large supermarkets have some pretty tight SLAs in place when it comes to their IT and core infrastructure.The 2-5 seconds spent replacing shelf tags, applying special pricing etc... is such a wasteful use of staff (then there is all the back-of-house maintenance such as updating databases). Multiply those few seconds by hundreds or thousands of items in a single store that need updating and straight away that time adds up. I would rather staff focus on things like keeping shelves stocked, customer service and store cleanliness than spending days changing paper tags.Amazon, Microsoft and Google all use e-ink displays on their "sneaker-net" data transfer solutions like the AWS Snowball. Why? Because it works!Even small local supermarkets have back-end servers and databases powering their point of sales systems. If anything was to fail, it would be due to the lack of redundancy and backups. When you go to your local store and a barcode is scanned, there are networks and systems in place right there. I honestly can't remember the last time someone manually keyed in the price of an item. An e-ink shelf tag failing is the least of their concerns (and one which is quickly, easily and cheaply resolved).

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 01:25:13 pm
content: Quote from: Halcyon on November 23, 2019, 08:38:44 amI can!When Aldi started up in the UK many years ago, I went to one of their supermarkets to check it out. I went to the checkout with a large trolley, filled to the brim. At the checkout, the queue was moving so fast I barely had time to load the goods onto the conveyor belt before it was my turn, and pulled the empty trolley forward to the end of the checkout. I swear, I was barely able to throw the goods into the empty trolley as fast as the lady was able to punch prices into the register... I was using both hands, literally shovelling stuff into the trolley at max speed."Jesus, you're fast! How can you even read the prices that fast?", I asked. She smiled: "We have to memorize the prices of every single product in the store. And we only accept cash!"No checkout I have ever seen since - manned or computerised - has been as fast. Of course, eventually Aldi "upgraded" to the same slow processes as everyone else.Moral of the story: Humans are awesome!

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2019, 06:59:27 pm
content: Quote from: SilverSolder on November 23, 2019, 01:25:13 pmWell, some of them are. I always seem to end up in the line with the slowest and most incompetent cashier in the store. The self checkout things are a mixed bag but generally I'll choose them when available to avoid having to make smalltalk with a stranger. The only real exception to that is when I'm buying something that contains alcohol and they need to check my ID anyway.

author: kuriisenbo
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 01, 2020, 06:24:05 pm
content: Yeah, I also don't like when the producer deceives the buyer and makes a double bottom on the package. I think it sucks. And the fact that our usual products have decreased in size is also true. Therefore, I prefer to buy products by weight without packaging. Also, products in packages are often intended for long-term storage, which means that they contain preservatives and other harmful substances. And I recently took afood intolerancetest and found out that I am allergic to food dyes and preservatives. Products that contain these substances cause me an allergic reaction and destroy my health. Therefore, I try not to buy everything that is sold in packages and contains harmful substances. So I became a supporter of eco products.

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2020, 05:00:20 am
content: What scares me more is that there is a act-a-like / talk-a-like UK Clone of the Regis and Kathy Lee Show, , or Regis and Kathy Lee are a clone of those folks...Ouch!Well aware of the downsized packages, and Pringles Potato Chip cans are no longer a good waveguide at 2.4 Ghz because of the smaller chip size. That and they have little or no metal in them now...A few years ago here in Ohio, I noted that Hershey bars had a much lower melting point. I needed to keep them refrigerated on the way home in the summer. Seems they abandoned the tropical mix / summer mix for something cheaper. After it melts you find out you have been buying much more whipped chocolate and air then solid chocolate , too.SteveSteve

author: I wanted a rude username
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2020, 05:18:39 am
content: Sorry, did you say "chocolate"? I thought you were talking about Hershey bars, isn't their primary ingredient butyric acid.

author: rhodges
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2020, 11:51:41 pm
content: I propose that any time a manufacturer makes a material difference in the packaging, it must have a significant notice in the packaging that it has changed from the last time. Change what you want, but you MUST LEGALLY inform the buyers.

author: Circlotron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2020, 12:46:38 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on November 21, 2019, 03:31:59 amSomewhat similar with 7Ah SLA batteries. All the same size but the weight varies somewhat from one brand to the next.Edit -> I suppose if they are all actually 7Ah despite the weight difference then maybe they could justify it. I expect the heavier ones with more of that expensive lead might last longer maybe.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2020, 01:21:43 am
content: Next step have the e ink pricing strip to talk to your loyalty card and set the price accordingly ,far fetched? nope ,its just taken several years to get here get since i heard the idea at one of the uk's supermarkets chains annual conference.

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2020, 09:33:58 pm
content: Quote: Sorry, did you say "chocolate"? I thought you were talking about Hershey bars, isn't their primary ingredient butyric acid. "Rude Username, I just nearly barfed when I read that...…. Thanks for dashing the image of a childhood favorite. May your young children accidently pull Santa's beard off at the mall... Just kidding.... :-)No, the taste has been going down hill too... It just doesn't taste like I remember it... We also have so called Beer in the US, that has the distinct, subtle, flavor of Diesel Fuel from the combustion based Nitrogen Generators used in processing it, as I'm sure it never even gets fermented. Which is why microbrewery now dominates the industry in urban areas. We have a horrible Federal law that defines pizza sauce, cheese, and even ensures that there is excessive salt in canned food, so I know what you mean...Fortunately local drug stores and confectionary stores have the real stuff, often made in Europe, or will once Covid is over. You just pay a lot more for it.Steve