Shrinkflation has been happening since the '90s as products become smaller and companies profit more from these decisions, but it has worsened since 2020 following the COVID-19 epidemic. It’s been 4 years, and in 2024 our products are getting smaller! Of course, this would make anyone in the US want companies to end this trend and go back to their traditional ways of giving us what we want all for a fair price, that’s all we ask. It’s been such a huge problem that it even made, Cookie Monster sad that shrinkflation made his cookies smaller. I don't know about you, but the Cookie Monster sounds like a lot of conservatives–and he’s right of course, “shrinkflation bad”.

On March 4th, 2024 at 8:39 AM Cookie Monster posted the following post “Me hate shrinkflation! My cookies are getting smaller. 😔” The situation of shrinkflation has gotten so bad that it’s made one of Sesame Street’s most beloved characters, Cookie Monster, speak his truth. Our favorite cookie-eating Monster has been sad and even distraught over shrinkflation, but he’s not the only one - we too feel his pain. Imagine not being able to eat humongous cookies for the same price. Awful. It’s outside factors being the companies themselves that cause shrinkflation because these companies are the ones that manufacture these products, why would they want to shrink their products and provide less while costing more? The culprit is MONEY. Companies value money to a large extent, causing them to find ways to save money and maximize their profit even if it’s just to save a couple of dollars or cents. In service of those dollars and cents, companies have found ways to shrink the products we eat or use daily. Let’s see real-life examples of shrinkflation:

Everyone is familiar with Chester's Flamin Hot Fries, commonly known as Hot Fries. It's been a staple for its $2 price tag in the chip industry. Over the years, however, Hot Fries have slowly started to have fewer chips inside while the prices have increased from the $2 price tag. Similar to Cookie Monster’s woes, our daily necessities, and sweet/savory treats are sadly becoming 75% more air than chips. Even looking at the images you can compare the differences quickly, less product, higher price. 

Sure chip bags are only a small little inconvenience of shrinkflation, but while we complain about sky-high prices for little reward, who does shrinkflation affect? It affects consumers as they end up paying higher prices for smaller quantities of products. 

Many American consumers want quality products for a reasonable price, and everyone in the world does, however, throughout time we’ve seen a constant shift towards high prices with no end in sight. Behind the scenes, it’s partially the consumer's and companies' fault. Companies reduce the size of their products while keeping the same price or more, leading to consumers paying more for less. Companies use these sneaky tricks to make consumers think they’re getting a good deal. Does “Great Value” ring a bell? Customers are also likely to fall for changes to minor things in the product branding, such as re-labeling the product design, new size, and covering the product. In turn misleading the consumer to buy the product, thus reinforcing that companies can get away with their tactics to maximize their profits at the expense of the customer experience.

Cookie Monster has a point. Shrinkflation is lame and his reasons for speaking the truth are reasonable as we’re all affected in one way or another. But how could we stop shrinkflation? We know companies are the ones who make the product but it’s the CEOs who decide on those decisions. They order their companies to shrink their products, leaving companies no control over the product quality and size. It may be due to the U.S. economy since rising costs could affect both products and consumers. As a result, grocery store consumers are paying more for a product that has shrunken in size and quality. Basically, corporations are taking all the cookies and we are left with just the crumbs. 

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