Why do food companies keep making packages smaller?

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It seems like doing this just costs even more money. Repackaging has to be more expensive than keeping the same package and raising the price, which is what they're doing anyway. Do they honestly think people don't notice the smaller packages? My wife bought some Oreo's the other day and I noticed the smaller package. Dog food bags have been getting smaller for years. The big bags used to be 50 lbs, then they went to 40, then 30, and now it's even smaller. Ice cream used to come in a half gallon size, now they are down to 1.5 qts. All this does is force people to have to buy the products more often. Why not just raise the price and quit making the packages smaller?
 
Double whammy on the consumer. Less product and higher price. Reminds me of how companies will cheapen out and change the original formulas and then charge more. I've noticed that with hair care products.
 
It's seems like you've answered the "why" in your own question. They use smaller packaging because:

People notice price hikes more than they notice purchasing less, especially when packaging is designed to mislead consumers.

Packaging redesigns happen all the time. They're not scrapping the old packaging, simply swapping in the new when the old runs out.

Consumers have to go to the store more often. This leads to additional purchases of other products.
 
Here is one for you, it MAY SHOCK some people in here.
YOU MENTION ICE CREAM, how is this for marketing BIG NAME BRANDS and the public is still clueless.
Take about cheapening the size of the product, what about the product itself but with creative marketing you think you are still buying Ice Cream!

We should do a poll =

A.How many people think that Breyers is Ice Cream?
Let me word it another way since people may not get the above question.

B. How many people think, when they go out to the supermarket and buy a 1.5 quart container of Ice Cream they reach in and pick up a container of Breyers. DO you think you are buying Ice Cream? Yes or No

Spoiler = You are not buying Ice Cream. Breyers no long fits the government standard to be labeled Ice Cream. You will NOT see the word Ice Cream ANYPLACE on the container. How is that for creative marketing?
Breyers is labeled a Frozen Dietary Desert NOT Ice Cream, it no longer qualifies to be called Ice Cream
(there maybe still a flavor or two that qualifies, not sure if they made the complete transition yet) But you will no longer find the word Ice Cream on almost all their 1.5 quart containers.


Companies do it because the public (just like pet foods that I posted about) do not read labels of what they are buying anymore, they just assume. Most Supermarket pet foods are labeled like they are buying a meat based product complete with meat photos on the bag when the main ingredient is corn and people buying Ice Cream in the Breyers brand are getting a frozen desert not Ice Cream. :unsure:
 
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If it didn't work do you think they'd be doing it for years? Graham crackers, coffee, different bottled drinks, on and on.
They could just raise the price when they need to and accomplish the same thing...
 
They do it because their costs for labor and raw materials are rising and if they increase the price it will put them at a competitive disadvantage to their competitors.
 
It seems like doing this just costs even more money. Repackaging has to be more expensive than keeping the same package and raising the price, which is what they're doing anyway. Do they honestly think people don't notice the smaller packages? My wife bought some Oreo's the other day and I noticed the smaller package. Dog food bags have been getting smaller for years. The big bags used to be 50 lbs, then they went to 40, then 30, and now it's even smaller. Ice cream used to come in a half gallon size, now they are down to 1.5 qts. All this does is force people to have to buy the products more often. Why not just raise the price and quit making the packages smaller?
They think that you are too stupid to notice that the package size got smaller.
 
They could just raise the price when they need to and accomplish the same thing...
No they couldn't, because people would notice the price jump, and either not buy or buy a competitor product.

That's why they do it. It's proven science and it works. They wouldn't do it if it didn't work.
 
Here is one for you, it MAY SHOCK some people in here.
YOU MENTION ICE CREAM, how is this for marketing BIG NAME BRANDS and the public is still clueless.
Take about cheapening the size of the product, what about the product itself but with creative marketing you think you are still buying Ice Cream!

We should do a poll =

A.How many people think that Breyers is Ice Cream?
Let me word it another way since people may not get the above question.

B. How many people think, when they go out to the supermarket and buy a 1.5 quart container of Ice Cream they reach in and pick up a container of Breyers. DO you think you are buying Ice Cream? Yes or No

Spoiler = You are not buying Ice Cream. Breyers no long fits the government standard to be labeled Ice Cream. You will NOT see the word Ice Cream ANYPLACE on the container. How is that for creative marketing?
Breyers is labeled a Frozen Dietary Desert NOT Ice Cream, it no longer qualifies to be called Ice Cream
(there maybe still a flavor or two that qualifies, not sure if they made the complete transition yet) But you will no longer find the word Ice Cream on almost all their 1.5 quart containers.


Companies do it because the public (just like pet foods that I posted about) do not read labels of what they are buying anymore, they just assume. Most Supermarket pet foods are labeled like they are buying a meat based product complete with meat photos on the bag when the main ingredient is corn and people buying Ice Cream in the Breyers brand are getting a frozen desert not Ice Cream. :unsure:


They used to call it ice milk.
 
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