When 33% More Product Content Really Isn't

The other day I purchased a fresh bottle of White Rain Shampoo from Walgreen's. Certainly at just $1 it has to be one of the best bargains around. Walgreen's always has plenty of $1 merchandise specials. However, I thought that the design of the new bottle that White Rain was using looked a little strange. It was more upright, yet strangely narrow. Yet the bottle promised "33% More" besides selling for just a mere $1 as well.

Well, when I got the bottle home and compared against the last bottle of White Rain I noticed rather than "33% More" shampoo as the bottle stated that there was actually only 18 oz. compared to 19.95oz. in the older bottle. So the question is "33% More" compared to what? Certainly not the last bottle of White Rain. This is nearly a 2oz. size reduction for the same price, not "33% More" for the same price as the bottle might seem to suggest to the consumer.

If White Rain is reducing the product size yet charging the same amount as before then why even claim that the consumer is actually getting more product? Or could "33% More" actually mean "more" than some competing mystery brand?

But with inflation chipping into the profits of some companies, more and more products are undergoing "downsizing" rather than raising prices. But it's really a form of hidden inflation. Another fine blog that deals with some of these downsizing issues is www.mouseprint.org and this website noted some incredible shrinkage of a certain toilet tissue brand compared to most competitors. And some cereal boxes are getting thinner as well. But unless a consumer looks closely at just what they are getting for the price, then much of this hidden inflation goes unnoticed.

Sometimes the real devil is in the details.