Double Stuf Oreos: The Shrinking Icon
Remember when Double Stuf Oreos actually felt substantial? Well, those days might be behind us. The old package weighed 1 lb 4 oz, but the new version has shrunk to 1 lb 2.71 oz. That’s over an ounce of missing cookies – roughly three or four fewer Oreos per package.
What’s really frustrating is that the “family size” package shrunk from 1 pound, 4 ounces to 1 pound, 2.71 ounces while keeping the same price point. Even worse, many shoppers are reporting that the actual filling inside each cookie seems thinner than before. Customers on Reddit wonder if “all Oreos just have way less filling now” with one consumer saying “Even the double-stuffed ones are a disappointment nowadays. Bare minimum amount of filling to be considered a good cookie”.
Angel Soft Toilet Paper: The Great Sheet Shortage
Twelve mega rolls of Angel Soft toilet paper decreased significantly, shrinking from 429 sheets a roll in 2019 to 320 sheets in 2024 – a 25.4% reduction in size. That’s basically losing an entire roll of toilet paper every time you buy a 12-pack. Angel Soft’s mega roll plummeted from 425 to 320 sheets, a 25 percent reduction, though the manufacturer claims they thickened the sheets by twenty percent to compensate.
The math doesn’t add up in consumers’ favor though. While the cost of 12 Angel Soft mega rolls has dipped from $9.97 to $8.44, its price per 100 count increased from 19 cents to 22 cents, meaning consumers are paying 13.5% more per 100 sheets. So even with a slight price decrease, you’re still paying more for what you actually get.
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes: Morning Meal Manipulation
Your breakfast bowls might be feeling lighter these days, and it’s not your imagination. Family-sized Frosted Flakes made by Kellogg’s has slimmed from 24 ounces to 21.7 ounces, resulting in a 40% increase in per-ounce pricing. That’s nearly two and a half ounces of cereal vanishing from each box while prices stayed steady or even increased.
At a Massachusetts grocery store, Cocoa Puffs’ family size box had dropped from 19.3 ounces to 18.1 ounces, while Cinnamon Toast Crunch had fallen from 19.3 ounces to 18.8 ounces. The new, smaller boxes were $3.99, the same price as the larger boxes – meaning consumers lost a bowl of cereal when they purchased the new one. General Mills shrunk its entire line of “family size” breakfast cereals and packaged them in slimmer boxes, with one expert noting “Frankly, I don’t know how some of those cereal boxes on the store shelves even stand up anymore – there’s almost no footprint”.
Bounty Paper Towels: The Vanishing Sheets
Paper towels have become a prime target for shrinkflation tactics. Bounty Triples went from 147 sheets per roll in the old package to just 135 sheets per roll in the new version. Bounty Select-A-Size triple roll paper towels saw an 18.2% decrease in size, shrinking from 165 sheets a roll to 135.
The changes keep coming in waves. Twelve-roll packages of Bounty paper towels dropped from 98 two-ply sheets per roll to 90 sheets, a decrease of about 8%. Earlier in 2024, P&G downsized Bounty triple rolls from 135 sheets down to 123. What used to clean your entire kitchen counter might now require an extra sheet or two, forcing you to burn through rolls faster than ever before.
Charmin Toilet Paper: Flushing Away Value
Even America’s beloved toilet paper bear can’t protect us from shrinkflation. A 12-pack of Charmin Mega toilet paper shed 22 sheets off each roll but still cost $14.29. Charmin’s mega roll shrunk from 264 sheets to 244 sheets, a 7.5 percent reduction.
Twelve mega rolls of Cottonelle Ultra Comfort toilet paper decreased from 284 sheets a roll to 244, with prices also rising by 21.1% per 100 count. Meanwhile, 24 mega rolls of Charmin Ultra Strong shrank from 286 sheets a roll to 242, while prices jumped 31.4% per 100 count from 35 cents to 46 cents. That’s the dreaded double whammy – smaller products with higher prices that companies hope you won’t notice.
Cheetos Party Size: The Incredible Shrinking Snack
Party-size Cheetos made by Frito-Lay shrank to 15 ounces from 17.5 ounces while its per-ounce price rose to 40 cents from 17 cents. Let that sink in for a moment – not only did you lose two and a half ounces of cheesy goodness, but the cost more than doubled per ounce.
Those party-size Cheetos saw the biggest price increase in one analysis, with the size shrinking from 17.5 ounces to 15.0 ounces while prices jumped from 17 cents an ounce to 40 cents – a whopping price increase of 135.3% per ounce. This represents one of the most dramatic examples of shrinkflation in the snack aisle, turning what used to be a party-worthy bag into something that might barely satisfy a small gathering.
M&M’s Party Size: Melting Away the Value
Party-size milk chocolate M&M’s have shrunk from 42 ounces previously to just 38 ounces now. That’s four whole ounces of colorful chocolate candies disappearing from your movie night stash. When you think about it, that’s roughly equivalent to losing a standard-sized bag of M&M’s from your party-size purchase.
Sharing size bags have gotten smaller little by little over time, making it harder to notice unless you’re really paying attention. The gradual nature of these changes means many consumers don’t realize they’re getting significantly less candy for their money. It’s a slow erosion of value that adds up to real money over time, especially for families who rely on these larger sizes for treats and celebrations.
Reese’s Miniatures: Sweet Deception
Party-size Reese’s miniatures have dropped from 40 ounces in 2019-2020 to just 35.6 ounces now. Of all snack foods analyzed in one study, party-sized Reese’s miniatures shrunk the most – in 2019, bags were 40 ounces and cost 22 cents per ounce, but in 2024, bags were 35.6 ounces and cost 37 cents per ounce.
The price per ounce has increased by nearly seventy percent while you’re getting over four ounces less product. That’s the equivalent of losing roughly fifteen to twenty individual Reese’s miniatures per bag. For Halloween candy buyers or anyone stocking up for parties, this represents a significant reduction in value that forces you to buy more bags to get the same amount of candy you used to receive.
Dawn Dish Soap: Cleaning Up Their Profits
Dawn dish soap containers have shrunk from 19.4 fl. oz to just 18 fl. oz while maintaining the same price point. This might seem like a small difference, but when you’re doing dishes daily, that missing ounce and four-tenths adds up quickly over time.
What makes this particularly frustrating is that dish soap is one of those essential household items where brand loyalty runs strong. Many consumers have trusted Dawn for years based on its cleaning power, making them less likely to notice or switch products when the bottle sizes decrease. The company banks on this loyalty while quietly reducing the amount of product you receive for your money. Over the course of a year, you might find yourself buying dish soap more frequently without understanding why.
Tropicana Orange Juice: The Incredible Shrinking Carafe
Tropicana changed the design of its containers, narrowing the bottle and topping them with a cap that eliminates the need for an induction seal, with capacity reduced from 52 ounces to 46 ounces. Some 64-ounce cartons have shrunk down 12 ounces to 52 ounces in some markets.
Brand name orange juice has had a steady decline in size going from 64 oz to 59 oz to 52 oz and now to 46 oz, with Simply Orange carafes now just 46 ounces – and the price actually went UP 10 cents to $4.89. The company denied that the packaging changes were motivated by shrinkflation, stating “At Tropicana, the consumer is always at the center of our decision making” and citing concerns around ease of opening and handling. Despite these explanations, consumers are clearly getting less juice for their money.
Suave Shampoo: Washing Away Value
Suave’s tropical coconut shampoo dropped from 30 fluid ounces to 22.5 fluid ounces, but kept the same price of $2.49. That’s seven and a half ounces of shampoo – nearly a quarter of the original bottle – just vanishing while you pay the same amount.
Personal care products like shampoo are particularly susceptible to shrinkflation because consumers often grab their usual brand without closely examining the bottle size. Shoppers have noticed shrinkflation with personal care products at a rate of 44%. The gradual reduction in bottle sizes means your shampoo routine gets more expensive over time, as you’ll need to replace bottles more frequently without necessarily realizing why your hair care budget has grown.
Wheat Thins Family Size: Cracking Under Pressure
Senator Bob Casey’s report on shrinkflation specifically calls out Wheat Thins as one of the major offenders. Casey documented a 12 percent decrease in Wheat Thins packages, while family-size original Wheat Thins saw a price increase of 89.5% per ounce.
Family-size original Wheat Thins are among the snacks that have gotten smaller but pricier, joining the ranks of products that hit consumers with both reduced quantities and higher per-unit costs. The “family size” label becomes somewhat misleading when the actual contents can no longer feed the same number of people as before. This forces families to either buy multiple boxes or accept that their favorite crackers won’t go as far as they once did.
Huggies Diapers: Baby Steps Toward Higher Costs
Huggies Little Snugglers diapers shrunk from 96 diapers per package to 84, while keeping the same $29.99 price. For parents already struggling with the high cost of baby care, losing twelve diapers per package represents a significant hidden expense that compounds over time.
Diapers are one of those essential items that parents can’t simply do without or substitute easily. This makes shrinkflation particularly painful for families with young children, as they’re forced to purchase packages more frequently without necessarily understanding why their diaper budget keeps growing. Over the course of a month, those missing diapers can add up to needing an extra package or two, creating unexpected strain on household budgets.
Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter Cereal: Sailing Into Smaller Portions
Cap’n Crunch’s peanut butter cereal dipped from 12.5 ounces to 11.4 ounces while staying at the same price. The advocacy group Consumer World spotted this shrinkflation, noting it went to 11.4 ounces per box from 12.5 ounces, which is an 8.8 percent reduction.
While this might seem like a relatively small reduction, it represents more than a full ounce of cereal disappearing from each box. For families who regularly enjoy this sweetened cereal, the reduction means fewer servings per box and more frequent trips to the grocery store. The nostalgic appeal of Cap’n Crunch makes brand loyalty strong, which companies rely on when making these quiet adjustments to portion sizes.
Snickers Candy Bars: Not So Satisfying Anymore
The iconic Snickers bar has notably shrunk in size compared to years past. Snickers are still one of the most filling candy bars but have been shrinking since at least the 1980s – a Reddit post showed someone who’d acquired an 1980s time capsule that included a decades-old Snickers, and when placed alongside today’s version, the size difference was immediately apparent.
The shrinking Snickers even made its way into political discourse in 2024 when former president referenced the candy bar as a prime example of shrinkflation, claiming it decreased by 10%, though Mars pushed back against these claims. Regardless of the exact percentage, longtime consumers can clearly see that today’s Snickers don’t pack the same satisfying punch they once did. Nobody wants to feel ripped off, especially if they’ve been loyal Snickers consumers for decades..
