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damdannyboy · 03-22-2012, 06:50 PM

I'm tired of getting beat with the old bate and switch, at the grocery store!

Are you getting ripped off? Food inflation high, package size low | Shine Food - Yahoo! Shine

LadyFitz... · 03-23-2012, 08:08 AM

So, what does deceptive packaging have to do with bait and switch? They aren't the same thing.

That said, deceptive packaging (in this case, reducing the quantity while keeping the same package or one that looks the same) is nothing but lying and cheating.

TXiceman · 03-23-2012, 09:32 AM

Got to love the "New economy size"...box is shaped differently and, they charge more and it has less product... I guess they mean ECONOMY for the seller.

Ken

LadyFitz... · 03-23-2012, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman

Got to love the "New economy size"...box is shaped differently and, they charge more and it has less product... I guess they mean ECONOMY for the seller.

Ken

Most grocery stores list the unit price of products to make selecting the best buy easier. Even if they didn't, it's not that difficult to calculate with a small calculator. Most cell phones have one.

scenic route · 03-23-2012, 01:38 PM

There's always been a lot of consumer psychology in grocery stores. Ever wonder why the dairy section(milk) is all the way in the back of every store. It's one of the most popular products and it gets the most traffic past the rest of the merchandise. Small, medium, and large containers of the same product...largest on the right - because most people are right handed. Use to be the product (doesn't matter what it is) in the largest container would be cheaper...they've gotten the public used to that concept and now you'll notice that you can buy the two smaller containers for less money per ounce than what's in the large size - and get more product.

Bacon is the one that burns me. Eight to ten ounce packages instead of a pound...for the same price, Geez. And how about all that good smelling stuff in the front as you walk in...suppose to get you in the mood to buy those high profit bakery goodies - it works for a lot of folks! Then they hit you with the deli items. Still, it's processed meat, it's just cut up to order and you pay dearly for that.. $9.49@lb. for processed ham--come on!

Best deal out there...a good 'ole WM chicken!

Bob

Dick Noble · 03-23-2012, 04:15 PM

Gotta agree with this thread. We bought a Keurig coffee maker - the "pod" thing. I think coffee for this is somewhere about $50/lb. At least it doesn't have the dreaded "pink slime" in it. Another thing, we went to WallyWorld for dog treats - they all came from China! Darn if I'll put any food from China in me or my dog.

damdannyboy · 03-23-2012, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyFitz...

So, what does deceptive packaging have to do with bait and switch? They aren't the same thing.

That said, deceptive packaging (in this case, reducing the quantity while keeping the same package or one that looks the same) is nothing but lying and cheating.

Deceptive when you buy what you think is Quart jar of Mayonnaise.and you only get 30 oz. or pickup a bag of sugar thats been 5 lbs. like forever, and it's 4 lbs. See if you can get a half gallon Ice cream.

That's why I call it bait and switch, because we all know there up front with the size change ! (yea right) just ask the potato chip company's, or tuna fish Co. or Coffee ?

Wayne MD · 03-25-2012, 11:28 PM

Boycott a food company and demand they return to full pounds and ounces of 16 oz to one lb. If they don't do it, don't buy it. They will conform. People got sore at pink slime on hamburger, started a simple boycotting method and notice how many stores are now backing down and refusing to sell pink slime hamburger. It wasn't because the stores thought it was a great idea to quit selling slime. It starts to rot on shelves from lack of sales.

Sequim Guy · 03-26-2012, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damdannyboy

Deceptive when you buy what you think is Quart jar of Mayonnaise.and you only get 30 oz. or pickup a bag of sugar thats been 5 lbs. like forever, and it's 4 lbs. See if you can get a half gallon Ice cream.

That's why I call it bait and switch, because we all know there up front with the size change ! (yea right) just ask the potato chip company's, or tuna fish Co. or Coffee ?

That may be your definition of "bait and switch", but the rest of the world and the Merriam-Webster dictionary disagree:

Definition of BAIT AND SWITCH

1: a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one

2: the ploy of offering a person something desirable to gain favor (as political support) then thwarting expectations with something less desirable

Bait and switch tries to get you to buy a more expensive item, what you are talking about is trying to sell you less product for the same price. Not the same.

.

cmpncrsaider · 04-20-2012, 07:31 PM

We bought delicious frozen Vioala (probably wrong spelling) meals in a bag they were so good we bought them again 2 weeks later, they SUCKED! Barely any chicken and the broccoli was all stems. That was deffinetly bait and switch.

JudyH · 04-20-2012, 07:53 PM

Oh yeah well just try to buy any pork that isn't injected with salt water. They call it "moist and tender" or some such. Kroger doesn't have any regular pork any more. And what does "beef flavoring" mean added to hamburger? Like the pad of paper under the meat that is so full of water, how much does that cost per pound? Yeah they advertise meat and sell you water, isn't that bait and switch?

Wayne MD · 04-20-2012, 11:52 PM

That's called crooked and scam. Those little water packs at bottom of meat trays add lots of weight into pocket books of meat companies. So much thieving goes on and we take it. They rob was and don't even use a gun.

MAU MAU · 04-21-2012, 12:30 PM

That is why I am very cognizant of every purchase I make and who is selling the product.

For example, after Scotland foolishly released the Pan Am 103 bomber, we no longer purchased any Scottish products including our favorite Walkers cookies, and we cancelled our planned 3 week trip there.

bucks2 · 04-21-2012, 07:01 PM

How about the banannas and apples being smaller? Have you noticed that when you buy fresh peaches they aren't as big as they used to be? And they cost even more per pound than they used to! Not all food is deceptive.

There used to be a saying of Buyer Beware. While I understand the complaints being made, same price/smaller package, same package/less product, I also understand marketing. It isn't the manufacturers job to explain to you how prices rise and how they gain or keep market share. Their job is to sell product. Your job is to decide, on each shopping trip, whether the product is worth the asking price TO YOU, at that time.

If a "half gallon" of Type A ice cream is only 3/8 of a gallon and is the same price as a full half gallon of Type B ice cream, then you should make a decision of whether what you perceive as "better ice cream" is worth the extra cost. Every product sold is sold with an effort to make money. The consumer is the one responsible for keeping "premium" ice cream makers in business. As someone above said, if it isn't sold it rots on the shelf.

So when we talk about value for your dollar and the American consumer let's talk about Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and ballpark food.

Ken