NYC Experiences ‘Shrinkflation’ Even As Prices Bulge

NEW YORK CITY — New Yorkers who've found toilet paper, coffee and even plant food don't last as long as they used to, and cost more, aren't alone.

They're experiencing “shrinkflation" — and, no, it doesn't come from spending time in the pool. (Cue "Seinfeld" music.)

Manufacturers are raising prices by making packages and servings smaller, consumer advocates say. A formerly 425-sheet mega roll of Angel Soft toilet paper, for example, is now 320 sheets.

Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate, said the U.S. is in the middle of a major shrinkflation cycle.

“We happen to be in a tidal wave at the moment because of inflation,” he told the Association.

Yes, the same inflation that caused a nearly 1 percent rise in prices across the New York City area in April is simultaneously bring city dwellers back to the grocery store faster to dump more money on toilet paper.

And the shrinkflation stink goes beyond TP.

Many snacks are shrinking down, bite-by-bite, according to Dworsky's Consumer World website.

• “Party Size” bags of Fritos Scoops that used to weigh 18 ounces now weigh 15 ounces. They cost more, too.
• Chobani Flips yogurt cartons are now 4.5 ounces, compared with 5.3 a few months ago.
• Keebler cookies are getting smaller. For example, Chips Deluxe with M&Ms are shrinking from 11.3 ounces to 9.75 ounces, although in some stores they cost $1 less. Keebler E.L. Fudge Cookies shrank by 1.3 ounce, but they also have 20 fewer calories per cookie.

Food isn't the only culprit.

A small box of Kleenex is even smaller, with 60 tissues now compared with 65 a few months ago, according to the Mouse Print website.

Likewise, the site found Miracle-Gro All-Purpose Plant Food shrank by 12 ounces. Ditto, for Arm & Hammer laundry detergent bottles, which now contain almost a cup less of product.

Hitendra Chaturvedi, a professor of supply chain management at Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, told the AP it’s clear companies are struggling with labor shortages and higher raw material costs, but he’s also troubled by an exponential rise in some companies’ profits.

For example, PepsiCo’s operating profit climbed 11 percent in 2021 and 128 percent in the first quarter.

“I’m not saying they’re profiteering, but it smells like it,” Chaturvedi told the AP. “Are we using supply constraints as a weapon to make more money?”

The Associated Press contributed reporting.