Increase Price vs. Reduce Container Size
 

I eat 2-4 pints of Häagen-Dazs per week, which I can no longer do since they no longer make pints. I recently picked up a pint and was walking to the checkout and noticed it didn't have the same heavy feel. Looking at the label, they reduced their size down to 14 ounces.

I took it back and got a pint of Ben & Jerry's, which I rarely buy. It's more expensive and not as good.

I wrote to Häagen-Dazs letting them know I was dissatisfied with their move to a smaller container. The brand director wrote back saying that: "By downsizing our cartons rather than increasing the price per carton, we're balancing our need to cover our increased costs with the realization that our country is in an economic recession. We wanted to avoid a price increase that could put Häagen-Dazs out of reach for consumers."

HD was $4.19/pint
B&J is $4.99

It strikes me that HD both doesn't know its customer nor does it know competitor pricing.

Anyway, in taking the poll, please consider your own experience as a loyal customer of a premium brand product. Given the choice between the two, which would you rather have:

Higher Price or Smaller Container?

If ice cream isn't your thing, beer is an excellent substitute in considering the options.

Increase Price, a redused size will mean buying 2..

I caught that too. The 14oz switch-a-roo ... I put it back on the shelf and bought something else.

I really dislike shrinking package contents. First, it's dishonest - really an attempt to hide the per-unit price increase; second, it raises the packaging cost as a percentage of the purchase.

Kind of like the beer mug thread I posted a while back..

This irritates me. It's insulting that they assume we wouldn't notice. I guess the good news is that containers can only get so small. Cereal boxes keep getting thinner. They try to leave them the same height and width so they look the same on the shelf.

Prefer higher price. Otherwise, you need unit pricing labels to shop.

Lunacy.

Math challenged?

How the heck do you manage to down 2-4 pints of Hagen-Daz a WEEK?!?! Man. Those things are about - what - 2,000 calories per pint (or "almost pint", whatever)?

My wife gets a pint every once a while and it usually lasts one or two trips to the grocery store afterwards (2-4 weeks). I can only stand so much ice cream/sweet stuff but whatever floats yer boat I guess...

Be easy to eat that much HD. Just can't exercise enough to be able to eat that much:D

It really pisses me off when company's do this. Klondike bars are advertising thicker chocolate when in fact there is less ice cream in the bar. My daughter was having one and said it just didn't taste right, sure enough 1/2oz less ice cream. Has anyone noticed that Stella bottles are 11.8oz instead of 12 and Fleishman's margerine is whipped and weighs in at less than 12oz and still charging what they did for 16oz. All of the above products have lost my business along with others.
There must be enough people who don't notice or care as many continue to do this.

Ha ha. 12 oz for $3.19 or 10.7 oz for $2.99, quick! I don't want to be doing speed math just to buy ice cream.

LOL, it's bad for you anyway.

But seriously, I would be far more likely to notice a change in container size or design than a relatively minor price increase. Call me oblivious, but I really do not know or care exactly how much each typical food item I buy costs, or how much that changes from week to week, month to month. Obviously it would be a much bigger concern for those on extremely tight budgets -- but they shouldn't be eating premium ice cream @ $4/pint anyway, now should they?

Ben & Jerry's is better anyway.

Lots of products have doing it for a long time. One thing that pisses me off is when I buy "large" eggs. I guess younger people don't know the difference, but the "large" eggs are the medium size at best from years ago. I wonder what they actually do with the real "large" eggs, and I bet real jumbo eggs don't even exist anymore.

Only if you like your candy with a little side of ice cream.


Ciao Bella is a worthy contender to HD.

http://www.ciaobellagelato.com/

Agree!!:)

I down a pint or two of Ben and Jerry's a week. My fave is Chunky Monkey.

Only HD I like, is their Rum Raisin.

Another food that has severly reduced their quanitites are yogurts. In the past year most have went down 2 ounces, and kept the same price or increased it.

You made me check.... actually their bottles are 11.2oz :(, but that converts to about 333cc which is what a lot of bottles are in Europe.

Didn't B&J buy HD or visa-versa??? I'm with the rest, higher price, It does seem dishonest. Then on top of that I HATE corporate speak :mad: :mad:

AND he's skinny as a rail!!!!!

Which brings up a good point, why is soda sold in 2 liter bottles but also in 12 or 16 oz. bottles/cans?

Recently read about this one: (not exactly a premium product )

Several of the companies that do the 20# propane bottle exchanges have reduced the amount of propane from 18# to 15# with no corresponding drop in the exchange price. It seems they do post this on their signs but in VERY small letters.

Baskin Robbins got sued for downsizing their containers, but still calling it a 'pint'

http://www.10news.com/news/13327504/detail.html

That's crazy! Neither B&J's or HD is as nearly as good as Blue Bell, and when on sale, it's 3 half gallons for $10. Good luck finding it in your neck of the woods though.

The last I tallied up my expenses, I couldn't make it that cheap. I make it more often than I buy it though.

that's "svelte," thank you very much!

it's mostly for the health advantages. the fat lining my arteries has a lower coefficient of friction and makes the blood go through faster resulting in a faster metabolism. great feedback loop!

What about 12oz bags of coffee?

As far as the HD thing goes, it's obviously a ploy to swindle the less-observant; which makes me a fan of of those unit pricing tags as well.

I've been really observant since I fell for the Verizon "New every Two" program that is a 20-month program designed to trick you into changing service before your two-year contract is up. I totally fell for it, $175.

Dishonet pricing. I'd rather pay more for beer than can bottles that are 11 ounces instead of 12. Also, what if they start selling 11 ounce at Costco, but 12 ounce at the ARCO?

Anyone ever notice the down-sized plates/containers at the local takeout or even at a restaurant?

Same price, maybe/probably less food.

Sherwood

This did happen! You want to really start a war!, they tried changing the tampon box count rather than change the price!!

LOL!

I'm definitely gonna recycle that one!

No.

Ben and Jerry's is owned by Unilever. They also make soap.

Haagen-Dazs is owned by General Mills - the ice cream is made under contract by Dreyer's.

HD is WAY better than BJ.

And you know this how?? :confused: To funny. That would take a lot of balls, pun intended, getting the woman folk all riled up during that time of the month.

And Shuan... Svelt it is!!

Refer to the " A very sad day in sports ;(" thread.:D

Blue Bell is pretty good, we have Dreyer's out here

You'll be dead by the time they go to 12 ounces. A pint of ice cream has almost 1000 calories. 4000 calories of ice cream a week - I'd gain a pound a week if I'd eat that. ;) I hope you either work construction or are a marathoner.

George

what about dropping jack daniels from 86 proof down to 80 proof ?

entrepreneur. construction workers and marathoners are wimps by comparison.:D