Increase Price vs. Reduce Container Size

[Shaun @ Tru6]

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.

[Racerbvd]

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

[island911]

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

[Jim727]

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.

[Racerbvd]

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

[LeeH]

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.

[jyl]

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

[dtw]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

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

Lunacy.

[island911]

Originally Posted by jyl

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

Math challenged?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

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...

[88-diamondblue]

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

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.

[jyl]

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.

Quote de jyl

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

Math challenged?

[campbellcj]

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?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Ben & Jerry's is better anyway.

[Evans, Marv]

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.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Ben & Jerry's is better anyway.

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/

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Ben & Jerry's is better anyway.

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.

[Neilk]

Originally Posted by 88-diamondblue

Has anyone noticed that Stella bottles are 11.8oz instead of 12

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.

[Buckterrier]

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

[Buckterrier]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

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)?

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