I bought Hellmann's Mayonnaise on sale two weeks ago for $1.99/qt (32oz)

[cantstandbush]

Today I go to same supermarket and see Hellmann's Mayo on sale 2 for $5.00. I was amazed that this sale was charging $0.51 more per jar (which i thought was a quart jar 32 oz.)....BUT WAIT The jars look the same but upon further examination the label read 30 oz instead of the 32 ozs which is a quart. Oh, sure, the signage gave the correct amounts 2 for $5 and in small print it read "30 ozs jars." So here it is again! Raising the price and reducing the amount so that there is really no "sale" or no "savings" to the consumer or at least there is not the amount of savings the consumer thinks they are getting.

Now it is easy for me to take the time and read and study the labels and compare the prices but what about less educated, poorer folks who merely look at the packaging and see the "SALE" signs? It is outrageous to me that food companies and their corporate subsidiaries are doing this to consumers and there is no outrage from consumer groups, the Congress, or people like us here at DU.
The number of food stuffs that this as happened to over the last several years is astonishing. No wonder you can't feed a family of four on one can of beans like your grandmother did. Grandmother used a can that equaled 1 lb (16 ozs) and not the 10 oz or 12 oz cans now stocked on the shelves. Soups, canned veggies, canned fruits, and ice cream are the greatest scamers on this.

I am going to write to Unilever BEST FOODS and complain about this and I am asking as many DUers as possible to join in the letter writing campaign. And send those complaints to Congress and consumer groups who can at least call this gouging to people's attention.

So they are screwing us in every way possible, from the cheap illegal immigrant crop pickers, to outsourcing our good paying jobs, to paying obscene CEO salaries and benifits, to scaming and skimming packaged amounts, raising prices while reducing amounts, and fooling people into believing that because the packe LOOKS THE SAME it is the same. I am really pissed about this and you should be too.

Unilever Bestfoods, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632-9976.

[paul_fromatlanta]

1. it takes a little time but I always look at price per ounce

[TechBear_Seattle]

24. Buy a $4 calculator

... And bring it with you to the supermarket. I have frequently found larger boxes of something at regular price to be cheaper than the smaller "on-sale" boxes.

[LoKnLoD]

2. Yup....I hear ya

I bought some chips ahoy cookies a month or so ago, first time i bought them in years. the cookies in the package were half the size they used to be. pay more, get less..same package.

[lpbk2713]

3. Remember when ice cream was sold in half-gallon cartons?

Now they sell it in 56 ounce cartons instead of 64.

Some of the store brands are still half-gallons but the major brands like Breyer's are shrinking.

[cantstandbush]

10. Shrinking while RAISING the prices. Double whammy!!! n/t

[Systematic Chaos]

14. Remember the 16 oz. bags of Doritos for $1.69?

That was back when I was in high school, and Doritos were a staple for me and my all-nighter Dungeons and Dragons session friends.

Since then, the weight of the bag has been reduced at least four times and now stands at either 13 or 13.5 ounces, and the price is $3.29. That's about 125% inflation in just 20 years.

[Breeze54]

4. Hellman's makes 'the store brand'...that's what I always buy! n/t

[ClintonTyree]

5. Don't you have "unit pricing" there?

In New York, grocers have to put the "unit price" directly below or somewhere near the item on the shelf . That will tell you what you're paying per ounce, pound, quart, liter etc. Even sale items must have it. It's a great tool for shoppers and should be mandated nation-wide. I comparison shop for price constantly and I don't know what I'd do without our "unit pricing". Have to bring my calculator I guess. I'm pretty sure it's a law in New York but I may be mistaken. I shop at the same place all of the time, maybe they just do it as a courtesy. :shrug:

[fiveleafclover]

8. That should be a law in every state

Some stores here do it, but not all. It is a pretty handy feature. I'm sure a lot of corporations hate it.

[TechBear_Seattle]

25. It's a law in Washington

Very handy.

[tabasco]

6. Poor people don't buy Hellman's.

They buy the generic brand for about 99 cents.

AFAIK, it's still a quart, too.

[Poppyseedman]

7. Wow

Now it is easy for me to take the time and read and study the labels and compare the prices but what about less educated, poorer folks who merely look at the packaging and see the "SALE" signs?

That is about the most condescending thing I have ever read here.

Do you really think poor people don't look at the "cost per ounce/item" the grocery stores put on their labels to help people make a decision on what products to buy. They see the "sale" sign and stupidly buy without thought?

Should the grocery store be required to send a helper for poor or less educated people to make the most cost efficient choice when they shop ?

BTW, most grocery stores only make about 1 to 2 percent profit after costs. They aren't "gouging" people.

[cantstandbush]

9. Talk about not reading. I didn't blame the grocery store.

I blamed the food companies...they do the packaging. And poor working families do use Hellmann's because it's what they grew up on. Campbells soup, Hellmann's Mayo, Oscar Meyer hot dogs, and baked beans. I know, because I come from a poor working family. And while many may read the signs, they won't have anything to compare the new sinage with unless they go around carrying price per unit or price per oz lists with them from week to week. It just is not that simple to make those comparisons.

[Poppyseedman]

16. You said food companies are gouging people.

Food companies don't gouge people, grocery stores set retail prices in the stores. A grocery store can charge whatever price they want.

The only possible culprit that can gouge an item is the grocery store, which I thought you implied.

Believe me, if a food company raises the price on an item too much the grocery company will not buy that item because there are so many other food company products to choose from. As a matter of fact, most chain stores have pricing agreements which lock in a food company price for a period of time and will not pay the price increase without 30 days notice.

I also came from a poor working family that somehow managed not to be fooled by fancy packaging and brand loyalty. I imagine many other working poor can understand how to price a item to make their money stretch as far as possible.

Good luck on your campaign, I might suggest your dollar speaks much louder than your pen

[AllieB]

18. The manufacturer or distributor often passes costs on to the store

my brother-in-law is a food broker. He has passed the higher cost of gas onto his customers. It's standard practice. It's costing him more to transport the food, and therefore the prices have risen.

[Systematic Chaos]

13. I don't really see that comment as "condescending" at all.

I sometimes have a hell of a time trying to figure out which product is actually the better bargain in the supermarket, and I have a 138 IQ (though admittedly I'm rather poor :P). Additionally, those per unit prices on the tags in most stores here are freaking TINY. And trying to bend down to read them on the lower shelves is often next to impossible. So yes, for anyone without the patience to find the necessary information and compare each and every brand, seeing a sale sign and believing it's the best bargain is probably the easier option for a lot of people.

As for "most grocery stores only making 1 to 2 percent profit after costs", I'd love to hear how you explain the discrepancies in prices between, say, Vons and damn near any other grocery store in my local area. Two dollars more for the large bottle of A-1 steak sauce, medium sized cucumbers for $1 EACH, and enough other ridiculous prices to drive me right out of the store without making a single purchase.

[Arkansas Granny]

20. Not only are the per unit prices small, but I have seen two items

side by side with one brand's unit pricing figured per pound and the other per ounce.

[Poppyseedman]

21. The discrepancies in prices is easy to explain

Almost all food companies have CMA's (Calendar Marketing Agreements) with chain grocery stores.

Company "X" pays grocery store "V" a rebate or discount for a certain amount of shelf space and feature ads per year.

The store figures the cost of their rebate into the retail price. Store "X" may have a different agreement than store "V" based on size, volume and relationship so the price may be different. Many times you see really hot sale prices on an item is because the grocery company is charging less then their cost but figure in the rebate to break even.

Wal-Mart is particularly egregious in this practice. As a matter of fact, as a food company they require you to maintain or lower prices every year or they will drop your product. I've seen it first hand.

[cantstandbush]

28. Thanks for your comments. Most here don't really get the point. n/t

[Deja Q]

17. I am not so sure, re: gouging.

I no longer go to my grocer for certain items because they are ~30% more than everywhere else.

Name triscuits, but then again, my diet is somewhat specific.

Vegetables (e.g. broccoli) are a hot item... I usually buy bulk from name brands where there are far better quality than the store-brand worthless stalks sold for the same price.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[European Socialist]

11. Inflation is understated by the gov't. for this reason.

[Spinzonner]

12. My experience is that sales of an item

often precede a price change or repackaging. It disconnects some people from the previous price and makes them less likely to notice the increase in the regular price.

There are other sales that don't have this association but I have noticed the pattern before a price change.

[Poppyseedman]

23. Good observation

Food companies put repackaged items on "hot" sale because they want to deplete current inventories on old packaging to bring in the new.

They also will raise the cost to see what the retail market will bear with it's new design. Also typically the cost will rise because they want to recoup some of the cost of re-design and re-packaging. It really is a very expensive process just to put something in a new box or label.

The retailer will put a sale item back to regular price for several reasons most people don't think of. They want the consumers to think they get a great deal on the "sale" item because the price is now twice as expensive this week.

Also, the grocery chain store will buy extended supply of inventory at the discounted price and charge the regular price to make additional profits.

[cantstandbush]

30. You, know maintaining the SAME price for smaller repackage items is bad

enough. But RAISING the price at the same time is just so obsecene to me. It's like saying "F you" consumer, you will pay the price we ask or do without. It's not a matter of what the market will bear, it's what the market is forced to take.

[KyuzoGator]

15. Right on! Way to fight the power!

Jesus Christ. Nobody's forcing you to buy mayonnaise. Companies can charge whatever the market will bear for their products.

[newblewtoo]

22. Miracle Whip

My mom never bought Mayonnaise, she made her own. We did have something called Miracle Whip but I was never quite sure what it was. Come to think of it we ate spam, and I never really knew what that was either.

[cantstandbush]

27. I think you, among most here, are missing my point. I KNOW I don't

have buy mayo. Thank you. Some things are just hopeless. Have a great day.

[Ksec]

26. It pays to study unit cost also

I completely agree with your post.

The corporate world is screwing us every way they can. Now I also believe we are allowing them by buying products they make. Not all of us, but too many.

Until we start talking with our dollars they wont change. We have soooo much power we dont utilise. Imagine if a company that outsourced its factories to China and then bring those products we used to make, back here to sell us, couldnt sell a freakin one of them?

Imagine if we started using our money as leverage? Do you think things would change? You bet yer ass they would. The problem with Americans is that they dont care about each other. You lose yer job and nobody gives a shit. Nobody tries to fix whats broken and thats a shame. We have all the power and we dont use it. Its sad that weve become a nation of inconsiderate SOBs that care only about number one.

[lildreamer316]

29. Couponing

makes you very aware of this and unit prices; come check up on it at the Frugal and Energy Efficient Living Group. NOT that one should have to spend the time and energy for the savings; the companies shouldn't be doing this in the first place....

[Delarage]

31. Margarine is going 15oz instead of 16 oz, too.

I was just bitching about that today. I buy whatever 0-Trans fat stuff is on sale, but I try to only buy a real 16 oz quantity if I can.

[annabanana]

32. All those canned veggies used to be 16 oz..

They are hovering at about 11-13oz now..

And don't even talk to me about the coffee cans...

(this is how they try to hide inflation)