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ARCHIVED - Shrinkflation, or the sneaky tactics Spanish supermarkets are using to trick customers
Supermarkets in Spain use various tricks of the trade to lead customers to believe they are getting a better deal
Inflation has caused the price of a regular shopping trip to increase exponentially in recent weeks. As a result of the war in Ukraine, many everyday items such as sunflower oil and grain-based products have become scarce, their prices have been hiked up and some supermarkets have even run out of several grocery staples. While the Spanish government has authorised stores to ration certain products that are running low, less scrupulous manufacturers are resorting to another method of squeezing a few more euros from unsuspecting customers: shrinkflation.
The Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU) has warned shoppers to be on alert for this practice, whereby supermarkets downsize their packaging, shrink the size of the product or reduce its quality, resulting in “products that apparently have not increased in price, in fact they have.”
The cost of basic raw materials has shot up for manufacturers and this, coupled with the ever-increasing price of electricity, gas and fuel, has also hiked up grocery bills.
"Given this, there are those who try to disguise price increases, using tricks that are nothing more than diversionary manoeuvres for consumers: it is what experts call 'shrinkflation', which encompasses a set of techniques designed to raise prices without that the buyer realising it," according to the OCU.
The organisation recently carried out a study of some of the major supermarkets in Spain and found shrinkflation in evidence across brands: the standard tin of Cola-Cao cocoa powder has been reduced by 40 grams, tubs of Tulipán margarine contain 50 grams less while Activia yogurts have 5 grams less.
Likewise, the Revilla brand of chorizo, which retails at 1 euro, has been reduced from 80 grams to 70; the same has happened with Campofrío cooked ham.
What attracts the attention of customers is the big euro symbol, which is placed front and centre on packaging to lead people to believe they are getting a deal. For this reason, the OCU recommends that consumers pay particular attention to products with labels such as “offer,” “discount” or “special promotion,” since more often than not this is simply a ruse. Instead, the organisation recommends that customer compare the price by unit of measure, such as kilo or gram, to determine the cheapest option.
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