And, this time, it’s personal!

I noticed a little Grocery Shrink Ray action in the candy aisle a few weeks ago. This refers to the practice of reducing the package size of grocery products—without lowering the price.

And, it’s so. not. cool.

The idea is that you won’t notice a slightly smaller package, but you would notice a price increase on the items you’re used to buying. In the candy aisle? I noticed.

The “fun size” packages of M&M/Mars candy have gone from 8-packs to 6-packs. I remember when the fun size candy came in packages of 10. I also remember when “fun size” didn’t equal miniature.

First, they shrunk the candy bars a bit. Then, they started reducing the number in each package. All without changing the price. At this point, I believe we’re getting half as much chocolate than the original products—for the same $1.50 we’ve paid for years.

So far, I’m only seeing this from M&M/Mars, but I’m worried it’s only a matter of time before other brands follow suit. And, it’s not just candy! I’ve seen shrink ray effects on peanut butter, cereal, baking goods and more.

It always concerns me in the baking aisle because I have a lot of older recipes that call for “1 package” of ingredients. It changes everything you realize the 1-pound package you’ve always bought now only comes in 14-oz bags.

What is the shrink ray affecting in your pantry?

Read more Grocery Store Traps to Avoid on Babble.com