SHRINKFLATION WATCHDOG
Same price. Less product.
When a brand quietly shrinks a package without dropping the price, it lands here — with the receipts. 10 cases on the list so far.
Detector live · 1 caught by Faircart — full evidence below
ProductSize changePrice changeWhenSeverity / Source
12-Grain Bagels
Metro
Caught by Faircart
510 g
450 g (-11.8%)
$5.69
$3.50
Jul 2026
medium
Shrunk 510g → 450g
Source: our own size tracking (price_observations)
Real cost: $1.12 → $0.78 per 100g (+-30%)
Show the work (14 observations)
Jul 11, 08:41 p.m.510 g$5.69
Jul 12, 05:22 a.m.510 g$5.69
Jul 12, 05:06 p.m.510 g$5.69
Jul 14, 08:35 p.m.510 g$5.69
Jul 15, 01:09 a.m.450 g$3.50
Jul 15, 04:53 a.m.510 g$5.69
Jul 15, 08:53 a.m.510 g$5.69
Jul 15, 12:36 p.m.450 g$3.50
Jul 16, 07:39 a.m.450 g$3.50
Jul 16, 10:56 p.m.450 g$3.50
Jul 17, 02:46 a.m.450 g$3.50
Jul 17, 06:35 a.m.450 g$3.50
Jul 17, 10:24 a.m.450 g$3.50
Jul 17, 02:08 p.m.510 g$5.69
Tide Liquid Laundry Detergent Original Regular 2.48 L
Retracted 2026-07-05: Retracted 2026-07-05: NOT a real shrink — the same labelling artifact as the 1 L bottle. Early scrapes read a nominal size from the product name before the store's measured 2360 mL size field appeared, which looked like a 2480→2360 mL drop. No package was reduced; our detector now requires a measured size before flagging a change.
Sobeys
Caught by Faircart
2480 ml
2360 ml (-4.8%)
$20.49
$20.49 (no relief)
Jul 2026
low
Shrunk 2480ml → 2360ml — and the price didn’t drop
Source: our own size tracking (price_observations)
Real cost: $0.83 → $0.87 per 100ml (+5%)
Show the work (9 observations)
Jun 28, 04:21 a.m.2480 ml$20.49
Jul 1, 04:01 p.m.2360 ml$20.49
Jul 1, 05:12 p.m.2360 ml$20.49
Jul 1, 06:22 p.m.2360 ml$20.49
Jul 1, 07:33 p.m.2360 ml$20.49
Jul 2, 09:02 p.m.2360 ml$20.49
Jul 3, 12:48 p.m.2360 ml$20.49
Jul 4, 04:39 a.m.2360 ml$20.49
Jul 4, 06:29 a.m.2360 ml$20.49
Tide Liquid Laundry Detergent Original 1 L
Retracted 2026-07-05: Retracted 2026-07-05: NOT a real shrink. Tide "1 L" is a 946 mL bottle (a US quart); our earliest scrapes read the nominal "1 L" from the product name before the store's measured 946 mL size field appeared, which looked like a 1000→946 mL drop. It is a labelling artifact — no package was reduced. Our detector now requires a measured size before flagging a change, so this cannot happen again.
FreshCo
Caught by Faircart
1000 ml
946 ml (-5.4%)
$9.99
$9.99 (no relief)
Jun 2026
low
Shrunk 1000ml → 946ml — and the price didn’t drop
Source: our own size tracking (price_observations)
Real cost: $1.00 → $1.06 per 100ml (+6%)
Show the work (9 observations)
Jun 27, 10:31 p.m.1000 ml$9.99
Jun 27, 11:42 p.m.1000 ml$9.99
Jun 29, 02:31 p.m.946 ml$9.99
Jun 29, 03:42 p.m.946 ml$9.99
Jun 30, 04:30 p.m.946 ml$9.99
Jun 30, 05:41 p.m.946 ml$9.99
Jun 30, 06:51 p.m.946 ml$9.99
Jun 30, 08:02 p.m.946 ml$9.99
Jun 30, 09:13 p.m.946 ml$9.99
Mars
Fun-size Halloween box (65 bars)
No Frills (Toronto)
Documented by press
782 g
672 g (-14.1%)
$8.99
$8.99 (no relief)
Jan 2025
medium
Shrunk from 782g to 672g in 2025 — same $8.99, same 65 bars, just smaller bars.
Source: CBC News (2025)Charmin
Ultra Strong toilet paper (24 Mega Rolls)
Documented by press
286 sheets/roll
242 sheets/roll (-15.4%)
$23.82
$26.48 (no relief)
Jan 2024
severe
Shrunk 286 → 242 sheets/roll (-15%) in 2024 — and the price still ROSE; cost per 100 sheets up 31%.
Source: LendingTree study (2024)Doritos
Nacho Cheese tortilla chips (snack bag)
Documented by press
80 g
72 g (-10%)
—
— (no relief)
Jan 2024
medium
Shrunk from 80g to 72g in 2024 — same price, same-looking bag, 10% fewer chips.
Source: CBC News (2024)Post
Honeycomb cereal (family size)
Documented by press
595 g
525 g (-11.8%)
—
— (no relief)
Jan 2023
medium
Shrunk from 595g to 525g in 2023 — ~12% less for the same price, in a taller, slimmer box.
Source: CBC News (2023)Häagen-Dazs
Vanilla ice cream tub
Documented by press
500 ml
450 ml (-10%)
—
— (no relief)
Jan 2023
medium
Shrunk 500ml → 450ml in 2023 — and dropping under 500ml means GST/HST now applies, so you pay more tax for less ice cream.
Source: The Globe and Mail (2023)Wheat Thins (Mondelēz)
Original crackers
Documented by press
200 g
180 g (-10%)
—
— (no relief)
Jan 2023
Folgers
Classic Roast ground coffee (canister)
Documented by press
51 oz
43.5 oz (-14.7%)
—
— (no relief)
Jan 2022
medium
Shrunk 51oz → 43.5oz in 2022 (~15% less) while keeping the "up to 400 cups" claim — blamed on new roasting tech.
Source: Mouse Print* (2022)FEATURED CASECaught by Faircart
12-Grain Bagels
Shrunk 510g → 450g
510 g
BEFORE
$5.69
→
450 g
AFTER
$3.50
SIZE
-11.8%
VERDICT
Cheaper too
CONSUMER ALERT
How to spot it
Brands rarely announce size changes. Watch for these signs:
- 01."New look" labels often distract from a reduction in volume or weight.
- 02.Taller but thinner bottles — they look the same on the shelf but hold 15% less.
- 03.Check the unit price ($/100g). It's the only number that doesn't lie.
"We aren't raising prices, we're just evolving our packaging." — Every corporate PR team, probably.
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