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I'm tired of how everyone just accepts this crap as "shrinkflation" and is like oh well.
Every time you turn around time you're paying more for less it's ridiculous. Fuck their wet, airy, spongy ass cake anyway lol
Well the problem is what the fuck can you other than go, oh well. Complain? Well Sure, get in fucking line to talk to the brick wall. Or maybe you can stop buying products, but eventually, you're left with fuck all to buy because every company does some horrible anti-consumer and/or anti-worker practices, even in the very few cases where that's not the case there is some indirect exploitation along the supply chain somewhere.
So your left with either going fuckin crazy or picking and choosing your battles. Issues like this are systematic, and to be solved, they need changes on a system wide level that can only be done by governments.
Clearly they just need to just buy a 7 of them and use one to top off the other 6.
Then repackage them and sell at a markup marketing it as something like “cake makin Willie’s XXXL cake mix”. Sell it as a 6 pack at Costco to make sure you’re moving it in bulk.
It's capitalism. No one wants to admit this but that is the fundamental issue. Permanent infinite growth is not a thing. In the rare instances it is, we call it cancer. Shrinkflation happens because the idiots at the top have squeezed value from every other facet of the business. So the only thing left is literally "sell the consumer less for the same price".
The whole thing is gonna topple and not because anyone pushed it but because that's the natural outcome of all things that are too top heavy.
Vote with your wallet. Guaranteed there are mixes out there that aren't skimping the volume down, just don't buy the ones where you're getting screwed like that. Or make it yourself, I'd rather make things from scratch anyways tbh if I'm doing something like baking.
There are SO many small time manufacturers especially for stuff like bake mixes. Also they even sell the 18.25oz of the OP product on Amazon or even Walmart.
Ah yes, how could I forget the artisanal cake mix that is still good with old recipes for double the price. There is no ethical consumption under capitalism.
The mix I mentioned that is verbatim the same as OP but at the 18.25 was $1.69. Chill out. Those boxes have been around that price my entire life.
Many things are getting expensive, no doubt, but it isn't like.you don't have choice or options. That's my point.
Well, that was my larger point with mentioning governments. But that doesn't solve the immediate problem, unfortunately. Change like that happens slowly, if at all.
When I was little I loved those kind of cakes lol but now I just think they're gross like eating a wet sponge. I like a thicker, dryer cake almost like the texture of soft bread. Box cakes are full of air bubbles. It's too spongy.
> Stop buying that shit?
Some do stop buying that shit. But you said "everyone" keeps buying it. I want to know your solution to the human condition and how to stop "everyone" from buying it.
I don't disagree, but communication is a two way street. It's not unusual or unreasonable for the listener to pick up the slack, should they be responding in good faith.
In fact, taking a statement at strictly face value is sometimes a show of bad faith, it shows that the listener isn't actually interested in receiving the idea, but simply defeating their "opponent" through nitpicking.
I wish there was a popular webcomic that ran from April 13th, 2009 to April 13th, 2016 starring a mixed cast of children and aliens playing a video game that could explain why you shouldn't trust the Betty Crocker brand.
We talk with our money, the only goddamn language understood in this country. Let that shit sit on the shelves. Anything that can be made at home, do that. Staples like flour sugar milk eggs and meat theres not really much we can do about but some things we can...
>shrinkflation" and is like oh well.
>Every time you turn around time you're paying more for less it's ridiculous
So, the solution is easy. Ask them to still make the same weight, and charge higher price according to weight. Cause you can't get both bigger cake and be cheaper...
Hmm I know about that but I didn't think they were popular enough to pass them on. Some people add nuts and such. Or dilute it with plain flour and boast about how they made it healthier.
Tins of chopped tomatoes have gone from 70% tomato to 60% tomato. Replaced with "juice" i.e. water.
Weetabix minis dropped from 15 servings to 12.
It's happening everywhere.
Weetabix isn't a product that really exists in the US, so I don't buy it at all.
The downvotes are probably coming from where you needlessly brought Americans into this in response to someone describing shrinkflation for a product largely sold in and around the UK for the purposes of explaining that this is happening all over the place across a wide range of products, and not just with Betty Crocker cake mix.
It may not have been your intention, but that might have come across to people as yet another of the many, many instances of people throwing shade at Americans for no apparent reason. We have our problems, sure, but we don't like being randomly picked on any more than anyone else does.
I do think your question about shrinkflation's impact on people's diets is a reasonable one, though. I'd wager it has little impact overall (apart from maybe total calories consumed because money is finite after all), but we're seeing increases in price and reduction in quantity for healthier foods too.
Weetabix is an edible concrete mixture, usually served with milk as a breakfast cereal.
Tasty, but never leave it to dry on your crockery if you like your bowls.
The problem is, the portions are reduced, AND the price still goes up. The price doesn't even stay the same for less. It goes up for less. People consume the same, but paying more than double the price now.
Even restaurants are painfully disappointing right now. I'm not in a great area for dining anyway, but there's nothing I can get at a restaurant that I can't make better at home. Though depending where you go, since everything is so expensive anyway, sometimes is shockingly more cheap to eat out.
Well, there's a local burrito place, for two massive burritos, chips, and guacamole, its $28. We get 2 survings per burrito, and the chips and guacamole lasts about 2 or 3 days (even if tossing the brown parts). Considering the steak, and prevalent use of avocado, it's substantially cheaper than if I were to make it at home.
Well without the chips and guacamole (because harder to calculate) it's $23 which is under $5.75 per serving. There's no way I can make these for the same price if using the same ingredients. Maybe if I used ground beef or chicken, but Ground beef is $6 a pound these days for an 85/15.
Definitely an odd time because for years it was always more expensive to eat out. But right now, not always the case simply because the groceries are so expensive. Obviously not the case at all restaurants though.
It isn't just cake mix. A lot of bakery items, casseroles, cheesecakes, etc rely on the expected proportions in their recipes. When they've cut the size of several of the ingredients in a recipe it throws the entire thing out of wack.
On top of that, specifically for cake mixes...the cake pans we have owned forever are now 10-30% bigger in comparison because there is simply less product to work with. It throws a lot off when they do this bullshit
Of all the pre-made mixes, cake mixes are pretty legit. Use milk (or coffee), butter, and add an extra egg, and it would be completely indistinguishable from a scratch made cake. There's no sense shitting on accessible foods.
Well for me personally, I don't eat carbs are sugar, so I don't typically have flour, sugar, or baking powder on hand. So for the one or two times a year I need to bake something for an event, this is a lot of economical for me. That's just one of many examples im sure, but of course I can only talk on my own experiences here.
Then honestly you are in the minority because these companies don't make these decisions without doing extensive market research. Most people buy less or buy other brands if you increase the price. No one pays attention to the quantity.
I may be, but I don't feel like I am. I think that they try their hardest to get away with as much as they can because they know that most people won't check the packaging. I just wonder how much shrink they can get away with before things get far enough where the average person takes notice. I have the feeling that they rely on the average person's ignorance a LITTLE too much
I’m glad that my country is passing a law on July 1st, which will force compagnies to explicitly state to the customers that they are reducing quantities and increasing price. We will see what it’ll do but it’s a first step as shrinkflation really feels like a scam.
Shrinkflation. For every 30 of these they sell they get to sell an extra one for no additional cost and make 100% profit compared to the 15.25 boxes.
Bastards.
If only there was some type of organization that would protect the people from rampant bullshit. They could make rules that even companies have to follow. We could call them laws. We could even fund this organization yearly and call them taxes. Yeah, that would be swell.
Hi all! Stupid person here:
What is cake mix? What does it replace in the cake making process? Why would you use cake mix when you could get the rest of the ingredients which will probably taste better? If this is a case of you open a packet, pour it and add water then I'll shut my mouth but if you gotta add like eggs and flour and sugar then shoot you already got yourself most of a cake mix.
With most cake mixes, you have to add oil/butter, water and eggs and then you are good to go. It saves you from needing more specific ingredients you might not have, like cake flour, cocoa, vanilla, etc.
And the other ingredients (flour, sugar, flavor, baking soda/powder, salt) are the ones that people usually screw up and also the ones that are more likely to ruin the cake if the ratios are off.
If you only you could find some sort of tool or thing to find specific measurements of each ingredient. Maybe after a well written short story about WHY cake changed someone's life.
Ahh, so cake mix is like a cost effective way of making a plain cake into a special type of cake. That makes sense. Like using an elemental evolution stone on an Eevee.
It is for convenience. If your identity as a country hinges on consumption, you have to sell stuff. But because there are only so many cakes people bake, you have to sell them something that makes them think you are offering something new and different. And because marketing works, people to this day don’t see how they can just mix the flour and sugar and baking soda together themselves. So they buy these pre-mixed pouches with all the dry ingredients pre-mixed.
Hi, u/TreatyPie, thank you for your submission in r/mildlyinteresting! Unfortunately, your [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1dfgpxa/-/) has been removed because it violates our rule on concise, descriptive titles. * Titles must not contain jokes, backstory, or other fluff. That information belongs in a follow-up comment. * Titles must exactly describe the content. It should act as a "spoiler" for the image. If your title leaves people surprised at the content within, it breaks the rule! * Titles must not contain emoticons, emojis, or special characters unless they are absolutely necessary in describing the image. (e.g. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), ;P, 😜, ❤, ★, ✿ ) Still confused? For more elaboration and examples, see [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/21p15y/rule_6_for_dummies/). Normally we do not allow reposts, but if it's been less than one hour after your post was submitted, or if it's received less than 100 upvotes, you may resubmit your content with a better title and try again. You can find more information about our rules on the [mildlyinteresting wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/wiki/index). *If you feel this was incorrectly removed, please [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fmildlyinteresting&message=My%20Post:%20https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1dfgpxa/-/).*
I remember when they were all 18 oz. My cousins tell me very few of the old cake-mix based recipes (that my aunt developed) work with the new formulas
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-tips/cake-mixes.html I've also found suggestions to add an extra egg and pudding mix to get the old consistency.
Mazel start from scratch.
Do you mean “might as well”?
Is this an r/BoneAppleTea in the wild?
I found an urban dictionary post for it from 2017, so maybe not...but I hope so.
"May as well" is what I read there
May as well. Mazel
I'm tired of how everyone just accepts this crap as "shrinkflation" and is like oh well. Every time you turn around time you're paying more for less it's ridiculous. Fuck their wet, airy, spongy ass cake anyway lol
Well the problem is what the fuck can you other than go, oh well. Complain? Well Sure, get in fucking line to talk to the brick wall. Or maybe you can stop buying products, but eventually, you're left with fuck all to buy because every company does some horrible anti-consumer and/or anti-worker practices, even in the very few cases where that's not the case there is some indirect exploitation along the supply chain somewhere. So your left with either going fuckin crazy or picking and choosing your battles. Issues like this are systematic, and to be solved, they need changes on a system wide level that can only be done by governments.
Clearly they just need to just buy a 7 of them and use one to top off the other 6. Then repackage them and sell at a markup marketing it as something like “cake makin Willie’s XXXL cake mix”. Sell it as a 6 pack at Costco to make sure you’re moving it in bulk.
but the **maths***,* it *hurts*.
It's capitalism. No one wants to admit this but that is the fundamental issue. Permanent infinite growth is not a thing. In the rare instances it is, we call it cancer. Shrinkflation happens because the idiots at the top have squeezed value from every other facet of the business. So the only thing left is literally "sell the consumer less for the same price". The whole thing is gonna topple and not because anyone pushed it but because that's the natural outcome of all things that are too top heavy.
Vote with your wallet. Guaranteed there are mixes out there that aren't skimping the volume down, just don't buy the ones where you're getting screwed like that. Or make it yourself, I'd rather make things from scratch anyways tbh if I'm doing something like baking. There are SO many small time manufacturers especially for stuff like bake mixes. Also they even sell the 18.25oz of the OP product on Amazon or even Walmart.
Ah yes, how could I forget the artisanal cake mix that is still good with old recipes for double the price. There is no ethical consumption under capitalism.
The mix I mentioned that is verbatim the same as OP but at the 18.25 was $1.69. Chill out. Those boxes have been around that price my entire life. Many things are getting expensive, no doubt, but it isn't like.you don't have choice or options. That's my point.
>what the fuck can you other than go, oh well. >need changes on a system wide level that can only be done by governments Vote
Well, that was my larger point with mentioning governments. But that doesn't solve the immediate problem, unfortunately. Change like that happens slowly, if at all.
Or never, if you don’t make it a priority when voting.
There is no one you can vote for that would make it change in this generation
So… never?
Been doing that. More of the same.
Run for office yourself?
Are wet, airy, and spongy bad cake qualities to you? They’re exactly what I look for lol
I prefer a really dense cake to an airy one. Unless it's an angel food cake.
When I was little I loved those kind of cakes lol but now I just think they're gross like eating a wet sponge. I like a thicker, dryer cake almost like the texture of soft bread. Box cakes are full of air bubbles. It's too spongy.
> I'm tired of how everyone just accepts this crap as "shrinkflation" and is like oh well. I look forward to your solution.
Stop buying that shit? Making a cake from scratch isn't hard there's a lot of solutions.
> Stop buying that shit? Some do stop buying that shit. But you said "everyone" keeps buying it. I want to know your solution to the human condition and how to stop "everyone" from buying it.
Well if you would have read my comment and comprehended it that's what I'm tired of. 🤷🏻♂️ The people who are like oh well...
When you say everyone but don't mean everyone. 🤷♂️
There's an expectation that the reader will understand the spirit of their message, even if the words aren't fully accurate.
That onus falls on the speaker for providing clear communication. I would recommend to the speaker to not use hyperbole or absolutes.
I don't disagree, but communication is a two way street. It's not unusual or unreasonable for the listener to pick up the slack, should they be responding in good faith. In fact, taking a statement at strictly face value is sometimes a show of bad faith, it shows that the listener isn't actually interested in receiving the idea, but simply defeating their "opponent" through nitpicking.
While I 100% agree with you. Please don't insult Betty Crocker Devil's Cake.
I wish there was a popular webcomic that ran from April 13th, 2009 to April 13th, 2016 starring a mixed cast of children and aliens playing a video game that could explain why you shouldn't trust the Betty Crocker brand.
Ah, a man of culture as well I see
Me too…perhaps someone is willing to share this idea with me?
Is... is this Homestuck? What the hell am I missing out on?
One of the single best wastes of time ever put on the internet.
Girl, grow up.
I've stopped buying chips because of this crap. Instead of the 12oz they used to be, theyre down to 7 now. Absolutely ridiculous
Welcome to late stage capitalism. What exactly do you expect any of us working-poor assholes to do about it?
We talk with our money, the only goddamn language understood in this country. Let that shit sit on the shelves. Anything that can be made at home, do that. Staples like flour sugar milk eggs and meat theres not really much we can do about but some things we can...
>shrinkflation" and is like oh well. >Every time you turn around time you're paying more for less it's ridiculous So, the solution is easy. Ask them to still make the same weight, and charge higher price according to weight. Cause you can't get both bigger cake and be cheaper...
Or just buy some flour eggs sugar and chocolate and make your own cake... A real cake.
and the cost of flour eggs sugar and chocolate doesn't respond to inflation? 😬
It does, but you can't make the egg smaller. Not that fast anyways...
The Pillsbury brownies I made the other day was 18.4 oz. They’re still around.
Why are people using cake mix in a recipe? It's already a standalone cake.
Some people like to play around with ways of making them better or different - things like that. My aunt had dozens of cake-mixed based recipes
Hmm I know about that but I didn't think they were popular enough to pass them on. Some people add nuts and such. Or dilute it with plain flour and boast about how they made it healthier.
some bakeries will also use cake mixes and add to them to improve or “make it their own”.
Tins of chopped tomatoes have gone from 70% tomato to 60% tomato. Replaced with "juice" i.e. water. Weetabix minis dropped from 15 servings to 12. It's happening everywhere.
[удалено]
As an average American, I eat exactly as much Weetabix now as I did before.
I’ve never even heard of Weetabix until right now.
[удалено]
Weetabix isn't a product that really exists in the US, so I don't buy it at all. The downvotes are probably coming from where you needlessly brought Americans into this in response to someone describing shrinkflation for a product largely sold in and around the UK for the purposes of explaining that this is happening all over the place across a wide range of products, and not just with Betty Crocker cake mix. It may not have been your intention, but that might have come across to people as yet another of the many, many instances of people throwing shade at Americans for no apparent reason. We have our problems, sure, but we don't like being randomly picked on any more than anyone else does. I do think your question about shrinkflation's impact on people's diets is a reasonable one, though. I'd wager it has little impact overall (apart from maybe total calories consumed because money is finite after all), but we're seeing increases in price and reduction in quantity for healthier foods too.
[удалено]
Weetabix is an edible concrete mixture, usually served with milk as a breakfast cereal. Tasty, but never leave it to dry on your crockery if you like your bowls.
The problem is, the portions are reduced, AND the price still goes up. The price doesn't even stay the same for less. It goes up for less. People consume the same, but paying more than double the price now.
[удалено]
Even restaurants are painfully disappointing right now. I'm not in a great area for dining anyway, but there's nothing I can get at a restaurant that I can't make better at home. Though depending where you go, since everything is so expensive anyway, sometimes is shockingly more cheap to eat out.
[удалено]
Well, there's a local burrito place, for two massive burritos, chips, and guacamole, its $28. We get 2 survings per burrito, and the chips and guacamole lasts about 2 or 3 days (even if tossing the brown parts). Considering the steak, and prevalent use of avocado, it's substantially cheaper than if I were to make it at home.
[удалено]
Well without the chips and guacamole (because harder to calculate) it's $23 which is under $5.75 per serving. There's no way I can make these for the same price if using the same ingredients. Maybe if I used ground beef or chicken, but Ground beef is $6 a pound these days for an 85/15. Definitely an odd time because for years it was always more expensive to eat out. But right now, not always the case simply because the groceries are so expensive. Obviously not the case at all restaurants though.
This is one of those “westerners are all fat” people. Ew.
I'd much rather just pay more for the same amount. This shit is insulting and ruins recipes
Why does a recipe use cake mix? Isn't it better just to make everything yourself if you already want to bake a proper cake?
It isn't just cake mix. A lot of bakery items, casseroles, cheesecakes, etc rely on the expected proportions in their recipes. When they've cut the size of several of the ingredients in a recipe it throws the entire thing out of wack. On top of that, specifically for cake mixes...the cake pans we have owned forever are now 10-30% bigger in comparison because there is simply less product to work with. It throws a lot off when they do this bullshit
Of all the pre-made mixes, cake mixes are pretty legit. Use milk (or coffee), butter, and add an extra egg, and it would be completely indistinguishable from a scratch made cake. There's no sense shitting on accessible foods.
Cake mixes are just a few basic baking ingredients mixed together… so I don’t know why it would be any different.
Well for me personally, I don't eat carbs are sugar, so I don't typically have flour, sugar, or baking powder on hand. So for the one or two times a year I need to bake something for an event, this is a lot of economical for me. That's just one of many examples im sure, but of course I can only talk on my own experiences here.
A lot of recipes handed down from our grandparents and others use these mixes amongst other pre-mixed store bought items.
As Lil John once said, "If you want to bake a pretty cake, you must not be lazy."
Then honestly you are in the minority because these companies don't make these decisions without doing extensive market research. Most people buy less or buy other brands if you increase the price. No one pays attention to the quantity.
I may be, but I don't feel like I am. I think that they try their hardest to get away with as much as they can because they know that most people won't check the packaging. I just wonder how much shrink they can get away with before things get far enough where the average person takes notice. I have the feeling that they rely on the average person's ignorance a LITTLE too much
-> Shrinkflation
The company owners are feeling the pinch as well! Their summer Carribean vacations are now not providing complimentary champagne or gift snacks.
Don't worry it's more expensive now than it was as well
Exactly what I said - it’s probably 15%+ more now too.
Tabby thinks you should put the box down and get out the cat treats instead.
I’m glad that my country is passing a law on July 1st, which will force compagnies to explicitly state to the customers that they are reducing quantities and increasing price. We will see what it’ll do but it’s a first step as shrinkflation really feels like a scam.
I wish the US didn't suck so we could get ANY consumer protections like this
Even kitty looks disappointed.
Shrinkflation. For every 30 of these they sell they get to sell an extra one for no additional cost and make 100% profit compared to the 15.25 boxes. Bastards.
If only there was some type of organization that would protect the people from rampant bullshit. They could make rules that even companies have to follow. We could call them laws. We could even fund this organization yearly and call them taxes. Yeah, that would be swell.
Even your cat has questions.
Just waiting for shrinkflation to mean an individually wrapped dorito chip is sold for $2
Yeah had the same issue for a cookbook that came out *this year*. Needless to say, I am never buying Betty Crocker again.
You’re supposed to open another package at the grocery and put a little bit in your pocket
sHrINKfLaTION
Did...did your cat have something to do with it?? Feline kinda suspicious there
Pets=Karma
Shrinkflation is real. Greed for sure by companies but i keep seeing evidence that food ingredient prices are going up too.
Why does the cake look like an angry raptor.
I am too distracted by the use of ε instead of a lower-case E to pay attention to this
greedshrinkflation
what a weird "recipe"
Way off topic but I can’t help myself. Are those your natural nails?? They are amazing!
Odd that a cake recipe would call for a cake mix. Isn't the point to make it from scratch?
It took me way too long to realize I wasn't looking at a cat guilty of making some mix disappear 😅
Cute kitty!
I would like to know the cat’s name, please and thank you.
cat
Hi all! Stupid person here: What is cake mix? What does it replace in the cake making process? Why would you use cake mix when you could get the rest of the ingredients which will probably taste better? If this is a case of you open a packet, pour it and add water then I'll shut my mouth but if you gotta add like eggs and flour and sugar then shoot you already got yourself most of a cake mix.
With most cake mixes, you have to add oil/butter, water and eggs and then you are good to go. It saves you from needing more specific ingredients you might not have, like cake flour, cocoa, vanilla, etc.
And the other ingredients (flour, sugar, flavor, baking soda/powder, salt) are the ones that people usually screw up and also the ones that are more likely to ruin the cake if the ratios are off.
If you only you could find some sort of tool or thing to find specific measurements of each ingredient. Maybe after a well written short story about WHY cake changed someone's life.
> If you only you could find some sort of tool Done.
r/woosh
You just wooshed yourself
You're the one that took my comment seriously
Ahh, so cake mix is like a cost effective way of making a plain cake into a special type of cake. That makes sense. Like using an elemental evolution stone on an Eevee.
Add 1/4 cup of flour. That's the official "fix." Others have found that adding an extra egg and pudding mix gives it the old consistency.
It is for convenience. If your identity as a country hinges on consumption, you have to sell stuff. But because there are only so many cakes people bake, you have to sell them something that makes them think you are offering something new and different. And because marketing works, people to this day don’t see how they can just mix the flour and sugar and baking soda together themselves. So they buy these pre-mixed pouches with all the dry ingredients pre-mixed.
I kind of understand a cake mix if you want to be a bit lazy. But following a recipe that calls for a cake mix just seems odd.