Companies are shrinking products in ways that are becoming harder to ignore, from smaller food portions and reduced package counts to cheaper ingredients hidden behind redesigned labels. Shoppers in Reddit’s Shrinkflation community regularly share side-by-side photos exposing just how dramatic these changes can be. These examples show oversized packaging, missing rows, wider gaps, and familiar products offering noticeably less than before.
A Quart of Milk Comes Up One Cup Short
The photo shows a carton labeled as one quart beside measuring cups containing only about three cups of milk instead of four. Some commenters suspected a filling error rather than deliberate shrinkflation. Reddit user oohhhhcanada comments that “Hopefully this is an error. A quart is well defined. Providing 3 cups is stealing a quarter of the money you paid for the quart”.
Domino’s Australian Large Pizza Looks Surprisingly Small
A hand placed over an Australian Domino’s large pizza makes it look closer to a personal pizza than a group meal. The poster also said their hands were not especially large. Reddit user YellowBreakfast comments that companies tend to “make everything smaller, reduce quality, increase price”.
A Giant Cereal Box Is Mostly Air and Crumbs
The photos show a large Nutri-Grain cereal box containing plenty of empty space, crushed cereal dust, and relatively few intact pieces. Reddit user ghidfg comments that “the picture on the box doesn’t show any cereal dust”.
Izze Quietly Cuts the Juice Content
Two nearly identical Izze cans show that the fruit juice content dropped from 70% to 60%. It is a clear example of shrinkflation affecting ingredients rather than package size. Reddit user JohnTeaGuy comments that “If you’re paying for juice you want juice not water”.
A Mars Bar Has Plenty of Wrapper but Little Chocolate
The photos show a Mars Bar filling only a small portion of its wrapper, with noticeable empty space at the end. Reddit user Bimblelina comments that “That’s a Mars Bit”.
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Clif Celebrates Giving Customers One Less Bar
An older Clif multipack containing six bars appears beside newer boxes advertising that they now contain five. Reddit user maximumkush comments that “Big box went from 12 to 10 bars for the same price”.
Hershey’s New Bottle Costs More Per Gram
The photo compares old and new Hershey’s syrup bottles, with the redesigned version containing less syrup and reportedly costing more per gram. Reddit user Ifeelsiikk comments that “This subreddit has made me despise the term ‘new’”.
Idahoan Potatoes Lose the Buttermilk
Side-by-side ingredient labels show Idahoan mashed potatoes removing buttermilk powder and changing other parts of the recipe. Reddit user tamagogo_chan comments that “I’m so tired of everything having corn syrup in it”.
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The Cookie Tray Ends Long Before the Package Does
The photos reveal a cookie tray with large raised sections of plastic where additional rows of cookies could have fit. Reddit user konnektion comments that “They even use more plastic to avoid filling the tray”.
McDonald’s Mighty McMuffin Fits in One Hand
A McDonald’s Mighty McMuffin rests easily in the customer’s palm, making the breakfast sandwich look more like a slider. Reddit user Anfie22 comments that “this is a good visual for how pathetically tiny McDonalds food is nowadays”.
Walmart Orange Juice Is No Longer a Gallon
The image compares a traditional gallon container with a newer Walmart orange juice bottle holding considerably less. Reddit user iamofnohelp comments that “When a gallon is no longer a gallon”.
Lindor Uses Plastic to Fill the Chocolate Box
The photo shows a Lindor box with a few truffles separated by a large molded-plastic divider and plenty of empty space. Reddit user martinaee comments that “they utilize the shapes of the wrapper ends as visual filler”.
Even the Cheese Sticks Are Getting Smaller
The picture compares older and newer cheese-stick packages, showing that the updated version contains less cheese despite looking similar. Reddit user Pizza_Horse comments that “There’s literally nothing left they haven’t come after yet”.
A Chocolate Box Hides an Entire Missing Row
The photos show a chocolate box that appears large enough for another row, but part of the interior is hidden behind decorative packaging. Reddit user Sean310 comments that “The deception alone makes this gift an epic fail”.
Oreo Multipacks Fall From 72 Cookies to 40
The store display compares an older Oreo multipack containing 72 cookies with a newer package containing only 40. The price reportedly increased as well. Reddit user HaoieZ comments that “Even for shrinkflation this is incredibly blatant. Almost half gone!”
A Share-Size Almond Bag Is Mostly Empty
The photo shows a $3.99 Blue Diamond almond bag that appears large from the outside but contains an amount small enough to fit in one hand. Reddit user reightb comments that “share as in shareholder”.
Toblerone Widens the Gaps Between Its Peaks
The image compares an older Toblerone bar with a newer version featuring dramatically wider gaps between its chocolate triangles. Reddit user H377Spawn comments that “When I was a kid, between the gap being so small and the triangles being so thick it could be surprisingly hard to bust off a chunk”.
Quality Street Tubs Keep Shrinking Through the Decades
A visual timeline compares Quality Street containers from several decades, with each generation becoming noticeably smaller. Reddit user capebretoncanadian comments that “The quality of chocolate has gone down as well”.
A Smaller Drink Can Appears at the Same Price
The photo from an Austrian store shows drink cans in different sizes with confusing pricing, suggesting the smaller format may be replacing the traditional one. Reddit user Tapeworm1979 comments that “I hate the small ones. Totally pointless size”.
