what cost cutting measures have you seen in every day items...aside from smaller quantities for same

[greenbriar]

Velveeta used to have KRAFT all over the foil wrapping and it used to be shut down the middle and easy to open and re open now it rips and tears and there is no KRAFT all over it


I noticed the same on caramel wrappers too, no wording and thinner, cheaper wrappings



Tomatos cans used to have a pull top and now they don't



what else have you noticed

edit to add:

I think it is good that companies are doing things like this in order to save money instead of putting it all on the consumer

[Cal Carpenter]

1. My energy bill is printed in black and white

The bills used have blue and red ink on them too (borders and graphics) but now it's all in black ink.

Obviously, this makes no difference to me, but it's something I noticed the last few months.

[Gwendolyn]

20. Yes, and companies give rewards and encourage people to do business on line.

[Bonobo]

2. Some Wii manuals are now only a few pages rather than 20-25.

Weird example, I know... But it IS because of the economy. Insider info.

[Fumesucker]

21. What are these "manuals" of which you speak?

:shrug:

[Bonobo]

26. Game instruction manuals, Fumey. nt

[noamnety]

3. tomatoes used to have pull tops?

I would like to grow that variety - if anyone has seeds for those, please pm me.


Edit: boo to you for editing your original post. :D

[greenbriar]

11. sorry

but your post made me look and it indeed was not clear

[nc4bo]

4. I hate to bring up evil Walmart but

we do find some deals on grocery items in there. The coffee that used to come in red cans is now in white cans then I noticed that all their grocery items are changing over to white labeling.

Plastic jars and bottles seem thinner/more flimsy.

[greenbriar]

12. have noticed this

too

[demigoddess]

35. OMG!!! that reminds me of the seventies recession!! there was a short-lived

move to introduce generic food in cans with black and white labels. they were supposed to be cheaper than the name brands. Wow what a flash from the past. haven't thought about it in years!!

[Epiphany4z]

5. less variety on the shelves

even wally world is not stocking as much...I do try not to go there but when I have to I have noticed less variety and they keep are cutting back on how many lights are on...

[madmom]

23. All the new walmarts have energy efficient lighting. I don't know if they are solar but

they dim and brighten automatically according to amount of natural light available, cloud cover, darkness etc.

[Epiphany4z]

24. ahh that explains a lot

lol I think they have it set to sensitive for ohio weather....the results is the lights nearly flicker they go on and off so much

[Odin2005]

30. I noticed that at the new Super-Walmart here.

I thought it was kinda cool, actually.

[Arugula Latte]

6. Shrinking sizes of packaging -- cereal, tuna cans, ice cream cartons, etc.

[greenbriar]

7. speaking of tuna, I remember when there were actually chunks

in the can

now it looks like a bunch of flecks

[Arugula Latte]

8. Yes, they tend to fill it with water.

However, it seems to somewhat depends on the brand. Also, albacore is still "chunky."

[kestrel91316]

14. The latest can of Chicken of the Sea I bought was more like TUNA SOUP.

:mad:

[shraby]

15. That is hidden inflation for the consumer. The gov't says

no inflation, so seniors get no cola even though they are getting much less for their money.

[Horse with no Name]

27. Canned chili looks like brown water with a few chunky

meat-like things thrown in for consistency.

[Autumn]

9. Bleach and laundry detergent don't

work as well as they used to. I have a Spanish lace table cloth and napkins that I use for holiday dinners,if something was dripped on it I would dab bleach on the spot and wash it and it would come out stain free. Not anymore.

[Horse with no Name]

28. I noticed that too

In fact, I would bet a dollar to a dime that the "new" detergent boosters that are out (Tide notably) are basically just the detergent that they took out. Just a way to get you to buy another product to BOOST the original product.

[laundry_queen]

36. This is a huge pet peeve of mine.

When I was a kid, my mom would throw all of our clothes in the wash once, and they came out clean. If there was something stubborn - like a grass stain - she would spray it, let it sit 5 minutes and throw it back in. Grass stain was always gone. A bottle of stain remover would last her all year.

Now I have kids and I have yet to see any stains come out the first time. I use water softener, detergent booster and stain sprays regularly. I go through bottles and bottles of that stuff. I've tried every single stain remedy, natural and not, and still have problems with certain things. And forget bleach - if anything, it makes yellow splotches appear on everything. It's all a fricken rip off. :mad:

[conscious evolution]

10. Dishwashing liquid

seems to be less viscous these days.
It used to be a lot thicker.Now it is very watery.

[kestrel91316]

13. I buy a lot of items in bulk. I have noticed the largest sizes of things have been

downsized like all the others, so my ability to save is greatly reduced. But I'm sure this is wonderful for the CORPORATE bottom line. They will probably eventually sell things in only one small size and tell consumers "tough shit if you don't like it".

Sigh.

[conscious evolution]

16. Marlboros

Last year I switched from Marlboros to Winstons.
A couple of weeks ago I bought Marlboros because the store was out of Winstons,
I noticed that A:The Cigarrettes were shorter and B:The filter was shorter.

[greenbriar]

17. and the FSC

sucks

[conscious evolution]

18. FSC ?

[greenbriar]

19. Fire Safe Cigs

the cherry goes out all the time and the taste is different

[alfredo]

22. Even less topping on Domino's pizza.

I didn't buy it, I wouldn't even if they were the only pizza in town. It was at a meeting I attended.

[Vinca]

25. I primarily shop at Hannaford's and I've noticed they're coming out with

more and more house brand products which are a little cheaper. The good news is that with few exceptions they're pretty good quality-wise.

[Odin2005]

29. Thinner, flimsier plastic green tea bottles in the 12-packs!

:grr:

[DireStrike]

31. Clothes get thinner and less durable every year.

I work at a large clothing chain. Haven't been there long, but my coworkers who have say this is so. I can compare the articles I bought from them 5 years ago (which I still have, and wear frequently) to the ones one or two years ago (with holes in them).

[blues90]

32. canned salmon

This is just one thing of so may . It looks like they use the can to punch a hole anywhere in the entire fish so what you get is backbone and skin and more bone and plenty of those tiny ribs. At best one third of the can is usefull.

[greenbriar]

33. my mom eats the bones

or at least she used to when she would make salmon patties

[blues90]

34. I forgot all about salmon patties

This was once a cheap meal when I was a kid in the 50's that and meatloaf that was 60% bread to spread it out more. Tomato soup with 60% saltines was another dinner we use to have.

I wish they would make car tires out of that indestructable plastic they use to seal the cheerios, There is no way you can break that seal or tear it by hand.

[laundry_queen]

37. Here's a strange one.

I've noticed the bendy straws I buy are shorter. Not by much. Maybe by 1/2 an inch. But now the bendy part is inside my glass. Annoying.

I've noticed thing at all lasts any amount of time. Especially small appliances. Planned obsolescence is seriously putting a dent in my budget.

It irks me that a lot of cost saving measures are being called 'environmental'changes. It makes me laugh - because although things like 'going paperless' with your bills is better for the environment, the only reason the companies go for it is because it helps their bottom line. Less paper, less postage. Too bad none of the savings are passed on to the consumer.