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Shrinkflation, explained: Why it feels like goods from food to toilet paper are running out faster

Bottles of Gatorade are pictured, left, a 32 fluid ounce and 28 fluid ounce, in Glenside, Pa., Monday, June 6, 2022. (Matt Rourke/AP)
Bottles of Gatorade are pictured, left, a 32 fluid ounce and 28 fluid ounce, in Glenside, Pa., Monday, June 6, 2022. (Matt Rourke/AP)

Did you ever get that feeling that your detergents, deodorant, cereal — even your toilet paper — isn’t lasting as long as it used to? Welcome to the world of shrinkflation, the practice of making packaging smaller or keeping them the same size and putting less into it.

For many, it’s frustrating. But for Edgar Dworsky, perhaps the only person in the country actively studying and documenting the phenomenon, rooting out shrinkflation is a kind of mission.

Dworsky is founder and editor of Consumer World where he writes about consumer issues, providing tips and cautions. He’s also former director of consumer affairs education at the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs. He joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to talk about shrinkflation, how to recognize it and why it’s happening.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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