shrinkflation

shrinkflation

English

Etymology

Blend of shrink +‎ inflation. Popularized by economist Pippa Malmgren.[1]

Noun

shrinkflation (uncountable)

1. (economics, informal, neologism) The practice of making products smaller while continuing to market them at the same price.
   • 2016, Andy Dawson, Get in the Sea!: An Apoplectic Guide to Modern Life, p. 106:

     Chocolate bars are just the thin end of the wedge, though, and shrinkflation is happening in products right across the board.

   • 2021, Rosalind Masterson, ‎Nichola Phillips, ‎and David Pickton, Marketing: An Introduction, p. 489:

     According to the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), shrinkflation most commonly affects food, drink and household products such as toilet rolls, nappies, tissues and washing-up liquid.

   • 2022 May 18, Caitlin Cassidy, “Shrinkflation bites: popular food brands quietly downsize while charging same price or more”, in The Guardian‎:

     Major cereal brand Kelloggs has also been accused of shrinkflation. Since 2019, the company had moved from selling 670 gram Crunchy Nut boxes for $6 to selling 640 gram boxes at $9 a pop, Choice found.

Related terms

• skimpflation

Translations

Translations

Azerbaijani: şrinkflyasiya Catalan: reduflació (ca) f French: réduflation (fr) f Galician: reduflación f German: Shrinkflation f, Schrumpflation f Hungarian: zsugorfláció Norwegian: Bokmål: krympflasjon m Portuguese: reduflação f Russian: шринкфляция (ru) f (šrinkfljacija) Spanish: reduflación f Swedish: krympflation (sv) c Ukrainian: шрінкфляція f (šrinkfljacija)

References

1. “That Shrinking Feeling”, in Merriam-Webster‎, 2022