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8th March 2024
05:15pm GMT
An Australian mother has shared her outrage after spending a tenner on a box of cereal.
Renee, from the state of Victoria in Australia, shared her experience on Facebook and posted an image of the meagre sack of cereal that emerged from the overpriced box of Froot Loops that she purchased.
She revealed that her kids refuse to eat any other cereal so she is left with little choice but to purchase the sugary Kellogg's product every week. As if the $10 (£5) price tag on the product wasn't a difficult enough pill to swallow, opening the bag to find that there was only about two bowls worth inside must have felt like a gut punch.
The post comes at a time when shoppers have been noticing increases in the prices of everyday items at the supermarket, with more and more items falling victim to 'shrinkflation'.
Customers have been left furious after being charged the same amount of money for products that have been cut short of their regular amount.
Renee told the Femail: "It's highway robbery. I know we pay based on weight, but $10 for that amount is ridiculous.
"I'll only buy it when it's on special from now on, because I'll be lucky if the box lasts a week with my family of four," she added.
Many users on Facebook shared the same sentiment.
"Oh my god. The bags use to be almost full," one individual said.
Another added: "Everything is like that these days it's ridiculous and a rip off. I can't understand how companies get away with charging $10 for cereal at all."
Others offered advice on how not to 'cheat the system'.
"I purchase my cereals when they are half-price. They usually go on a six-week cycle so I get enough to last until the next special. It's like buying a packet of chips. Five chips and a bag full of air," one individual said.
Another recommended a cheaper but similar Aldi version of the popular cereal, and assured Renee you get a lot more bang for your buck with the alternative.
"Chocopop at Aldi is bigger if you want something else. It's almost the actual size of the box," they said.
Economists have discovered that over the last couple of years, companies have been steadily raising their prices by stealthily charging the same amount of money, or even more, for ever-smaller portions of their products.
A study conducted by American think tank Groundwork Collective revealed that consumers are more sensitive to price changes than size changes.
They added that such "deceptive pricing practices like junk fees and 'shrinkflation' are exploitative and should be curtailed."
That's a statement Renee from Victoria would undoubtedly agree with. Her only other hope of avoiding exorbitant Froot Loops in the future is to try and get her little ones into porridge instead.
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