# Partially empty food containers, does the scam really work?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partially-empty-food-containers-does-the-scam-really-work/666783>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 21, 2013, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partially-empty-food-containers-does-the-scam-really-work/666783 "2013-08-21T07:45:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partially-empty-food-containers-does-the-scam-really-work/666783/21 "2013-08-23T18:16:26Z")

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Buy Blue Bell ice cream. [http://bluebell.com/the\_little\_creamery/still\_a\_half\_gallon.html](http://bluebell.com/the_little_creamery/still_a_half_gallon.html)

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**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partially-empty-food-containers-does-the-scam-really-work/666783/22 "2013-08-23T18:54:46Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> The point with chip companies is to sell chips and not crumbs. The air in the bag cushions the chips so fewer break.

Aren’t the bags filled with nitrogen to prevent spoilage also?

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**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partially-empty-food-containers-does-the-scam-really-work/666783/23 "2013-08-28T19:49:56Z")

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> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#):
>
> Buy Blue Bell ice cream. [http://bluebell.com/the\_little\_creamery/still\_a\_half\_gallon.html](http://bluebell.com/the_little_creamery/still_a_half_gallon.html)

I just came by to post that. Confirmed at the store, still sold in half-gallon containers.

> [@terentii](#):
>
> Aren’t the bags filled with nitrogen to prevent spoilage also?

Yes.

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/partially-empty-food-containers-does-the-scam-really-work/666783/24 "2013-08-28T21:10:23Z")

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> [@thinksnow](#):
>
> Ice cream was sneaky about it.

I don’t know about the US but over here, ice cream is sold by volume, not weight, so it pays to make the ice cream as airy as possible, for which we can genuinely blame Mrs Thatcher as she invented the process when she was a chemist.

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