# Retail crap that's pissing me off **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 11, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620 "2012-05-11T15:51:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/81 "2012-05-14T16:13:12Z")
True - I’ve often been asked for my ZIP when I’m traveling far from my home address, and almost never here around town. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/82 "2012-05-14T16:20:48Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > True - I’ve often been asked for my ZIP when I’m traveling far from my home address, and almost never here around town. Just about every gasoline pump will ask you for your zip now, if you’re paying with a credit card. A block away, or halfway across the country. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/83 "2012-05-14T17:52:55Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > How funny you should post this! I was just thinking about that very thing. It annoys the crap out of me. NOT that the company has to charge more for their product (though yeah, annoying), but that they think they’re so sneaky about it. For instance a jar of something or another that has a large concave bottom so that it looks as if it contains more product. > > Just be honest. If you have to raise the price, raise the price, don’t stealthily keep reducing package sizes and appearances as if we’re stupid or something. > > Grrrrrr! The problem with this is that if you are the company that does this, you will lose business more than the company that just uses the shrink ray. I work with this stuff as my job. You don’t think these companies don’t test this? They do, and the overwhelming behavior of customers is to punish the company that raises prices but keeps the size of the package the same. I agree with you all…I wish they would just raise prices. However, we are not normal it seems. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/84 "2012-05-14T18:59:53Z")
I love the ads for the Hershey candies they’re calling “Air Delight” or some such. They’re filling the bar with air, telling you it’s full of air, making it the same size as a regular, non-aerated bar, and charging you the same for something that’s an ounce or two lighter. Oh yes, I would like to buy a mouthful of air, please!! Not deceptive, but it still cracks me up. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/85 "2012-05-14T19:46:07Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I love the ads for the Hershey candies they’re calling “Air Delight” or some such. They’re filling the bar with air, telling you it’s full of air, making it the same size as a regular, non-aerated bar, and charging you the same for something that’s an ounce or two lighter. Oh yes, I would like to buy a mouthful of air, please!! > Not deceptive, but it still cracks me up. Almost as bad as whipped cream cheese, which you can actually make at home. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/86 "2012-05-14T20:20:50Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I remember when Dannon cut the amount of their yogurt from 8 to 6 ounces, the container actually advertised the fact that you now had more room to add your favorite mix-ins like granola, raisins, or whatever. :rolleyes: Not true if your favorite mix-in is more yogurt. For a while, my favorite brand of yogurt advertised “Still 8oz!” while all the other brands were shrinking. Then they caved and went to the 6oz size. That was the last time I bought yogurt. Guess they didn’t want my business bad enough. In my mind, a six oz yogurt is barely worth the effort of tearing off the foil lid. A recent bit of marketing that has me shaking my head is the return of the 12 and 16 ounce soda bottles, this time marketed as “right-sized” or some such crap. But, of course, disproportionately priced in terms of what you get. My grocery store was selling cute, retro 8 ounce Cokes at the head of their checkouts, when you could probably have bought a full liter bottle for not much more in the soda aisle. I’m assuming that this trend is largely due to the fact that carting around enormous amounts of heavily sugared water is pretty expensive in the days of $4.00 gasoline. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/87 "2012-05-14T20:40:59Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Just about every gasoline pump will ask you for your zip now, if you’re paying with a credit card. A block away, or halfway across the country. Not in my neck o’ the woods. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/88 "2012-05-14T21:18:22Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Not in my neck o’ the woods. ETA: You’re lucky. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/89 "2012-05-14T21:23:20Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I love the ads for the Hershey candies they’re calling “Air Delight” or some such. They’re filling the bar with air, telling you it’s full of air, making it the same size as a regular, non-aerated bar, and charging you the same for something that’s an ounce or two lighter. Oh yes, I would like to buy a mouthful of air, please!! > Not deceptive, but it still cracks me up. That one I don’t mind. I mean, I haven’t tried it yet, but if it gives me more chocolate mouthfeel with fewer chocolate calories, sign me up. But then, I liked 3 Musketeers even before I cared about calories. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/90 "2012-05-14T21:41:04Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Almost as bad as whipped cream cheese, which you can actually make at home. Check out the cans of icing - you can buy a can of icing, or you can buy a can of whipped icing (with extra air) for the same price. I’ll take the can without all the added air, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/91 "2012-05-14T23:10:06Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Almost as bad as whipped cream cheese, which you can actually make at home. They are actually copying a British product (“Aero” Chocolate Bars)-which have been around for decades. Since chocolate bars are sold by weight, what’s the big deal? ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/92 "2012-05-14T23:39:03Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Just about every gasoline pump will ask you for your zip now, if you’re paying with a credit card. A block away, or halfway across the country. I think that is to help with credit card theft. The card companies prefer the retailer to see the card and if they don’t, they’re supposed to get some kind of ID. So I don’t mind that. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/93 "2012-05-15T00:37:40Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > They are actually copying a British product (“Aero” Chocolate Bars)-which have been around for decades. > Since chocolate bars are sold by weight, what’s the big deal? I’m not particularly bothered by it at all. kayT: That’s precisely why they do it. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/94 "2012-05-15T00:41:27Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Since chocolate bars are sold by weight, what’s the big deal? 😕 I’ve always paid by the bar. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/95 "2012-05-15T02:04:30Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > …I know that I have to look very carefully at what is on sale and not just grab the item that _appears_ to be on sale… Am I the only one who matches up SKU numbers? Just look under the bar code on the item and match up the number with the tag on the shelf. I got in the habit at office supply stores where a “letter-size padfolio” and a “business portfolio” look almost the same and are shelved in amongst each other, but are $10 different in price. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/96 "2012-05-15T02:44:35Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Am I the only one who matches up SKU numbers? Just look under the bar code on the item and match up the number with the tag on the shelf. I got in the habit at office supply stores where a “letter-size padfolio” and a “business portfolio” look almost the same and are shelved in amongst each other, but are $10 different in price. No you are not. But that’s because if I make a mistake and grab the wrong item, I blame myself, not the store, and I don’t like to repeat mistakes more than 5 times. Too many new mistakes to find and make. > [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > I work with this stuff as my job. You don’t think these companies don’t test this? They do, and the overwhelming behavior of customers is to punish the company that raises prices but keeps the size of the package the same. Consumer actions, which are often quite different than their words, inform lots of decisions. For the most part, consumers are price sensitive, and react better to getting less for the same price than getting the same for a higher price. I blame the current state of airline travel (once one passes the TSA) on this. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/97 "2012-05-15T03:54:12Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > . . . "99 cents each! > If you buy 10 or more. . . . FWIW, the three major grocery supermarket chains in my area all allow the lower price for smaller quantities too, in at least some cases. I asked the clerk, “Do I actually have to buy ten?” He said, “Nope. Same price.” It might be different in other stores? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/98 "2012-05-15T10:37:31Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > They are actually copying a British product (“Aero” Chocolate Bars)-which have been around for decades. > Since chocolate bars are sold by weight, what’s the big deal? They’re not sold by weight in my grocery store. The candy bars by the register are all $1.09 - when I saw these air bars, I checked the weight compared to a regular Hershey bar and if I recall correctly, it was 10-15% less. So per unit weight, the air whipped candies cost more. Not that it mattered to me - I wasn’t buying candy anyway. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/99 "2012-05-15T16:31:43Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I wasn’t buying candy anyway. How odd…😛 ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620/100 "2012-05-15T17:02:30Z")
> [@BorgHunter](#): > > You’re obviously not a programmer. Zero indexing is perfectly intuitive for us propeller-heads. That said, I can’t imagine why laundry detergent companies would want to pander to us in particular. They must be going for the C, Java, or Perl developer market. Maybe people who program in Fortran are too old to buy their own laundry detergent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-crap-thats-pissing-me-off/621620.md?page=6)