Less included, price the same – or even more expensive. So far, the deceptive packaging phenomenon has mainly occurred with well-known branded products. In the meantime, however, the own brands of supermarkets and discounters are also increasingly affected, as the Hamburg consumer advice center reveals.

Reducing the portion sizes of consumables, or filling a smaller amount to hide inflation, is called shrinkflation. So far, well-known branded products have been particularly affected by hidden price increases based on the principle of “fewer in it, price the same”. But in view of the current situation, the so-called shrinkflation is also being used more and more often by supermarkets and discounters to covertly increase the prices for products of their own brands, explains the Hamburg Consumer Center (VZHH).

And so consumer advocates have recently received significantly more complaints about private labels. Some of numerous examples of the scam list that customers have reported. The significantly increased number of double price increases on the negative list also shows that the retail trade is turning prices more strongly. This means products in which not only the filling quantity has been reduced, but the price has also been increased by retailers. While this has affected an average of 18 percent of the articles included in the last two years, it will already be around 35 percent in the first half of 2022.

“The increased raw material and energy costs for the production of private labels should be passed on to customers without alienating them entirely. After all, many supermarkets and discounters advertise the low prices of their own brands,” explains Armin Valet from the Hamburg consumer advice center. “Content shrinking is therefore the method of choice.” This mainly affects customers who, for financial reasons, choose cheaper no-name products.

And as a result, several products will receive the VZHH’s negative price cheat pack of the month this month. Here you are:

Consumers often have to be annoyed about hidden price increases. Assuming they discover them too. The VZHH offers the opportunity to draw attention to products with which customers are deceived in this way (less content for the same price). She then makes these products public and chooses them the deceptive pack of the month and of the year.

(This article was first published on Tuesday, June 28, 2022.)