B
Bruzilla
Guest
They have to do something to screw it up! I read an article last week that described how Wal Mart had been able to keep it's food prices steady, or even lower, by forcing suppliers to use smarter packaging strategies. The article mentioned things like cereal boxes that are never filled to the top since the weight of the product isn't enough to fill the box that size, and the cereal makers want a bigger box to have a better shelf presence. Wal Mart is directing suppliers to use smaller packaging, with more product and less air, which requires less space and weight to transport and results in lower costs. And in return, Wal Mart will ensure that suppliers do not lose any shelf real estate with the smaller boxes. Seems like a great plan right?
Yesterday I go to WalMart and went to buy some pasta. I always use the store brand bowtie pasta to make spaghetti. I saw that the boxes were smaller, and the price was the same it always has been, so the plan must be working. I go home, make the spaghetti, and suddenly there's not enough for everyone. How can this be? I look at the box and see why. The box is smaller, and looks exactly like it always has, except for the weight. It no longers says 16 ounces, but 12 ounces! Who sells 12 ounces of pasta? It's always been sold as 8, 16, or 32 ounces. So WalMart didn't just reduce the size of the box, they reduced the contents by 25 percent and kept the price the same.
I saw this same thing last year when Wal Mart quietly took all the 5-pound bags of sugar off the shelf and replaced them with 4-lb bags at the same price as the 5-pound. After people complained they went back to selling 5-pounds, but I wonder what else those sneaky folks are getting away with.
Yesterday I go to WalMart and went to buy some pasta. I always use the store brand bowtie pasta to make spaghetti. I saw that the boxes were smaller, and the price was the same it always has been, so the plan must be working. I go home, make the spaghetti, and suddenly there's not enough for everyone. How can this be? I look at the box and see why. The box is smaller, and looks exactly like it always has, except for the weight. It no longers says 16 ounces, but 12 ounces! Who sells 12 ounces of pasta? It's always been sold as 8, 16, or 32 ounces. So WalMart didn't just reduce the size of the box, they reduced the contents by 25 percent and kept the price the same.
I saw this same thing last year when Wal Mart quietly took all the 5-pound bags of sugar off the shelf and replaced them with 4-lb bags at the same price as the 5-pound. After people complained they went back to selling 5-pounds, but I wonder what else those sneaky folks are getting away with.
