30 Examples Of Packaging So Misleading, It’s Basically A Scam, As Shared On This Online Community
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines slack-fill as the difference between the size of a container and the volume of product contained therein. And while the agency does try to hunt down the misleading ones that do not allow the consumer to fully view its contents, every potato chips lover would tell you that they still hit the shelves.
Luckily, there's the r/NonFunctionSlackFill subreddit that works hard to expose them — its 49.1K members regularly share pictures of packages looking like they were intentionally designed to lure away our money. Continue scrolling to check out the most infuriating examples.
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Buoyancy
We got in touch with one of the moderators of the subreddit and, judging from the chat we had, the community is pretty civil and inclusive too.
"Most of the work I do is [just] removing things that aren't actually nonfunctional slack fill, like packaging for medical products," they told Bored Panda.
"A wide variety of products are posted here, but I see candy and beauty/hygiene products posted most often," the moderator added.
Biggest Letdown I’ve Had In A While
Only Function Here Is To Trick You Into Thinking It's A Bottle
According to Nina van Toulon, the initiator of the Indonesian Platform for Prevention and Management of Waste, some slack-fill is needed.
"One valid reason for functional slack-fill is product protection," she explained. "Good examples are packages filled with chips or cookies. The extra space prevents damage to the product by outside pressure. Without this empty space, your product would crumble."
"Another valid reason is avoiding product loss due to spilling when opening the package," she added.
Does This Count?
This Bamboozling Package
Another reason is called settling. "Some products fill up a package at production time and the product 'settles' to a lower level inside the packaging over time, for example, flour."
"[One more] technical reason is the closing process of the packaging after it is filled in a production line," van Toulon continued. "There needs to be an allowance of extra material to seal the packaging properly, which in some cases (and depending on the type of packaging) results in some empty space."
Not Buying This Kind Of Box From Michaels Again
Why Do You Have To Play Me Like That?
Bath Bombs
I Know Popcorn Is Mostly Air, But
However, as we can see, sometimes there's simply too much slack-fill. "Non-functional slack-fill is a neglected topic. Publications on regulating slack-fill [are] scarce and U.S. lawsuits are mostly related to misleading consumers and not to the unnecessary use of materials, of which the majority of certain packaging materials is not effectively being recycled," van Toulon said.
Why Is This Not Illegal
I've seen this type of packaging in Finland. I suppose it's fine as long as the package says the content volume on the outside of the package. E.g. 15 ml.
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Many companies so this for smaller items for 2 reasons: 1. So it's more substantial and therefore harder to steal 2. For medical or skin care products they may do it for more space to list ingredients or directions, other things required to be on the packaging. Or a combo of both?
This is partly necessary due to the amount of product information (including ingredients) that by law have to be on the packaging.
Shoplifting reasons. The larger the packaging the harder it is to steal. Very expensive makeups and lotions do this. Still annoying tho🤦🏼♀️😳
In Canada, we have English and French on all labels. I swear some of our packaging is oversized solely to have enough room for it all. Especially medication and personal care products.
Because you need to go by weights and measures not by eyeballing the package. As long as the weight matches it's legal. Also why I compare price per ounce in the grocery store. It's not always cheaper to buy 1 large size vs 2 small.
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Actually I don't think it's illegal 🤔 If the outer packaging tells you how many milliliters there are, I believe they're "safe". I've seen this here in Norway, and it might be because it's way more expensive to make a machine that produces many different sized boxes.
Yes, I was completely baffled. How is this ok? This is a complete rip off
It’s a tiny tube; easy to lose, easy for shoplifters to cart away in their hand-to-pocket. Packaging needs to have some bulk so tiny products don’t get lost or easily stolen.
Now when it comes to cosmetics , this is the norm, the box packaging and product containers always rip you off!
I’m guessing that b/c they likely have the ounces printed on the pkg. Like the avg consumer could make sense of THAT!!!
Always look at the weight and/or fluid amount. If it doesn't reasonably match the packaging. Then don't buy or open it up.
One of the biggest reasons they do things like this for expense items id that if it were left in a small package, it gets easily pocketed by theives, making the need to package with larger boxed or lock up of product to avoid rising costs for the store or store closings due to loss of profit...quite unfortunately.
Because America believes in total capitalism! And if that means cheating the customer...
Oh yea I've gotten over the counter face cream/acne medication like that before
This is why we have climate change. All this c**p is being dumped and if lucky will degrade. Why not package for the size? Why does the company feel the need to defraud? Maybe cause,if we saw the actual size they'd be forced to lower th we price.
This sort of 'marketing' behaviour highlights the disparity between 'capitalism' and US GOP 'winner takes all' capitalism!!
But as long as they say how much (grams/ml) is inside it's ok with me.
thats bs cuz i have proactiv products i got a few months ago
Load More Replies...This "Box" Of Beef Jerky
The Solar Panel Of My Flashlight Came Off And Reveals A Block Of Concrete To Make It Feel More Well-Built And Heavy
They do something similar with Beats by Dre. The technology is very lightweight, but people want heft.
A Yard Of Snickers. Sorry, But I Tore Out The Cardboard Flaps That Kept Them Centered
One reason why we see so much of it, according to the expert, boils down to the producers trying to create a feeling of "more value for your money."
"Consumers need to rely on the amount of grams or pieces printed on the packaging when the product is ... in non-transparent packaging," van Toulon highlighted. "When the number of pieces is mentioned, it is clear what you get for your money."
Another reason why companies do this is trying to stand taller than their competitors' products on the store shelves.
Sales Genius
An Airport Sandwich At Its Finest!
These Were £5...guess I Should Have Checked The Weight. 330ml Coke For Scale
From what they've seen managing the subreddit, the moderator of r/NonFunctionSlackFillI thinks it's usually a mix of these things.
"I believe that companies see it as a way to cut costs by not producing as much product, but also as a way to do so without losing out on the share of consumers who walk down the aisle," they said.
"The average consumer is not reading the small weight or volume label on each product, and companies know that. The additional advertising space is certainly a bonus they get for doing that as well."
This Jumbo Tube Is Only Filled To The Letter E
I promise I'm not trying to be rude! But people actually enjoy these? When I eat them I'm having the worst time of my life until they turn sweet!
Xtreme Asshole I'd Say
I Get That Samples Are Samples, But What A Waste Of Plastic
Once You Turn This Jar Of Sprinkles Upside Down, You See The Real Quantity
The packages we see in the pictures should be downsized not only because it misleads the buyers. "The unnecessary and excessive use of packaging aggravates the climate, waste, and plastic pollution crises, at all stages from resource extraction, production, distribution, transport in collection systems, landfilling, incineration, and recycling," van Toulon said.
Coloring Book For My Son
You Can Probably Imagine My Daughter's Disappointment When We Opened Up This Crayola "Super Art Tub"
TBH this one says what's included and doesn't lie about the sizes. It's packaged so you can see all of the contents easily and the plastic bin is to store the supplies. If everything was packaged tightly, you'd be less drawn to it to purchase it. Also, this way you get a nicer sized storage container.
An Entire Box Of Ice Creams Like This
"Mismanaged waste which has no or low recycling properties creates additional burdens such as open burning of flexible packaging, a practice which is widespread in most parts of Asia and Africa. This causes CO2, black carbon, and toxic emissions. Aggravating those burdens by using unnecessary packaging is unethical."
The activist calls consumers to be proactive and voice their disappointment to either the authorities, manufacturers, or distributors whenever they feel like they get too much slack fill. She also encourages letting each other know about these products so that we can simply choose not to buy them and hurt the demand. Something tells me van Toulon might be one of r/NonFunctionSlackFill's members!
2/5 Away
There’s Just Enough To Fit In The Window
$20 For 11 Chocolates. Happy Valentines
Right?! I only indulge in chocolate once a month and decided to get myself some fancy assorted chocolates... well, there were like 8 little pieces for a box costing $12. I felt every emotion that day....
Just Enough To Make It To The Line
"Fruit Bread"
An Entire Tin Containing 8 Mini Snickers
This Vegan Ground Meat
My “Ham” Sandwich From My Old School
Why So Much Space Between Cookies?
Buying A Solid Milk Chocolate Stanley Cup? Surely You Only Expected Half Of One
Why Have Empty Blister Packages At All??
Target Was Having A Toothpaste ‘Sale’ And This Is What I Got
What A Nice Bucket Full Of... Nevermind
I Should Have Just Hung A Real Play-Doh Container. Penny For Scale
Disney Leaves The Inside Of Their $6 Icecream Hollow
Okay, but I kinda expect this kind of cràp from Disney. EDIT: Oh for goddess sake, BP! CRÀP is NOT a curse word!
Went To Poundland And Had The Choice Between These And After Eights, Got These Cause They We're Bigger, I Paid For Air
I've Got A Beef With The Size Of This Brisket vs. The Box It Came In
This Giant Smarties Egg Has A Total Of 30 Smarties
A Solid Half Cup Missing
Srhiiiiink....you know what, I'm not even gonna say it again, lol.
Bigger Portions!
This Was $70. F**k Me For Buying It Without Reading The Quantity I Guess
I Texted This To My Partner And He Texted Back A Link To You Guys
This Is Toothpaste! Why Pretend It’s Bigger Than It Is?!
These Rolo Chocolates From The UK
I definitely won't be giving anyone my last Rolo if that's all you get in the tube.
It Was A Sample. There Was No Need For Misleading Packaging
Baklava Bought At The Airport, Packaging Designed To Use Waste Space
Empty Spots Hidden By Packaging On Razors
Crappy Houdini Corkscrew Seems Weighty And High-Quality Due To Hidden Hunk Of Cement In The Package. Magic!
I Paid Way Too Much To Be Bamboozled Like This
Do Lesser Versions Of A Product Being Hidden By A Label Count?
It's odd to see strawberries packaged like eggs or chocolates.
This Box Of Nail Repair
Not So Much Moleskin
Some Of The Fine Folk Over At R/A*sholedesign Have Yet To Fully Grasp The Truly Deceitful Nature Of Our Nemesis
Giant Box Of Crayons
When It Takes A Large Box To Fit Two Tiny Pills
Hey Trader Joe’s, This Is Some Bullsh*t!
Brought Some From Nz Since It's Not Widely Available In My Country. Apparently Only Half The Box Contains Chocolates
The New Paper Cups From Dunkin Donuts Are Already Smaller But They Had To Add This
This Kit Must Be Huge
Gotta Let These Breathe Apparently
This Giant Hershey Kiss That’s Hollow Inside
Notice All The Strong Indicators That It Would Be A Meter Of Chocolate Without Actually Saying So
This Little Flap Covering What Could’ve Been Another 140 Balloons
Bowl Of Candy
Grampa Bought Some Paper Clips. To Their Credit, It Does Say "Contains 50 Paperclips" On The Back Of The Box, But
Brand New Pack Of Razors
What I Thought I Was Getting vs. What I Actually Got
As Usual Its A Kids Toy, The Centre Of The Tub Has A Foam Insert Taking About A Third Of The Total Volume
I’d Say The Contents Were About As Much As Those Little Bags Of Pretzels From The Airline
Have Protein Containers Been Posted Before? This Is Brand New And It’s Maybe 45% Full
Kim I unfortunately can only up vote one time but I can at least for now still see your comment
Some Pricy Oil To Be Pulling This Stunt
This one I get it's kinda like the divot in a lot of wine bottles it actually makes the glass sturdier
Been Sitting On This One That I Got For Christmas
And It’s Not Like The Bag Was Mostly Filled With Air... But It Sure Was Close. Box It Came In For Comparison
It Would Be Cruel To Keep Them Confined In A Tiny Box
They could have easily separated that with something besides plastic to keep it from becoming a solid clump
Gingerbread Dough
Maya, apparently people don't want to put in the effort so bad that they even got offended with you pointing it out 🙄
Andes Mints Are On The Naughty List
It's Not Even Tasty
I think that's to keep the bottom protected in case the box gets dropped.
Mackerel
New Oreos Come With Gaps In Packaging
Was Wondering Why A Big Bag Was Less Than $2. At Least It Was Cheap
it was really "TWISTED" (quaote from packaging) that they did that.
Totally Thought It Was A Three Pack
Packaging like this should be illegal, total waste of resources and energy during production, conning the public in to thinking they are getting a good deal. You just know that if those behind the ideas were treated the same over a holiday,car etc they would scream blue murder.
Absolutely. And the conning bit - are these all companies aimed at fooling every person exactly once? Is repeat business not a fairly crucial element for most businesses?
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A lot of the products do say the actual quantities, BUT the waste of packaging is a joke. If toothpaste is that size, use a smaller box and the makeup and pills is disgraceful.
Why does toothpaste even need a box packaging?
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What pisses me off is how deliberate it is. Someone had to design those oddly shaped packages and the labels that cover things just right. What do they tell themselves in order to sleep at night?
"Maybe I'll get that big marketing promotion position with that package design I did last week"?
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It's time we started thinking of penalties for companies that resort to such deception. Harsh penalties.
why? If you dont check the weight of a product its on you.
Load More Replies... In the EU countries, it is forbidden to use misleading packaging. In addition, they must always state the price per piece or per 100 grams on the price tag, so that you can compare the price with competing products. I would be furious if someone took my a$$, if I was subjected to what you are subjected to as buyers.
The main thing I'm seeing here is less of a product than the package lets on to. However, most of the time it will state ON THE PACKAGE how much of the product is inside it. Read the package before you buy and it'll save you a lot of headache!
So the markers saying 150 pieces is on us because naturally the caps count as a piece right?
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Yes and it’s only up to the customer to not buy products with plastic waste and manufacturers have absolutely no fault whatsoever.
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I would like to say on a positive note, I ordered a kilo packet of Cadbury's mini eggs, and you have no idea just how many of those little things you get in a kilo. It was huge.
A lot of this stuff is usually found in those 'gourmet' gift baskets.
Sorry but seriously: every package says how many pieces/items/weight etc. Yes it's crappy but be a little bit more careful.
But then we couldn't be indignant and offended by some packaging engineer just doing his job lol
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I was fooled by Sea Monkeys in the 70’s and was suspicious ever since lol
Ooh it was these articles that got me into BP years ago! Glad to see them again! these and 'shopping fails' as 12 year old Tavi called them!
I am definitely going to be looking more closely to the packaging from now on.
One thing I always teach my math students, no matter if it's just 7th grade math or calculus, I always have a life skills section of class. We discuss things like this and the fact that you cannot go by what something looks like. You need to look at the ounces or grams and compare with different packages to see exactly how much you're really getting. Some of these are purposely deceptive (the markers counting the lids as pieces), but most of these you will know what you're getting just by comparing the ounces in one bar of Snickers from the checkout lane and seeing that the large tin only contains the same number of ounces. Then you'll know it's really all about the packaging. I don't place all the blame on the product developers. I place some blame on the people who buy these giant packages without looking at the listed weight of product. And don't complain about extra environment waste because if people stopped buying these giant things the companies will get the hint and stop.
So many of these products with only 'oz.' (ounces) on them. Where are these rip-off products be being sold? Well, who uses 'ounces' these days? Myanmar, Liberia, USA. Could these be products on the shelves in Liberia and/or Myanmar? Possibly. If not, then the USA is the rip-off centre of the world! How could that be?!
Nothing I haven't noticed before........but, I have made it a mission in life not to buy anything that I can't see the whole product.
I see no issue with #10. The box has to be big enough for the disclosures required by law for any medicated product. And how they are formatted is also standardized and regulated. If they turned the box around to show the back it would be obvious. Anything medicated in a tube will be in a box like that - bigger than necessary for the tube, but sized for the FDA drug facts table they have to put on the outer packaging.
So, my teen gets upset over the packaging of potato, tortilla and other snack foods in a bag because when they open the bag, they see it's 2/3 air and not a bag filled to the top. I explained to them that the bags are filled with air to prevent crushing of the product, which is why the chips are full-sized, and the "settling" of the product during shipping keeps the chips in shape but makes it look like there's less, and if we weighed the actual contents, it would be as advertised. We did, and I was proved correct. But...wait for it... my kid will eat some of the contents of the snack, then literally crush the air out of the bag so that yeah, it's "chips" but nearly micro-chipped chips. 🙄
I have become a very picky shopper. First, I shake the box to see how much movement there is, then I turn it on it's side and any other way that will give me an idea as to whether it's a rip off or not. If it turns out to be a rip off when I get home, I take it back to the store for a refund after getting all the info I can off the item and writing the company demanding a refund on my purchase. It's a lot of trouble compared to just tossing it, but they screw us like this because that is what people do. If everyone called them on their c**p, they would stop it.
This is why you don't buy stuff at dollar stores, bargain outlets, off price stores, etc. Not a bargain after all.
Two things, One, people need to start reading labels again. Two, if there's no quantity listed, then don't buy it.
Two things...One, people need to start reading packaging again. Two, if there's no quantity labeled, don't buy it.
When I came to the USA I was amazed at the over packaging of most items . Such a waste compared to europe. Then there are the mid leaders and scammers. Never mind the the red dye users. Commerce in America is just weird . Such strange bad things are allowed
What I'm getting out of this is avoid these products. Like with the scotch glue, just buy gorilla glue. The only thing here that has kinda been proven to serve a purpose is the air in chip bags. Unless it serves a purpose, it's wasteful and disgusting
To those who write things "what did you expect" in seemingly a smart a** tone, we all know that companies literally hire psychologists, artists, and such to manipulate what the package looks like. They do this on purpose to feed the consumer's eyes certain visual info so that the consumer's brain finishes the message of size, quality, quantity, and worth. This happens in a split second Give fellow consumers a break if they didn't take the time to study the product dissertation, will ya. Lol it's hard out there for a customer.
I know this defrauds the public, but if you pick up something that's supposed to have a 150pc box of markers, pick it up and flip it over, you'd 100% be able to spot the deceptive packaging. You can test the packaging, just don't damage the food. It takes 2 seconds to not fall for this (but they'll use it in court, by golly).
Some of these seem to be genuine examples of deceptive packaging, and some seem to be instances of consumers not checking the contents before buying, but as someone who worked in retail for many years, I will point out one other explanation I have not seen listed here. In some cases, larger outer packaging is used, especially with irregularly shaped items such as toothpaste tubes or medications, in order to make the products easier to merchandise on the shelves. Boxes like this are often standardized regardless of the size of the inner packaging to make merchandising them easier, such as when they have to fit into slotted trays or shelf pushers. Not saying I agree with the practice, but otherwise you would need specialized displays for different types of products, which would also take up more space and require more time for res-stocking.
Everytime someone says 'this should be illegal' I am like 'No s*hit!' Where I am from, most of this would be impossible by law. And people would go nuts if things likes this were a common sight in stores.
So some of these are clearly intentionally misleading... But also! Things can get squished during transit. Things like cereal are done by weight because they settle during transit (I promise you the bag looked way more full at the factory. You can do simple at home experiments to see this in action.) And like the other commenters said, "read the label!"
How in the WORLD can someone possibly defend these evil, selfish, greedy corporations, when all they care about is maximizing their own profit, no matter what corners they have to cut, or how shady and deceptive they have to be? And that's not even bringing up how most of them treat their employees! Corporations are the enemy of the working person, and they WANT us to blame each other! There's either a whole lot of brainwashed people in these comments, or a whole lot of trolls. Not sure which is worse. But given the context, I honestly think I'd rather have the trolls...
Shrinkflation and hoping people won't read and notice the weight and content differnce
Not the Proactiv - that one is 100% because there are certain things that MUST be printed on the box since it is a medicated product, that wouldnt fit on a smaller package. Particularly because the font size is also regulated (compare the font size on all medicated items its all right around the same size). The tube inside is smaller but will match what is printed in weight - it just needs to have all the info on the box.
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Come on people! Where's your outrage? Your indignation? I feel like a lot of those comments on the various pics are just nasty; people are acting like it's the consumer's fault for not reading the packaging. While that's true in part, the point here is the fact that companies are purposefully packaging their products so as to FOOL THE EYE...to FOOL US! Regardless of the weight, the count, the volume, etc. They know exactly what they are doing. Have some compassion for your fellow consumer; you might get fooled one day, too! And, even if you don't ever get fooled for the entirety of your shopping life...well... you don't have to be such a self righteous a$$hole to those who HAVE been fooled!
Come on people! Where's your outrage? Your indignation? I feel like a lot of those comments are just nasty; people are acting like it's the consumer's fault for not reading the packaging. While that's true in part, the point here is the fact that companies are purposefully packaging their products so as to FOOL THE EYE...to FOOL US! Regardless of the weight, the count, the volume, etc. They know exactly what they are doing. Have some compassion for your fellow consumer; you might get fooled one day, too! And, even if you don't ever get fooled for the entirety of your shopping life...well... you don't have to be such an a$$hole to those who HAVE been fooled!
That's what happens if "as long as it's legal it's okay" is the norm. As buyers, we have to learn to only check the weight / amount against the prize. I used to live in a country where every item had to be prized per 100g (and be prized in general). In the UK this seems not to be the case, but still it's the norm to have it. And if a shop doesn't do it, I simply don't buy their stuff. But hell, it's annoying to have to check all the time for not being frauded...
this is insane! In Australia they dont do that kind of stuff. well barely that is. but still! that's horrid how fake that is!!!
Maybe I'm just getting cynical in my old age, but if the weight/volume is marked on a container and I buy it, then it turns out to be a lot less than I expected, that's kind of on me. I'm an almost adult now (well, 58, but you know, it's relative), I know how much 50g of chocolate is (or isn't, no matter how big they make the package). So if I allow myself to get sucked in, I figure "fool me once" and just never buy that product - or in some cases, anything from that company - again. They're losing a lot of long term business for the short term gain.
"This product is sold by weight and not by volume." I don't like the practice of using more packaging than is necessary, but the information is all right there on the labels (except for those few that seemed like they actually miscounted).
This article is supposed to have 107 situations, but there are many repeats.
I agree a lot of waste packaging but other than that, most of these were nothing wrong with. 20 grams of chocolate in a huge box is still 20 grams. And the big Toblerone even says it has small ones in side. But still complain, LOL.
Packaging like this should be illegal, total waste of resources and energy during production, conning the public in to thinking they are getting a good deal. You just know that if those behind the ideas were treated the same over a holiday,car etc they would scream blue murder.
Absolutely. And the conning bit - are these all companies aimed at fooling every person exactly once? Is repeat business not a fairly crucial element for most businesses?
Load More Replies... A lot of the products do say the actual quantities, BUT the waste of packaging is a joke. If toothpaste is that size, use a smaller box and the makeup and pills is disgraceful.
Why does toothpaste even need a box packaging?
Load More Replies... What pisses me off is how deliberate it is. Someone had to design those oddly shaped packages and the labels that cover things just right. What do they tell themselves in order to sleep at night?
"Maybe I'll get that big marketing promotion position with that package design I did last week"?
Load More Replies... It's time we started thinking of penalties for companies that resort to such deception. Harsh penalties.
why? If you dont check the weight of a product its on you.
Load More Replies... In the EU countries, it is forbidden to use misleading packaging. In addition, they must always state the price per piece or per 100 grams on the price tag, so that you can compare the price with competing products. I would be furious if someone took my a$$, if I was subjected to what you are subjected to as buyers.
The main thing I'm seeing here is less of a product than the package lets on to. However, most of the time it will state ON THE PACKAGE how much of the product is inside it. Read the package before you buy and it'll save you a lot of headache!
So the markers saying 150 pieces is on us because naturally the caps count as a piece right?
Load More Replies... Yes and it’s only up to the customer to not buy products with plastic waste and manufacturers have absolutely no fault whatsoever.
Load More Replies... I would like to say on a positive note, I ordered a kilo packet of Cadbury's mini eggs, and you have no idea just how many of those little things you get in a kilo. It was huge.
A lot of this stuff is usually found in those 'gourmet' gift baskets.
Sorry but seriously: every package says how many pieces/items/weight etc. Yes it's crappy but be a little bit more careful.
But then we couldn't be indignant and offended by some packaging engineer just doing his job lol
Load More Replies... I was fooled by Sea Monkeys in the 70’s and was suspicious ever since lol
Ooh it was these articles that got me into BP years ago! Glad to see them again! these and 'shopping fails' as 12 year old Tavi called them!
I am definitely going to be looking more closely to the packaging from now on.
One thing I always teach my math students, no matter if it's just 7th grade math or calculus, I always have a life skills section of class. We discuss things like this and the fact that you cannot go by what something looks like. You need to look at the ounces or grams and compare with different packages to see exactly how much you're really getting. Some of these are purposely deceptive (the markers counting the lids as pieces), but most of these you will know what you're getting just by comparing the ounces in one bar of Snickers from the checkout lane and seeing that the large tin only contains the same number of ounces. Then you'll know it's really all about the packaging. I don't place all the blame on the product developers. I place some blame on the people who buy these giant packages without looking at the listed weight of product. And don't complain about extra environment waste because if people stopped buying these giant things the companies will get the hint and stop.
So many of these products with only 'oz.' (ounces) on them. Where are these rip-off products be being sold? Well, who uses 'ounces' these days? Myanmar, Liberia, USA. Could these be products on the shelves in Liberia and/or Myanmar? Possibly. If not, then the USA is the rip-off centre of the world! How could that be?!
Nothing I haven't noticed before........but, I have made it a mission in life not to buy anything that I can't see the whole product.
I see no issue with #10. The box has to be big enough for the disclosures required by law for any medicated product. And how they are formatted is also standardized and regulated. If they turned the box around to show the back it would be obvious. Anything medicated in a tube will be in a box like that - bigger than necessary for the tube, but sized for the FDA drug facts table they have to put on the outer packaging.
So, my teen gets upset over the packaging of potato, tortilla and other snack foods in a bag because when they open the bag, they see it's 2/3 air and not a bag filled to the top. I explained to them that the bags are filled with air to prevent crushing of the product, which is why the chips are full-sized, and the "settling" of the product during shipping keeps the chips in shape but makes it look like there's less, and if we weighed the actual contents, it would be as advertised. We did, and I was proved correct. But...wait for it... my kid will eat some of the contents of the snack, then literally crush the air out of the bag so that yeah, it's "chips" but nearly micro-chipped chips. 🙄
I have become a very picky shopper. First, I shake the box to see how much movement there is, then I turn it on it's side and any other way that will give me an idea as to whether it's a rip off or not. If it turns out to be a rip off when I get home, I take it back to the store for a refund after getting all the info I can off the item and writing the company demanding a refund on my purchase. It's a lot of trouble compared to just tossing it, but they screw us like this because that is what people do. If everyone called them on their c**p, they would stop it.
This is why you don't buy stuff at dollar stores, bargain outlets, off price stores, etc. Not a bargain after all.
Two things, One, people need to start reading labels again. Two, if there's no quantity listed, then don't buy it.
Two things...One, people need to start reading packaging again. Two, if there's no quantity labeled, don't buy it.
When I came to the USA I was amazed at the over packaging of most items . Such a waste compared to europe. Then there are the mid leaders and scammers. Never mind the the red dye users. Commerce in America is just weird . Such strange bad things are allowed
What I'm getting out of this is avoid these products. Like with the scotch glue, just buy gorilla glue. The only thing here that has kinda been proven to serve a purpose is the air in chip bags. Unless it serves a purpose, it's wasteful and disgusting
To those who write things "what did you expect" in seemingly a smart a** tone, we all know that companies literally hire psychologists, artists, and such to manipulate what the package looks like. They do this on purpose to feed the consumer's eyes certain visual info so that the consumer's brain finishes the message of size, quality, quantity, and worth. This happens in a split second Give fellow consumers a break if they didn't take the time to study the product dissertation, will ya. Lol it's hard out there for a customer.
I know this defrauds the public, but if you pick up something that's supposed to have a 150pc box of markers, pick it up and flip it over, you'd 100% be able to spot the deceptive packaging. You can test the packaging, just don't damage the food. It takes 2 seconds to not fall for this (but they'll use it in court, by golly).
Some of these seem to be genuine examples of deceptive packaging, and some seem to be instances of consumers not checking the contents before buying, but as someone who worked in retail for many years, I will point out one other explanation I have not seen listed here. In some cases, larger outer packaging is used, especially with irregularly shaped items such as toothpaste tubes or medications, in order to make the products easier to merchandise on the shelves. Boxes like this are often standardized regardless of the size of the inner packaging to make merchandising them easier, such as when they have to fit into slotted trays or shelf pushers. Not saying I agree with the practice, but otherwise you would need specialized displays for different types of products, which would also take up more space and require more time for res-stocking.
Everytime someone says 'this should be illegal' I am like 'No s*hit!' Where I am from, most of this would be impossible by law. And people would go nuts if things likes this were a common sight in stores.
So some of these are clearly intentionally misleading... But also! Things can get squished during transit. Things like cereal are done by weight because they settle during transit (I promise you the bag looked way more full at the factory. You can do simple at home experiments to see this in action.) And like the other commenters said, "read the label!"
How in the WORLD can someone possibly defend these evil, selfish, greedy corporations, when all they care about is maximizing their own profit, no matter what corners they have to cut, or how shady and deceptive they have to be? And that's not even bringing up how most of them treat their employees! Corporations are the enemy of the working person, and they WANT us to blame each other! There's either a whole lot of brainwashed people in these comments, or a whole lot of trolls. Not sure which is worse. But given the context, I honestly think I'd rather have the trolls...
Shrinkflation and hoping people won't read and notice the weight and content differnce
Not the Proactiv - that one is 100% because there are certain things that MUST be printed on the box since it is a medicated product, that wouldnt fit on a smaller package. Particularly because the font size is also regulated (compare the font size on all medicated items its all right around the same size). The tube inside is smaller but will match what is printed in weight - it just needs to have all the info on the box.
Load More Replies... Come on people! Where's your outrage? Your indignation? I feel like a lot of those comments on the various pics are just nasty; people are acting like it's the consumer's fault for not reading the packaging. While that's true in part, the point here is the fact that companies are purposefully packaging their products so as to FOOL THE EYE...to FOOL US! Regardless of the weight, the count, the volume, etc. They know exactly what they are doing. Have some compassion for your fellow consumer; you might get fooled one day, too! And, even if you don't ever get fooled for the entirety of your shopping life...well... you don't have to be such a self righteous a$$hole to those who HAVE been fooled!
Come on people! Where's your outrage? Your indignation? I feel like a lot of those comments are just nasty; people are acting like it's the consumer's fault for not reading the packaging. While that's true in part, the point here is the fact that companies are purposefully packaging their products so as to FOOL THE EYE...to FOOL US! Regardless of the weight, the count, the volume, etc. They know exactly what they are doing. Have some compassion for your fellow consumer; you might get fooled one day, too! And, even if you don't ever get fooled for the entirety of your shopping life...well... you don't have to be such an a$$hole to those who HAVE been fooled!
That's what happens if "as long as it's legal it's okay" is the norm. As buyers, we have to learn to only check the weight / amount against the prize. I used to live in a country where every item had to be prized per 100g (and be prized in general). In the UK this seems not to be the case, but still it's the norm to have it. And if a shop doesn't do it, I simply don't buy their stuff. But hell, it's annoying to have to check all the time for not being frauded...
this is insane! In Australia they dont do that kind of stuff. well barely that is. but still! that's horrid how fake that is!!!
Maybe I'm just getting cynical in my old age, but if the weight/volume is marked on a container and I buy it, then it turns out to be a lot less than I expected, that's kind of on me. I'm an almost adult now (well, 58, but you know, it's relative), I know how much 50g of chocolate is (or isn't, no matter how big they make the package). So if I allow myself to get sucked in, I figure "fool me once" and just never buy that product - or in some cases, anything from that company - again. They're losing a lot of long term business for the short term gain.
"This product is sold by weight and not by volume." I don't like the practice of using more packaging than is necessary, but the information is all right there on the labels (except for those few that seemed like they actually miscounted).
This article is supposed to have 107 situations, but there are many repeats.
I agree a lot of waste packaging but other than that, most of these were nothing wrong with. 20 grams of chocolate in a huge box is still 20 grams. And the big Toblerone even says it has small ones in side. But still complain, LOL.
