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
*Exhales* You pay per gram/lbs (or similar). I prefer crisp chips in protective environment. And not vacuum packed into crumbs.. :)
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when will people realize it's no longer funny when you realize the air in the bags actually has a purpose and would ruin the chips if it wasn't for the airrrr
I don't know why people consistently compain about this. Chips are sold by weight, a 150g bag of chips contains the same number of chips whether it has a lot of "air" or a small amount.
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Yes and the “air” isn’t air anyway it’s inert gas (generally nitrogen) to stop your crisps going stale.
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It's not air; it's nitrogen, and it keeps the chips fresh. They'd be stale af if they pumped air into the bag. It also provides a cushion in transit so the chips don't end up as crumbs.
Why the hell is this so damn hard to understand. There is air because the chips are dumped in and settle over the trip to the market. Of course there is air.
Because that's not the point. The point is that they are selling less product at a higher price while using the same size packaging as decades ago. The issue is shrinkflation. https://www.foodandwine.com/news/food-shrinkflation-doritos-gatorade
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Idiotic. The whole point of air in the bags is to protect the chips: imagine what your chips would be like if bags could be packaged more closely--crumbs. Lots of crumbs.
This is funny but not fair. The bags are filled with air for a few good reasons.
It's not air, it is nitrogen. It is used to ensure the product doesn't go stale.
Years ago my much older brother brought me back a can of "Fresh Air From South Dakota" with a painting (!?) of Mt. Rushmore on the label. Some prick punched a hole in the top not long after.... kinda funny, inevitable...
the air is necessary. if they didn't have so much air in them, the crisps would be squashed in transit.
I don't know about Korea, but in China, (I've been there many times), the chip bags are actually pressurized, The Lays and Wise brands are at least. You can stand on these bags and they won't pop. You actually have to cut them open. I don't know if they do that for shipping reasons (stackable boxes that can't be crushed in shipping containers) or some other reason.
The air is to keep the chips from being crushed. They are sold by weight not volume. And, no, I don't work for a potato chips manufacturer.
The air is to keep your chips from being crushed. Chips are sold by weight not volume.
They put air in them like that to keep protect the fragile chips from getting broken to bits.
There is NITROGEN, not air. It's there for two reasons. 1. Keep the bags poofy, and stop crushing. 2. Keep the chips fresh, longer.
The "air" (actually nitrogen) is put in on purpose, to cushion shocks during transportation.
Well, that's stupid--the air is there to protect the chips from being crushed. It's like bubble wrap for food.
The air in the bags serves a real purpose. it keeps the contents from being crushed during packing and shipping.
I think all of those products are so funny, because literally NONE would be allowed in the EU. Glad to live here (next to other benefits).
People are pointing out the air issue but there's another factor that isn't mentioned. Chips aren't that dense either. Unless the bags were vacuum sealed I don't believe there is any chance of a bag of chips not being buoyant. And even if they were vacuum sealed I'm still not sure if they are dense enough to sink or not.
Well if you're gonna eat that many packets of crisps when you go by boat...
Fair's fair. They are plumped so full of air to minimise the breakage of the chips. The air forms a protective buffer against them being crushed if they are underneath anything, even other crisp bags.
Is not "air", it is nitrogen so the chips don't get rancid and crushed.
This whole chip/air debacle really annoys me cuz people don’t understand what “settling” is. Those bags are full of chips when they are packaged
I usually end up grabbing a bag with a sandwich in the airport to take on my flight. When you get up to cruising altitude, the air has in the bag has expanded so much due to the lower pressure maintained in the plane in flight than at ground level. The package is stretched super tight, I usually bite a tiny hole in the top edge to release some of the air pressure then I open it up the regular way. Always afraid the chip bag is just going explode and everyone in the five rows around me will get to share my chips regardless if they want to or not!
So many people here trying to point out the weight and purpose of the air don't get it. The issue is shrinkflation, not that the air didn't serve a purpose. It's the same size bag as used years ago with a smaller weight of chips, thus there is more air than there used to be. Basically, they sell you less at a higher price now and use deceptive packaging to hide it.
Only an issue if you don't look at what you're buying. We buy crisps by weight, not by bag size.
Load More Replies...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
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
Note: this post originally had 107 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
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.
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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.
