As you have probably noticed, all sorts of consumer products are shrinking in size, though not their prices. When I was a kid, our family sometimes celebrated by getting a half gallon of ice cream; but those 32 ounces went to 28 ounces, and now the 24 ounce container has become the standard. The worst of this fashion in retailing has been narrowing the rolls of toilet paper, which means you have to go through the same peeling off and wadding up that you do in offices where cost-cutting managers have installed huge rolls of downsized tissue.
Yogurt has been going this way, from eight ounce to six ounce containers, but for a few months we were relieved to see that the local Hannafords was holding out, and still had the good stuff. When they, too, went down the path of devious deletion, I sent their corporate customer service department this message, after which I have added their only reply. Please remember when reading the exchange that the United States of America is the Greatest Country on Earth, the hope of the world, a model for all because something divinely inspired happened here to create the truest democracy ever seen and a land of unbounded inspiration and opportunity.
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May 11, 2011
I am writing to express my extreme displeasure at Hannaford having joined the sad parade of companies that raise prices by reducing product sizes. For a while you stood out from the rest by continuing to offer 8 ounce yogurt, while almost everyone else went to 6 ounces, usually at the same price. Now you have done the same, trying to cover your tracks by giving a cutesy new name to the yogurt. I had hoped Hannaford was better than that. What kind off fools do you take us for, thinking we can't see a price rise in a container change? I was starting to feel some loyalty to the Middlebury store, but now I see it's just another big company happily making profits by taking part in the Incredible Shrinking America. Shame, shame, shame.
May 13, 2011
Dear Edward:
Thank you for taking the time to contact our Customer Information Center. We truly appreciate the feedback we receive from you, our valued customer.
At Hannaford, we truly appreciate all feedback that we receive from our valued customers. Consumer involvement helps us to identify ways that we can improve on meeting our customer's needs. We appreciate any opportunity to educate about the goods and services we offer in our stores.
At times, manufacturers will select to feature specific items during a promotion and not the entire product line or brand. In such cases, it can happen that a product has different prices, depending on flavor, size, or other factors, specified by the supplier.
I truly apologize if this has caused confusion for you. I have forwarded your concerns to the Category Managers for review.
Again, thank you for contacting us, Edward, and sharing with us valuable information about our goods and services. If we can be of further assistance to you, please don't hesitate to contact us again. Our Customer Service Representatives are happy to assist you.
Sincerely,
Kelly Smoot
Consumer Research Specialist
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