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☆ Biden Targets a New Economic Villain: Shrinkflation
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Jim Tankersley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“I’ve had enough of what they call shrinkflation,” Mr. Biden declared. The video lit up social media and delighted a consumer advocate named Edgar Dworsky, who has studied “shrinkflation” trends for more than a decade. He has twice briefed Mr. Biden’s economic aides, first in early 2023 and again a few days before the video aired. The second clearly informed Mr. Biden’s new favorite economic argument — that companies have used a rapid run-up in prices to pad their pockets by keeping those prices high while giving consumers less. The products arrayed in the president’s video, like Oreos and Wheat Thins, were all examples of the shrinkflation that Mr. Dworsky had documented on his Consumer World website.

Persons: Biden, “ I’ve, Mr, Edgar Dworsky, Biden’s, Dworsky Organizations: Super, Sunday

☆ Sweet & Sour: Here’s why Valentine’s Day candy is so expensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

For example, she said a Valentine’s Day-themed heart-shaped box of Sour Patch Kids candy (3.45 oz) was listed on Walmart.com for $3.96 ($1.15 oz), while a regular box of the candy (3.5 oz) costs $1.24 ($0.35/oz). Walmart said it was looking into the price differences, but said some of the Valentine’s Day candy items on its website are listed by third-party sellers on Walmart marketplace. A Walmart supercenter in New Jersey visted by CNN also had the heart-shaped Sour Patch Kids candy box for $3.96 on the shelf. Some Sour Patch Kids Valentine's Day editions cost much more than the regular versions of the candy for roughly the same quantity. “Buy the candy after Valentine’s Day when it’s heavily discounted or buy the regular cheaper version of the candy and package it yourself,” he said.

Persons: don’t, Jolly, Veronica Fletcher, Fletcher, Goldbears, ”, Edgar Dworsky, “, John Talbott, ” Talbott, it’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Walmart, Bears, CNN, New Jersey visted, CVS, Center for Education, Research, Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business Locations: New York, New York City, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Retail

☆ Biden calls on snack makers to stop 'shrinkflation' rip-offs. Here's how to spot downsized grocery store products
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The phenomenon called shrinkflation — where consumer products become smaller in quantity, size or weight while their prices stay the same or increase — is a "rip off," Biden said. "Some companies are trying to pull a fast one by shrinking the products little by little and hoping you won't notice," said Biden, who called for the companies to put a stop to the practice. These tactics tend to become more prevalent during times of high inflation, Dworsky said. "This corporate greed is one of the reasons that Americans are frustrated by expensive grocery bills," Casey said in a December statement. "I'm hoping with inflation subsiding a little bit that we'll see fewer examples, but it's never going to go away," Dworsky said.

Persons: Anna Bizon, Joe Biden, Biden, Edgar Dworsky, Dworsky, Sen, Bob Casey, Casey, it's, shrinkflation Organizations: Getty, Finance, shrinkflation, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: TikTok, Washington, shrinkflation

☆ Ex-Meta staffers see booming business targeting online disinformation after two wars break out
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +15 min

Wagner left Facebook parent Meta last year, and her work in trust and safety feels like it was from a prior era. One of her first investments was in a startup called Cove, which was founded by former Meta trust and safety staffers. "One thing I would recommend is transparency at a time where third-party access and understanding to what is going on at scale on social platforms is what is needed." Post is an example of the kinds of companies that trust and safety startups are focused on. Fishman said customers are starting to see trust and safety tools as almost an extension of their cybersecurity budgets.

Persons: Joshua Bratt, Lauren Wagner, Wagner, Mandel Ngan, Roblox, Wagner's, Michael Dworsky, it's, Mason Silber, Donald Trump, Manu Aggarwal, Aggarwal, Abhijnan Dasgupta, Sara Ittelson, Ittelson, Cove's Dworsky, they'd, Alex Goldenberg, Noam Bardin, he's, Bardin, that's, Brian Fishman, Cinder, Fishman Organizations: Meta, Facebook, Hamas, Twitter, Radium Ventures, White, AFP, Getty, CNBC, Innovation Labs, Google, Apple, Republican, Everest Group, Accenture, Genpact, Big Tech, Tech, Venture, Accel, European, Digital Services, Defamation League, Network, Research, Rumble Locations: King's Cross, London, Israel, Washington ,, San Francisco, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Cinder, who's, ActiveFence

Reese’s may be in violation of state and federal laws with its new sweepstakes offer currently advertised on packs of peanut butter cups. Sweepstakes are primarily governed by state laws, which require that no purchase is necessary to participate. Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesThree federal agencies — Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Postal Service — also enforce laws governing sweepstakes depending on the medium. The Postal Service requires mailed sweepstakes offers to make clear that no purchase is necessary, for example.

Persons: Edgar Dworsky, didn’t, —, Dworsky, Reese's, “ Organizations: Hershey Co, Associated Press, — Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, U.S . Postal, Postal, FTC, Hershey Locations: Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, California, Virginia, Washington

☆ 'We all have to pay more attention to the fine print': consumer advocate Edgar Dworsky on 'shrinkflation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email'We all have to pay more attention to the fine print': consumer advocate Edgar Dworsky on 'shrinkflation'Hosted by Brian Sullivan, “Last Call” is a fast-paced, entertaining business show that explores the intersection of money, culture and policy. Tune in Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET on CNBC.

Persons: Edgar Dworsky, Brian Sullivan, “ Organizations: CNBC

☆ Kroger will stop mailing weekly grocery advertisements in newspapers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Atlanta CNN —Kroger, the largest grocery chain in the United States, is ditching its long-running weekly newspaper ad circulars announcing the latest grocery specials. The ads for Kroger (KR) stores and subsidiaries, including Ralphs, Fred Meyer and King Soopers, will shift online. “Kroger is joining many retailers in shifting the way our weekly ads are distributed,” a spokesperson told CNN. The move could deal a blow to shoppers who plan their store trips based on weekly newspaper ads. Some companies, such as Walgreens (WBA), stopped printing coupon catalogs and moved their weekly advertisements online.

☆ Some brands are 'slack-filling' to cleverly disguise how much product you actually get
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

There's a name for that empty part of the packaging: slack-fill. Dworsky suggested that some brands used slack-fill to deliberately mislead shoppers into thinking they're getting more product than they really are. The firm noted that these lawsuits are generally dismissed, in part because it's hard to prove that slack fill is nonfunctional. Halo Top and Mondelez have been unsuccessfully sued over slack-fill, too, lawsuits viewed by Insider show. But slack-fill lawsuits aren't always dismissed.

☆ Valentine's Day chocolate boxes look big, but have more plastic than ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Dworsky said his research shows the over-sized boxes deceive consumers into believing there’s more chocolate inside when there isn’t. Dworsky bought a 9.3-inches wide and 10-inches high Whitman's Sampler heart-shaped chocolate box, with 11 pieces of chocolate inside. Dworsky said a reader alerted him to the chocolate boxes a few days ago and sent him evidence of a heart-shaped Whitman’s chocolate sampler box. Swiss chocolate company Lindt & Sprüngli, which owns Russell Stover, Whitman’s and Ghirardelli brands, referred requests for comment to Russell Stover Chocolates. He said Dworsky had reached about to him about his most report looking at the Russell Stover and Whitman’s chocolate candy boxes.

☆ Overpacking, shrinkflation may mean you get less for your money for Valentine's Day gifts this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

That heart-shaped box of chocolates may be only half full this Valentine's Day. The issue was brought to Dworsky's attention this week when a reader who bought a box of chocolates wrote to express his outrage about the contents. Upon further investigation, Dworsky found Russell Stover and Whitman's Sampler chocolates, which sell for around $7.99, only contained between nine and 11 candy pieces, in the 9-inch-by-10-inch-size box. That leaves about two-thirds of the box seemingly empty, according to Dworsky. Whitman's and Russell Stover brands are sold by the Russell Stover Chocolates company, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ You might not find as many chocolates in that last-minute Valentine's Day gift box as you did last year — blame 'slack-filling'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Federal regulations prohibit slack filling, but some claim its happening with Valentine's Day candy, the Washington Post reported. Valentine's Day candy prices have gone up nearly 10%, according to the Post. Federal regulations prohibit companies from over-packaging goods, and even refer to the practice of slack-filling by name. Still, some consumers say the practice of slack-filling chocolates seems to continue unabated in the Valentine's Day candy aisles of grocery and convenience stores. "You used to get a box of candy and it was packed with the candy, one right next to the other."

☆ How to be a smart holiday shopper
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN Business —It’s only October, but holiday shopping promotions are here with retailers bringing out the Christmas trees, turning on the holiday music and dangling sales from now until January. Soon will come way-too-early Black Friday promotions weeks before the actual shopping holiday, then the December-long sales events and post-holiday clearance deals. Shopping smart may feel more challenging in this environment, but retail analysts and researchers have tips for deciding when and what to buy. Many major stores have extended their holiday price match policies to cover a longer time period. So make sure to be a smart shopper even after you buy.

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