CNN: Your favorite food brands may be done playing mind games with you — for now

Chris Hydock, assistant professor of marketing, was interviewed by CNN for a story about "shrinkflation," the strategy of food companies to reduce the size or volume of products without reducing the price. After years of customer complaints, PepsiCo recently announced that Tostitos and Ruffles “bonus” bags will contain 20% more chips for the same price as standard bags in select locations.

It’s likely the profit margins on the snacks are high enough that adding in a few extra chips is “a relatively low cost for them,” said Chris Hydock, a marketing professor at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business. That’s especially true since many of their own input costs have fallen after spiking during the pandemic. But the move, nonetheless, is “their way of giving customers more value.”

To read the story in its entirety, visit cnn.com:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/18/food/food-shrinkflation-skimpflation-ending/index.html