A number of brands have been exposed recently to "downsizing" ie reducing the size of their products without a drop in price. These include baguettes from Upper Crust and Caffe Ritazza, Birds Eye beefburgers, Pledge furniture polish, Twix and Pizza Express pizzas- which then had to increase the pizza size after customer outrage and damage to its reputation.
The consumer group Which? believes that shrinking products is an "underhand way of raising prices". It is clear that the intense battle for the consumer's purse is driving "creative pricing" but this is surely no excuse for unethical decision making. As this blog has tried to emphasise over the months, transparency plays such a part in treating customers fairly and both are vital elements in building trust. These brand actions again create short-term gain but damage long-term trust and reinforce consumer cynicism.
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