Condoms turn into the most recent items hit by shrinkflation
Condoms have become the latest goods to be hit by shrinkflation as brands have reduce the numbers in each box yet kept the price the same.
High street brand Skyn, popular for their vegan-friendly products, dropped the number of rubbers per box from 22 down to 20 – but did not alter the cost to reflect this.
Randy shoppers at Superdrug were also dismayed to discover that you could no longer buy a 24-pack of the ‘Elite’ contraceptives for £14.99, instead the brand now only offers them in packs of ten for £10.49.
The company, which has positioned itself as the main competitor to Durex, have become increasingly popular over the past few years for their latex-free ultra-thin condoms that are ‘big on safety whilst maintaining a truly natural feel’.
Condoms are the latests goods to be hit by shrinkflation, with boxes decreasing in size while the price stays the same
Condoms have become the latest goods to be hit by shrinkflation as brands have reduce the numbers in each box yet kept the price the same
Condoms are also one of the latest products to have an anti-theft device slapped on them as the nation finds itself in the grips of a shoplifting epidemic
Security tags have also been spotted slapped on packs of condom in Asda to deter Brits from shoplifting the contraceptives.
Condoms are the latest products to have an anti-theft device slapped on them as the nation finds itself in the grips of a shoplifting epidemic.
The yellow alarm patches, which bizarrely states ‘security protected, remove before microwaving’, have been spotted on the contraception across several Asda supermarkets.
In April, it was reported that shoplifting has risen to the highest level on record. A total of 430,104 offences were recorded by police in the year to December 2023, up by more than a third (37 per cent) from 315,040 in the previous 12 months.
Shrinkflation is when products shrink in size or quantity while the price remains the same or even increases.
A total of 430,104 offences were recorded by police in the year to December 2023. The figure is the highest since current records began in the year to March 2003
Of almost 100 everyday products analyzed by LendingTree, it found a third had shrunk in the last five years.
‘People are already frustrated that things cost more,’ said Matt Schulz, LendingTree chief credit analyst. ‘Shrinkflation just adds insult to injury. It all adds up to a lot of Americans feeling squeezed every month to afford the basic things they can’t do without.’
Chocolate fans will be doubly disappointed this Christmas as Cadbury has shrunk its classic Santa Selection Box by ditching the Double Decker.
The 1970s and 80s favourite chocolate bar has been replaced with a caramel Freddo, which is around half the size.
This year’s box weighs just 125g, down by 14 per cent from 145g last year. It is more than a quarter smaller than the box was in 2018, when it was 169g.
But the price has increased.
In 2021, when was bigger, it was available in supermarkets for between £1.25 and £2. This year, it costs between £1.75 and £2.75 at the UK’s four main supermarket chains.
