That is not the question.  It’s just an attempt at a clever play on words.  🙂

And this is not doll related, so consider yourself forewarned.  This blog entry is a personal rant on the insidious and, in my opinion, fraudulent ongoing theft of products from the pantries, shelves, linen closets, and freezers of honest Americans.  This crime is being perpetrated by manufacturers and companies who must believe that most Americans are too oblivious to notice or too apathetic to speak out.  Well, I think it’s time Americans spoke out!  So, here is my rant of the day…my soapbox diatribe…I’m sick and tired of having my favorite products downsized while the price remains the same as it ever was (I’m hearing The Talking Heads in my mind now.  LOL) or actually goes up a few cents!  Meanwhile, the manufacturers are touting the fact that they haven’t raised prices or if they’ve raised prices, it has been by a miniscule amount.  OH, REALLY??  If I’m paying the same amount for LESS product, isn’t that the same as raising the price?  Let me check with my resident rocket scientist….uh, YES, it is!

Case in point:  We like a certain brand of toilet paper.  Hubby just compared two rolls of said brand, one roll from an older package and one roll from a newer package.  Both multi-roll packs cost had the same price.  Both came from the same store.  The new roll is 22% lighter by weight.  New roll is 1/2″ narrower in width.  New roll is 1/8″ narrower in diameter.  Held side by side, the two rolls are obviously much different in size.  No rocket science needed.

Another case in point:  Hubby’s favorite brand of ice cream…same price, SMALLER carton.  Again, no rocket science needed.

What annoys me most is that we are being lied to as if we were too ignorant to understand that.  To all you manufacturers out there (most likely none of whom read this blog), at least show me enough respect to tell me the TRUTH.  Raise the price if need be.  Decrease the size if need be.  But don’t pretend that you’re my friend by forgetting to mention you’ve downsized the product while bragging about keeping the price the same.  Honesty and integrity used to be the hallmarks of successful business.  Too often nowadays it’s less about character and more about slickly veiled subterfuge and slight of hand.  Maybe we should go back to making our own ice cream and tearing out pages of the Sears & Roebuck catalog.  (If you’re too young to understand that last reference, please do NOT tell me about it.  Thank you.)  😀 😀 😀