Consumers are very sensitive to product pricing. The slightest increase in price will be noticed by good consumers and will likely cause a negative effect on their feeling about that certain product. The Consumerist website follows user submissions of the Grocery Shrink Ray and posts them to the blog. Here’s how to spot the Shrink Ray at the market:

It’s very hard to spot if you aren’t looking for it, but notice the difference on the shelf tag and the item itself. The difference is a full ounce of chips less for the same price. Other items get hit harder than chips, such as milk. Some milk producers are deliberating selling milk in 3/4 gallon sizes instead of the full gallon.

The unit price on the above sticker shows 21.8c/oz, but it’s actually 23.8c/oz at the new size. Producers are reducing the size of the good instead of increasing the price due to customer sensitivity. The businesses are trying to recover some of the higher cost of production. Two reasons behind the drop in quantity are producers staying competitive and surviving the “recession”. This is a common practice that’s been around since the 1800s known as downsizing or shrinkage.

Some of the more common products to be hit by the Ray are cereals, chips, and cleaners (soap, detergent, etc). If you’re not aware of what’s going on, you’re getting taken. So what can you do about this shrink ray? Probably not a whole lot more than to be aware of what quantity you think you’re buying vs what quantity you’re actually buying. Part of being a good consumer is knowing what you’re buying, so beware of the shrink ray.

View more stories from the Consumerist about the Shrink Ray.