From our local grocery store to the theme parks, it seems like inflation is causing companies all over the U.S. to get creative. While many snacks in Disney World have seen price increases lately, Disney has also considered other ways to reduce higher costs. If you’ve traveled to Disney World recently and felt like your portion size was a little smaller, you aren’t alone.
Unfortunately, these changes usually come at the expense of the consumer. A report by the Wall Street Journal discussed the recent trend of shrinkflation — let’s talk about it!
While inflation is taking a toll on prices in virtually every area of business, you may have noticed that some of your favorite groceries haven’t seen any significant price increases. Despite steady prices throughout the year, many products have fallen victim to shrinkflation, the concept of cutting portion sizes to combat production costs while keeping the price the same.
The Wall Street Journal used chips as an example, pointing out that the size of a standard bag of Doritos decreased from 9 3/4 oz to 9 1/4 oz in February 2021. They explained, “Some companies are using shrinkflation to combat higher production costs so they don’t have to raise prices.”
Shrinkflation doesn’t just deal with smaller portion sizes; the concept of cutting back while charging the same price can be applied to hospitality, production, and even entertainment! For example, some hotels have recently cut back on daily cleaning services, yet customers are still paying the same price for their rooms.
Even Disney has considered (and could be using) shrinkflation in its parks and resorts. Back in 2021, Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy was asked about how the Walt Disney Company planned to mitigate inflation. This led to the infamous response, “There are lots of things that are worth talking about. We can adjust suppliers. We can substitute products. We can cut portion size which is probably good for some people’s waistlines. We can look at pricing where necessary. We aren’t going to go just straight across and increase prices.”
While Disney has never publicly used the word shrinkflation, it’s clear that the company has considered cutting back to save on higher production costs. Next time you’re at the grocery store or sitting down for a serving of nuggets at Cosmic Ray’s, take a look at your portion size; you might be surprised. In the meantime, stay tuned for all the latest Disney news and park updates.
5 Ways to Avoid Disney World’s New Price Increases
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!
Have you noticed any cutbacks during your recent Disney World vacation? Let us know in the comments!
I find it fascinating that under no circumstances can profit be reduced. Corporations simply do not sacrifice for their customers. But you, the consumer, have to sacrifice.No one cares what you can afford, what you should receive in services, and what spending money you don’tt have to spend means to you and your family. In short, the buck ONLY stops with you. Not the CEO, not the corporation, but only you. And as such, YOU have the ultimate control. When you go somewhere be it the grocery store, out to dinner, to the mall, or to WDW, decide what you absolutely have to have. And when yu get behind the wheel of your car decide where you absolutely have to go. And in all those decisions, don’t buy stuff you don’t need or you can do without until times are better. And don’t go places you don’t need to go to. By all means, take your vacation. But just because the shiny object is shoved in front of your face all the time, resist the temptation to fall for the arm twisting and leave it on the shelf. If you used 25% less gasoline, didn’t order the $45 strip steak or the $12 hot dog, or the $6.00 bottled water, just remember that most of the money you are spending is the profit margin. Is your vacation going to be a disaster if you don’t buy stuff you absolutely don’t need? Take control and show Disney who is boss. If they want your money they need to earn it.
We were there for a week and our room was never cleaned and we only got fresh towels once.