GREED, FRAUD,DECEPTION, ETHICS

There seems to be a growing practice with consumer products all over; The downsizing of various consumer products; foods, beverages, and PAINT!

Several months ago I was browsing in the paint department of one of the major building supply companies, and looking at a shelf of paint which appeared to be one gallon containers, something didn’t look exactly right. Upon further examination, I saw that the cans were almost imperceptibly smaller than the standard one gallon container. Yes, when I looked at the label, the weight was listed as 123 or 124 ounces.. Where we used to get coffee in one pound bags or cans, they were first cut to about 13 ounces, and now, 11.5 ounces, but, same as paint, this reduction in sizes came with an increase in price.
I need to check a little closer, but I believe that quarts of paint have shrunk to 12 ounces.

Now I notice paint being advertised and labeled as gallon-size. Has the U.S. Bureau of Standards changed the standard of measurement for any of these products? Next, a dozen (of eggs) will be a quantity of 8, and a pound of butter or margarine will be 3 four ounce sticks. Next Beer will be sold as 4-packs, with each can or bottle weighing 10 ounces.

When we talk about going green, it doesn’t mean more green going into the pockets of manufacturers.

It might have been more acceptable if these smaller packages had been announced, but for the manufacturers to announce such, we would have expected a cut in prices. Instead, this was all done without any fanfare, but with greed as the motivating factor, very few people have been made aware of this this.

The real concern is that when told this, many times the response is “how many ounces are in a gallon, or a pound?” That’s really not surprising, with the dummying down of education that began in the 80’s. Are weights and measurements even taught any more? At one time they were an integral part of math classes, but now, if they are taught at all, it’s likely in something called domestic science, (aka, Home Ec.)

I would like to say that this is fraud and deception, but it’s more a matter of ethics. If these changes had been announced, they might have been more acceptable.

There’s an old saying “Caveat Emptor” let the buyer beware !