This Is Why Shrinkflation Is Making You Poor

– Shrinkflation has hit 2,500 products in five years
– Not just chocolate bars that are shrinking
– Toilet rolls, coffee, fruit juice and many other goods
– Effects of shrinkflation been seen for “good number of years” – Consumer Association of Ireland
– Shrinkflation is stealth inflation, form of financial fraud
– Punishes vulnerable working and middle classes
– Gold is hedge against inflation and shrinkflation

Editor: Mark O’Byrne

“…Oompa Loompa doo-pa-dee doo…I’ve got another puzzle for you…”

…so sing the Oompa Loompas in Roald Dahl’s classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They sing this after each revolting child suffers a mishap during their visit to his glorious production plant. One child’s mishap results in him being shrunk down to a tiny miniature version, in perfect proportion to his full-size self.

This might have given confectioners and manufacturers an idea. Over 2,500 products have fallen victim to shrinkflation. A phenomenon whereby a product’s price either increases or remains the same whilst the size and or quality is reduced.

Currencies have been and are being debased in recent years and now goods and products are being reduced in size and debased.

It seems that despite a massive global financial crisis, rising debt levels, increasing inflation, especially in rents and mortgages, and a decline in real household income there is virtually nothing that will make people realise how vulnerable and fraudulent the current financial system is.

But shrinkflation and chocolate bars might be the catalysts required to get people to wake up. Us Irish are a nation of sweet-tooths and chocolate lovers. When they feel short-changed in the confectionary department, hell hath no fury like a sugar-addict scorned.

To make matters worse, the phenomenon has now gone past chocolate bars and includes a whole variety of household items from fruit juice to toilet paper.