article_snippet.sent: In Brine from 130g to 120g, the price stayed at £1 in Morrisons.
article_snippet.sent: And there was no change in the £5 cost of Surf with Essential Oils Washing Powder when no change in the £5 cost of Surf with Essential Oils Washing Powder dropped from 2kg to 1.61kg.
article_snippet.sent: It's seemingly part of a strategy across the retail industry that enables manufacturers to increase profits without putting up prices (and thus risk losing customers).
article_snippet.sent: Shrinking products can be an underhand way of raising prices because pack sizes shrink but the prices don't.
article_snippet.sent: It's time for action on dodgy pricing practices that stop people from comparing products to find the cheapest.'
article_snippet.sent: It's fiendishly difficult to compare prices properly nowadays because special offers mean prices change frequently.
article_snippet.sent: Indeed, very often a negative story about a product shrinking in the media will lead to a product shrinking in the media price magically shrinking.
article_snippet.sent: For example, after being featured in Which? this month because a product shrinking in the media had dropped from 750ml to 700ml but stayed at the same £2 price in Asda, the supermarket giant discounted Cif Actifizz Lemon Multi Purpose Spray to £1.75.
article_snippet.sent: Ping-pong prices going up and down almost daily confuse the shopper so the brands can reduce the size without the customer ever realising. '
article_snippet.sent: Most of us buy on price, which is why they get away with this.'
article_snippet.sent: Manufacturers often claim that, when Manufacturers reduce the size of a product, Manufacturers pass on savings to shops but cannot guarantee that Manufacturers will, in turn, bring down retail prices.
article_snippet.sent: When we were in recession, suppliers and retailers were very wary of raising prices,' Vince Bamford, buying and supply editor of The Grocer says. '
article_snippet.sent: Food and drink pricing always reflects the economic climate of the day, whether that's the impact of changing utility prices or ingredient costs, which can be volatile,' says a Food And Drink Federation spokesperson. '
article_snippet.sent: Businesses seek to offset these costs wherever possible through improvements in efficiency and productivity, but these actions can only go so far, and in some cases companies will reduce the pack size rather than increasing the price for consumers.'
highlights_snippet.sent: Strategy allows manufacturers to increase profits without raising prices .
  