When we were in Chicago, Tif bought me a box of hot chocolate mix. When I opened the box I was surprised to find only half of the box filled.
I told Tif that she'd been cheated.
I was almost going to write gypped and looked up the spelling to discover on Dictionary.com:
Anyway, we weren't cheated. The box does clearly say 6 packages. I'm just wondering why they need such a big box. Doesn't it just waste space on the supermarket shelves?
I told Tif that she'd been cheated.
I was almost going to write gypped and looked up the spelling to discover on Dictionary.com:
"Gyp in the meanings “to swindle” or “a person who swindles” is sometimes perceived as insulting to or by Gypsies, since it stereotypes them as swindlers. However, gyp has apparently never been used as a deliberate ethnic slur, and many people are unaware that it is derived from Gypsy."
Maybe that is intentional....they want the box to appear bigger than others on the shelf? Thanks for the definition of gyp!
ReplyDeleteI suppose they are trying to fool us into thinking we are buy such a big box of the product only to discover its half empty!
ReplyDeleteI think it's stupid, but the box probably is used for other products as well. The box starts out as a pile of blanks and are printed up for several different products. Cheaper to have one size box and change the press for a new run than to switch out both box and press.
ReplyDeletePackages are deliberately made larger than contents to sell the product. I no longer buy a favorite brand of hummus because the bottom of the container is pushed up nearly to the lid so it's filled with half of what it looks like from the outside.
ReplyDeleteA consumer group in Fresno just filed a lawsuit to have this sort of thing stopped. It's very common. There was a news article on our local station that showed all of the products (Johnson & Johnson is really notorious) that use this practice of larger packaging to make the consumer think they are buying more. The consumer watch group is declaring it fraudulent.
ReplyDeleteI think it's just one more way to take advantage of shoppers by making them think they are getting more than they really are! Hope you have a lovely weekend, Kay!!
ReplyDeleteHave you tried sugar free hot chocolate-it's delicious!
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting perspective about the boxes being used for different products. Still, we have to wonder if the other products only take up half the box as well.
ReplyDeleteThey probably have a bunch of these boxes that someone failed to correct and they now send them out. It IS odd!!
ReplyDeleteKay this is shocking! What a waste of packaging! Glad Tif wasn't gypped! And had no idea where that word came from, almost sounds like we shouldn't use it!
ReplyDeleteYou hit one of my pet peeves about manufactured foods. I've been shaking my head at such shenanigans for years. Gypped is the right word ~ and I had no idea it derived from gypsies. Have a good one!
ReplyDeleteI imagine the larger box is a marketing ploy. Most people don't read the words on the outside. Functional illiteracy, rushing consumers grabbing a box off a shelf explain why. Perhaps this cheap trick will convince Tif to read the outside of the box. There are many other tricks but this one of the worst examples.
ReplyDeleteGanavim, they're all ganavim with their half empty boxes.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice Hebrew and Yiddish (ganif) word for thieves.
It is like those large bottles of vitamins that when you open them to see they are half filled. I do believe it is deliberate and meant to deceive. It is an accepted fact that manufacturers are giving us less product for the same amount of money.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me going on excess packaging. It would be a rant that goes on and on. I think you've just given me a topic for a post.
ReplyDeletewow it is a trick but not ver nice for a customer
ReplyDeleteThat box was designed to have 12 packages.
ReplyDeleteAll words have their meanings. Though most Americans probably don't know anything real about the Romani people. Just depictions of gypsies in stories.
ReplyDeleteThat box was clearly designed to hold 12 packets. Weird. And as to word derivations, there are many things that we used to say innocently that we would never say now. We might call it political correctness, or just wising up!
ReplyDeletei'm sure the box size was intentional. your apt to buy a bigger box thinking more was inside when really less is what you get... sigh. loved learning about the word gyp too. hope all is well.
ReplyDeleteI always had this very romantic view of the Gypsy, thanks to Hollywood. I never want to insult another human being by using such a term. I am learning every day. Thank you Kay! Interesting about the packaging. I had my hot chocolate earlier to try and get warm. I was chilled to the bone. It worked :)
ReplyDeleteI was actually gypped by a Gypsy once. Let him repair my roof with improper roofing material that later made my roof collapse in a heavy rain. I went for the low price. You get what you pay for.
ReplyDeleteNow to that box of hot chocolate. Yikes! Rather than gypped it looks like some kind of fraud to me.
I don't buy boxes of chocolate hot chocolate anymore they only have 8 packages in each box, money wise it is better to buy the tubs and dole it out..Many manufacturers have taken lots of the product from the pkg now, making a lot of money off consumers! Irish Spring used to be 5 ounces The soap that is and now it is barely 3.5 so Palmolive can make even more money, shampoos and conditioners are less than 16 ounces, dishwasher detergent comes in pods now and they are in smaller containers, but most people don't know this they are made to disintegrate quickly so little pkgs are preferred the cascade hot line told me this so I only buy small pkgs and use them up quickly, now Washing detergent pods last forever I was told, we Love All pacs and I stock up in January when they are on big sales at major retail centers, target, walgreens and I do use coupons, all to get your money one has to be vigilant or one can spend a lot for a tiny amount of anything these days and sometimes generic brands are just as good or even better than name brands, major companies manufacturer them..ciao!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the helpful tips! I do need those washing pods or powder.
DeleteIsn't it awful packaging? I've seen this quite a bit.
ReplyDelete