A Walmart shopper's side-by-side look at a familiar snack after rebranding is striking a nerve: the bag has a fresh new look but comes with less food inside.
Here's what to know
While building a shopping list in Walmart's app, TikTok user Meghan E (@meghane639) noticed that a honey barbecue corn chip item listed at $1.84 appeared in two versions — an older 10-ounce package and a newer 9.25-ounce one, according to a TikTok video.
@meghane639 Walmart, why you doing us dirty like that 😂 #greenscreen #shrinkflation #fyp #foryoupage #momtok ♬ original sound - Meghan E
Shrinkflation is an unfortunate trend many people have been noticing across grocery aisles — products that look almost the same at first glance, yet their size continues to quietly shrink.
She said the difference showed up when she searched the app for the chips her children like as part of the planning she does before heading to the store.
"As you can see, this is the new packaging," she said in the clip. "This one below is the old packaging. They updated it, $1.84. But look, the old one, 10 ounces, the new one, 9.25 ounces."
She ended the video with her frustrations. "Walmart, what the hell are you doing?"
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More background
It's a small change that makes a big difference. Many shoppers might not have noticed, but even a small reduction in ounces can add up over time when the shelf price stays the same.
Commenters on the video tied the chip example to a much broader pattern across food categories.
One wrote, "Literally almost everything has been impacted by this and it's so frustrating. Remember when you used to buy a half a gallon of ice cream? That ice cream is now 48 ounces. They're doing it to frozen vegetables, meat, pantry goods. They're also increasing prices at the same time."
Another commenter pointed to a less obvious consequence for home cooks, saying: "This is the reason why recipes that are handed down from generations are no longer accurate because evaporated milk used to be a certain ounce and it's less amongst any other baking things. Chocolate chips weigh less now so the recipes will not turn out right because they have shrunk the product so now you have to figure out measurements."
What can be done?
Examples like this are why comparing unit prices and package weights, rather than relying on familiar branding or package design, is always a good idea. A bag, box, or carton may look nearly identical even when it contains less than it used to.
It can also be worth checking pantry staples and recipe ingredients more closely. If longtime products have changed in size, cooks may need to adjust quantities rather than assume a package still contains the same amount it did years ago.
Many shoppers say the issue is transparency. Shoppers generally expect prices to rise over time, but they also want clear information when product sizes change.
As one commenter put it, "I would rather the price increase than for the product to get smaller."
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