A Walmart shopper questioned whether a Great Value bleach jug was actually a full gallon after saying it looked smaller than expected.
They said the container cost $4.53 and held 2.53 quarts, not a gallon, and compared that with the 96-cent gallons they remembered buying.
Here's what to know
Posting on r/shrinkflation, the shopper said they picked up Walmart's Great Value bleach expecting a gallon but became suspicious because the bottle appeared undersized.
They said the label showed 2.53 quarts. The shopper acknowledged that Walmart seems to carry multiple sizes, but still argued on Reddit that "the gallon is no longer a gallon, it went from 128 oz down to 121oz and price is more than double what it used to be," the original poster wrote.
Several replies focused on more than the container volume. One commenter wrote, "Read the back- they even changed the strength of the low splash bleach so you have to use more of it to get the same disinfecting power of regular. Shameful."
Not everyone agreed that the post showed shrinkflation. One commenter said, "This is a different size," and the original poster said a search in the Walmart app for gallon bleach brought up Clorox, not Great Value, before asking, "Can you check your app and show what you're talking about? I don't want to spread wrong info, so please show me if I'm missing something."
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More background
The complaint widened beyond bleach. One commenter wrote, "Nothing is a gallon anymore," and said products once sold as half gallons, including juice, also seem smaller now. As an example, they cited Simply Orange at 42 ounces, which they said is "just over a quart."
Other shoppers said they were seeing unusual sizes elsewhere in the bleach aisle too. One commenter said gallon Clorox had become hard to find and that they instead kept encountering 77-, 81-, and 117-ounce bottles.
What can be done?
Shoppers may need to check the actual units listed on essential products rather than relying on bottle shape or familiar branding alone.
The original poster said they "thought it seemed small" before noticing the amount was listed in quarts rather than a standard gallon.
Commenters also suggested looking beyond size and paying attention to concentration. The shopper who raised concerns about the low-splash formula argued that if the bleach is weaker, consumers may need to use more to get the same result, which could affect the purchase's value.
Another shopper described what they were seeing on store shelves as "the enormous world of skimpflation."
Where can I learn more?
For more on shrinking product sizes and cleaning-product value, these stories explore similar concerns. They cover soda shrinkflation, DIY cleaners, and complaints about detergent.
• Shoppers also found 16.9-ounce soda bottles ringing up at the old 20-ounce price.
• At home, many buyers now mix a super easy cleaner for about $0.76 a bottle.
• Some shoppers felt scammed by laundry detergent after realizing pods came with hidden drawbacks.
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