There’s nothing like the feeling of opening a fresh can of Pringles.
You just know the cylindrical stack is going to be full of uniformly shaped fries, each one perfectly crafted to coat your entire tongue in salty, savory goodness.
But last weekend, when I bought a package from the gas station, the excitement quickly faded.
I got back in the car, opened the hood and…there they were.
These pathetic little potatoes.
“Embarrassing” Pringles can
The Pringles looked… small. That is, small. Like, almost regular-potato-small-potatoes. The kind you’d expect from a pack of Smiths or a Lay’s, not the God Can level Pringles.
I had my partner hold one in his palm for size reference and as you can see below it looks like it has shrunk in the wash, even considering he has pretty big hands (you know what they say 😏) .
I popped one in my mouth and instead of that Pringle tongue experience, it barely covered a single taste.
Not only was I left unsatisfied, but I was upset that I spent $6 on these wretched pieces of potato.
Maybe I got a bad batch, or maybe it’s because I bought a limited edition flavor and the chips are supposed to be smaller.
So, as a non-regular Pringles eater, I decided to take it on the (virtual) streets to find out if this was a common issue.
Comments from the office and beyond
Turns out I’m not the only one. Everyone is noticing the shrinking of Pringles, or Shringles, if you will.
“This is certainly a noticeable decrease! But my recommendation is just to buy Pringles packets for kids, they are often sold as lunch boxes,” said my colleague Nama.
Lifestyle editor Leah then joked: “It feels like all the chips are getting smaller and smaller. Either that, or my appetite is growing.”
On Reddit, users are also talking about this critical issue in the r/shrinkflation forum.
One user said: “Shrinkage to the max.”
“I know they shrunk the cans about a year ago, but they always said the chips would stay the same size. Sigh,” he took a second.
Another said: “I’m sorry the price didn’t go down with it.”
Another frustrated customer replied: “Yes. I noticed it at the end of last year and immediately stopped buying them completely. F*** them…”
For some, however, it’s not all doom and gloom.
“I think they’ve probably shrunk them. Although I have had many knockoff brands that have tasted much better and are a better size. Like house brand Woolworths or ALDI ones.”
So it looks like this is a known issue and Pringles, along with other chips, have been running low for a while.
That doesn’t mean I’m feeling any less changed, though!
It just means my servo impulse buys may be considered a little more in the future.
#Shrinkflation #hits #Pringles
Image Source : nypost.com