In a recent letter to the editor published in the Times News, a Summit Hill resident complained that the size or quantity of products are shrinking, but the prices stay the same, even increase.

He’s on to something, but this sleight of hand is not something new. In economics, we refer to this as “shrinkflation” - the process of items shrinking in size or quantity, or even sometimes a reduction in quality with less expensive contents while prices remain the same or increase.

My favorite examples are orange juice and ice cream, which, in the good old days, both came in 64-ounce (half-gallon) containers.

At first, the amount of orange juice decreased by 7.8% to 59 ounces. Now it’s down to 52 ounces, another 11.9% reduction. Through this contraction, the price has remained the same.

Some of the premium brands cost more. Even more devious on the part of the sellers, the containers look the same, so this may come as a revelation to you if you hadn’t noticed up until now.

If you get a nagging feeling that you have to buy more orange juice than you once did, you might pass it off as your family drinking more of it.

My favorite ice cream, Breyers, along with many other top brands, went from 64 to 48 ounces - a 25% reduction in product - but the price remained the same for a while then increased to more than $4. The familiar container, however, looks basically the same, so, unless you are specifically comparing ounces, you might not detect the difference.

I admit to being a pretzel addict. This is another product which has undergone a major contraction. Not that long ago, it was commonplace for a bag of pretzels to be 16 ounces that would sell in the neighborhood of $2 a bag. Some of the major brands, such as Snyder’s and Utz, still package 1-pound bags, but their regular price is now $3.69.

Store brands and others, however, once also 16 ounces, are now packaged in 13.5- or 11-ounce bags, but the customer is still charged the former price. So the manufacturer is fooling us into thinking that there has been no change. True, but you are now paying the same price for less product.

A few years ago, Coca-Cola had an 8-ounce can which changed to a taller can that appeared to be bigger but, in fact, has 7.5 ounces.

Maxwell House instant coffee went from more than 30 ounces to 26.8 ounces. While the price remained the same, there are now 30 fewer cups of coffee. Remember the days when you would ask for a pound of ground coffee? Those bags are now 11 to 13 ounces.

Those 1,000 sheets of toilet paper used to be the industry standard. No more, especially that now there is an array of double-ply and other confusing gimmickry that make apples-to-apples comparisons difficult.

Another ploy toilet paper makers are using is shrinking the size of a sheet of toilet paper from 4.5 inches to 4 inches, an 11% difference. If you get the impression that the sheets are flimsier, meaning you use more of them, you are not imagining things.

Crest toothpaste went from 5.1 ounces to 4.6 ounces in the same-sized box. That’s a whopping reduction of 9.8%. In many instances such as this, the consumers have no idea that they have been taken in by clever marketing.

Canned tuna used to yield about 7 ounces per tin; now, it’s more like 3 ounces.

Pet food cans not only hold less product, but many of the cans, especially of some brands of cat food, are just a shadow of their former size.

Let’s be honest, who is going to go through the trouble to actually check and memorize the net weight of products? You’re likely to be concerned with the price of the item. If the price stays the same, you’re happy.

Procter & Gamble, maker of Charmin and Crest, defends its packaging strategies, saying that product innovation comes at a price. It also says that pricing is the exclusive domain of the retailer, which I find disingenuous since the retailer obviously must make a profit. As such, retailers will increase prices as they are increased for them by the manufacturers.

The whole “game” is underhanded, and we consumers turn out to be the losers.

Here are some suggestions to help you become more aware of “shrinkflation’’:

• Look for sale items and use coupons.

• Take advantage of rebates, and if your family is sizable enough, buy in bulk if you spot a good deal.

• When looking at products that you buy often, be price and weight conscious, and be aware of the cost per ounce or unit.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.