Have you noticed any examples of "shrinkflation" in Japan -- when a product or portion size in a restaurant gets smaller but the price stays the same?

KitKats.

What really annoys me is that the makers repackage the product as "NEW"... For example Pringles became new... the only difference was that the packet was smaller and Boursin cheese became "new" when it shrank from 125g to 100g. The word they are looking for isn't new its SMALLER!

My bag of chips have more air and less chips in them

The question should be which products aren't suffering from shrinkflation, then the list would be shorter. What's worse is that some companies even increased their prices together with smaller portions/weights

The one that ticked me off was when the sales tax went from 5% to 8% a few years back. At the time, stores had to display the prices "tax included." So, for example, my coffee was 840 yen a bag - 800 for the coffee and 40 for the tax. When the tax went up, some of the stores I shop at kept the old tax included price tags, but added the new 8% on to it. What used to be 840 yen tax included became 840 yen plus 8% tax. Basically a 5% profit markup for the company, or a 13% tax. I stopped going to some stores for doing that.

Another thing is when the packages / amount shrink and the company tries to pass it off as something new. My sports drink has a "new easy to grip bottle" and the yogurt has "new eco-friendly package made with less material" - fancy ways to say "smaller for the same price." I see your BS.

I like the term "shrinkflation", well describing the phenomenon.

I notice that bento lunchboxes seem to have an elevated fake bottom to look full and good.

Although Japanese consumer behaviors are believed to be sensitive or elastic to prices, shrinkflation is now a well known issue. It's futile for producers to make a little trick to keep prices intact.

The salmon in makunouchi bento used to be reasonably thick, now it's razor thin.

The real con that supposedly numerate (but not so financially literate) consumers don't kick up a fuss about, is the bait and switch of pre-tax rise prices being 税込み and post-rise suddenly prices becoming 税別.

its called white day robbery.

greed to be exact.

Some Japanese magazines seem to be a few pages shorter than they used to be, although the count can rise and fall with each issue. At least they are still publishing. Japan has a strong print culture. Some hobbyists around the world have lost all of their print magazines. I stare at a screen for hours every day. Digital does nothing for me. I want to relax with a cup of tea, a snack and a print magazine, and I'll pay the extra for it. Across the board, I'd rather pay more than have doll's house stuff. Most UK sweets are now tiny compared to the 70s and 80s.

Tissues! If the boxes get any smaller, I'll be blowing one nostril at a time!

Looks like “shrinkflation” is the new word for 2022. Ha, nickel and dime distraction. How about “usedcarscam” the way overpriced used cars and their scam of “paper work” or “corruptcontractors” when they sometimes way overcharge for contract work with shoddy quality, usually done against the elderly.

But in the end, this all may be a blessing. Maybe folks will start making and growing more of their own food, start selling their own cars, and start doing more DIY stuff. Cut out the middle man.

KFC twisters used to have 2 pieces of chicken, now 1. Pot pies are about half the size they used to be. So many sweets have shrunk, from cheap KitKats to more upscale things like Ogawaken raisinwich and Yoku Moku Pomme de terre

Sometimes I notice, but most of the time I do not. In my opinion, I do not care the small change such as the number of pieces of cookies. Thinking about it too much discourages me to appreciate a taste and enjoy a time for the rest. However, I would be a bit disappointed if the shrinkflation occurs in a medical field, especially in pharmaceutical. The important thing for me is how to have a wonderful time with the limited amount of the product.

The cup size of the grande at Tully's and the large at Excelsior have both shrunk. At Doutor, they just give you less coffee.

Yes, there are so many examples… The side salad in our favorite yakiniku restaurant has become so small, I wonder how they still dare to call it a salad and put such a big bowl with so few salad on the guest’s table. Of course the rest is still ok and delicious, so not the biggest issue. lol And another, as a chocolate lover I just don’t like those getting smaller chocolate sizes. You can check it yourself, while a usual chocolate always had and has 100g, and also that won’t change in many countries for cultural reasons or cooking recipes requirements, you probably won’t find anymore some of that standard size in Japan unless it’s imported from other countries where it is of course still 100g. No, the contents has been shrinking over the years here, first to 80g, then 72g, 58g and such, nowadays you can find even only half the usual size, 50g, while of course the packages and prices are still about of the former 100g chocolates.

Smoke & mirrors’: While foods in Japan are packaged to give the appearance that prices are held steady and consistent at most supermarkets at price per gram, the size of the inner package has shrunk.

Portion is always small in every Japanese restaurant. If you just want to taste, that's fine but if you are really hungry, what will you choose? Ramen with thin slice of pork Or Burger with two thick patties in American restaurant.

Or better go to Chinese restaurant for both quality and quantity but bear with the customer service.

Btw: “Congratulations!” to @kurisupisu (and others here) for calling attention to Corporate Japan’s continued greed & deceptiveness perpetrated against their own consumers, the hard-‘working poor’ of Japan:

Dec 18, 2021 - Headline: “Inflation a worry for most economies, but not Japan” -

@kurisupisu 7:20am: “The cost of food in Japan is not comparable to other first world countries. Weights and measures are not put on packs and fruit and vegetables are sold in packs of six or five; not individually. And why is there tax on food?*

… Try folding a pack of something and half of it is…air!”