If you go to the supermarket every week, you're probably wondering what all this "inflation still low" talk is. I don't pay that much attention to the price of individual items, but I generally buy the same things, so it's easy to notice that my total bill has been creeping ever upward for about a year now. And there is even hidden inflation (or at least something that has the same effect):
Does it seem like some products don't last as long as they used to? From toothpaste to tuna fish, hot dogs to hand soap, companies have been shaving ounces and inches from packages for years. ConsumerReports' latest investigation, featured in the February issue of Consumer Reports and online at www.ConsumerReports.org, found that more and more products are getting downsized.
[. . .]
Manufactures make subtle changes to the packages but generally keep the price the same because when prices rise, buyers often seek cheaper alternatives. And the bottom line is that consumers are more attuned to changes in price than packaging.
Consumer Reports found packages reduced in size by as much as 20 percent in its study.
The report lists 10 items that have been downsized, but I've encountered others.
And here is a nice little roundup of studies about caffeine. It's good for you! It's bad! It will improve your life! It's killing you!
I can't figure it out. Though maybe I should have a cup of coffee because it's been shown that caffeine enhances cognition. Except when it doesn't.
