In the article it says:

To account for possible changes in package sizes, we focused on the price per unit, whether it was an ounce of salsa or a square foot of aluminum foil.

▲

LeifCarrotson 2 hours ago | parent [-]

It doesn't say that they accounted for possible changes in item quality. Tide detergent claims that their new 80-oz bottle of laundry detergent can wash 64 loads just like the previous 100-oz bottle because it's more concentrated, and I suppose NPR (if they'd retained a sample of the previous product) could have brought that to a chemistry lab to test and verify that claim, but I have no idea how you'd objectively prove that an ounce of salsa had truly remained the same product.

▲

snake42 25 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

Sure, but they are accounting for size shrinkage which the original poster was saying they didn't.

I don't really know how you can account for quality either. User surveys? Ingredient sourcing? But then again I think this kind of reporting is just a general barometer. Some other comments are pointing to data sources that might do more of this.

▲

queuebert an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

Laundry detergent is usually priced as cents per load by savvy shoppers. That would factor out smaller doses.

	▲	LeifCarrotson an hour ago \| parent [-]
		The amount of detergent per load is set by the manufacturer, who can injection mold that measuring cup in whatever size they want. FTA: > The amount of liquid had shrunk to 92 ounces from 100 ounces before the pandemic, and the price had risen by a dollar. After that, the cost stayed the same, but the contents shrank to 84 ounces in 2024 and then to 80 ounces in December. > The label continuously promised enough detergent for 64 loads of laundry. > ...Tide specifically got the "most significant upgrade to its liquid formula in over 20 years," according to the company, with a "boosted" level of active cleaning ingredients and updated dosage instructions. > "The result is superior cleaning performance in a smaller dose," a Procter & Gamble representative said. Do you take them at their word for that? I'm specifically wondering whether the 84 ounce, 64-load bottle with a cap that measures out 1.3125 ounces per load contains the exact same liquid as the 80 ounce, 64-load bottle with a cap that measures out 1.25 ounces per load. I prefer powder detergent with a prewash dose, I know my clothes get clean, but I don't know that anyone outside a lab would be able to inspect clothes post-wash and notice the difference in cleanliness caused by the removal of 0.0625 ounces of detergent. They have three ways to protect or boost profits: Raise prices, decrease quantities, or decrease quality. NPR and the