New And Improved

Trey Smith

So, I am at the grocery store the other day. As I pushed my cart down one aisle or the other, I noticed three different packaged items that looked a bit different. On the outside of each package were words that went something like this: Same great flavor in a brand new package. Unlike most consumers, I have figured out what these code words actually mean: Hey bonehead, you get to pay the same price that you paid before, but now you get less product!

Just to be sure, I closely examined each one. In all three cases, the price was the same, but the ounces were less.

Why haven't more people caught onto this gambit? I have actually gotten into arguments with folks who swear the size or weight is the same, only to be later disproved. Is it this way in other countries? Is it just Americans that seem so gullible?

I supposed I shouldn't be that surprised. Americans love to believe political campaign promises. Even when you show them that the politician, in question, didn't follow through or, once ensconced in office, did the exact opposite of what he or she said on the campaign trail, they will fall for the very next campaign pledge that comes out of that same politician's mouth!