TikTokers Doug and Jen are looking for answers after buying Milk Duds at Walmart, only to find one Milk Dud in one of the boxes.
Featured videos
The viral video begins with Jen filming Doug.
“I bought this at Walmart,” she said, panning the camera to reveal a bag containing various chocolate candies.
She then instructs Doug to “open it.”
Doug takes the Milk Duds out of the bag and begins unwrapping them, revealing the inside of the candy box. Instead of a box full of Milk Duds, the box only contains one small candy.
“A whole cardboard box for one milk dud?” she says, shaking her head. “The sale for kids is really cheap this year.”
As she says this, Doug puts a piece of candy in his mouth. Jen responded with an exaggerated “Oh, Doug!”
In the video’s caption, she wrote: Is this really happening? Shrinkflation is happening! ”
What is candy shrinkflation?
According to Corporate Finance Research Institute, “Shrinkflation” is the act of reducing the size or quantity of a product while keeping the price the same or increasing it.
Companies often use shrinkflation “because it helps maintain profit margins in the face of rising input costs,” the report said. Investopedia.
Since 2020, many consumers have complained that they are feeling the effects of shrinkflation when it comes to Halloween candy as well.
Doug and Jen’s experience is not isolated. Many customers are taking to the internet to share how their candy was affected by shrinkflation this Halloween.
The Daily Dot reported on another TikToker who found an M&M in a Halloween candy bag and a woman who expressed frustration after finding only two M&Ms in a candy bag she bought at Costco.
Doug and Jen’s video has 155,000 views and hundreds of comments. Many viewers shared their own complaints about candy shrinkflation and similar experiences.
@dougandjenn One milk dud per box? Is this really happening? Shrinkflation is happening! ! #Halloween #Halloween candy #shrinkflation #MilkDads ♬ Original song – Doug & Jen
One viewer commented: “I noticed the same thing.”
“Earlier there were only two in the box, now they only offer one. Shrinkflation,” said another.
“And the fact that those bags were almost $30 is funny,” one viewer shared.
Another agreed, saying, “Some of my bags were empty and they were the same bags.”
Viewers share other shrinkflation experiences
Several viewers said they were experiencing similar issues with other products, not just candy.
“Same! I bought a mix pack and the Rice Krispies were tiny. So embarrassing. I also got Capri Sun and Kool-Aid and handed them out. Huh?” one person commented.
“I found Lifesavers gummies with one gummy in our pack,” another person shared.
One viewer said, “I had a Lifesavers gummy pack with two gummies inside the wrapper and some Butterfingers with no candy in sight. Lol.”
“It’s like trick-or-inflation!” joked another viewer.
Some people blame the manufacturer, not Walmart.
Some viewers defended Walmart, suggesting the problem was with the manufacturer, not the store.
One commenter wrote, “It doesn’t matter where you buy it from. They’re not being stingy. They’re candy makers.”
Another person said, “I bought it at a 100 yen shop, and it cost $10 for a pack of 4. Apparently there are cheaper manufacturers as well.”
The Food Daily supports these claims and holds manufacturers responsible for reducing the size of Halloween candy. They suggest that shrinkflation in candy is a response to rising cocoa prices as manufacturers try to offset rising costs.
Report from Agrifood Research Institute He explained that production of cocoa, a key ingredient in chocolate candy, has been reduced due to changing weather patterns in West Africa. This limited supply caused prices to rise.
Chocolate candy makers such as Hershey (which makes Milk Duds) have been particularly hard hit by these soaring cocoa prices, forcing them to raise the prices of their products and, in some cases, reduce the size of their products. .
The Daily Dot reached out to Doug and Jen through their TikTok comments, as well as Hershey and Walmart through their comment contact forms.
Internet culture is chaotic, but we break it down for you in one email a day. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. Get the best (and worst) of the internet delivered straight to your inbox.
