Shrinkflation hits the fan

We’ve all heard of and dealt with the newest new normal: shrinkflation, i. e., paying the same for less. Rather than raise prices, some companies just “shrink” what’s in the package. Cases in point are: tissue, toilet tissue, the ounces of anything found in a can. It’s rather amusing (and sad) to find an old box of tissue in a back drawer and realize how far the number has decreased.

But that’s not the newest one. We needed a new stand fan for the bedroom, something that would hum away in the night and help the a/c and ceiling fan distribute the air more evenly. The ones we owned were at other places in the house or patio, so I headed to Walmart to see what was available.

Wow. Choices! I just wanted a plain fan like the ones we had: three speeds, oscillating, maybe it tilted up, maybe it didn’t. I didn’t need the 12 speeds offered, nor the remote controls, nor the wifi connection. What? When did all that happen? Luckily, Walmart had just what I wanted and less than $30 later, I was opening the box and doing the no-tool-required set up. 

This sleek number was black rather than the white ones we had. How chic. But, something was different. There were only three blades instead of the previous five. And… it looked smaller. That’s because it was, 16 inches instead of 20. I measured. Alas, the fan had shrunk. 

Does it work? Yes, it moves the air and it’s reasonably quiet. The price was right. But, it had shrunk. Shrinkflation had hit my fan.