On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:49:39 -0800, greg2468 wrote:

I recently went to our favorite big box store. While wandering around
the paint department, I noticed that most brands sold there are no
longer full gallons. They were one pint less than a gallon. Yet,
spread rate magically remains the same! Of course the price remains the
same! I live in the southeast United State and am curious to know if
this has happened in other areas. (Quarts are now 28 ounces).

Take a walk down the aisles in a grocery store sometime. A pound of
coffee is about 9 ounces. 5# of sugar is 4#. Prices are more or less
the same.

It's a way to trick consumers into thinking the economy is hunky-dory and
that inflation is in check. We're so used to buying containers that we
forget to read what's actually in them. By downsizing containers and
quantities, we are actually paying a higher percentage for goods than we
were 5 or 10 years ago.

Next time I paint a wall, I'm going to paint only 80% of it and charge
the full amount. Same effect. I'll just have to convince customer that
the 20% unpainted looks great and is part of the decor.