For your convenience.

 

I sometimes buy the refrigerated Jello pudding packs to keep on hand for my afternoon snack. About six weeks ago, I noticed on the 6-pack a grand new announcement by the Jello folks. "Coming Soon!" it said. "Jello Pudding in a 4-pack!"

 

They were trying to get me excited about them short-changing me by two pudding cups! You see, the 6-pack is no longer available, and we pay the 6-pack price for the 4-pack. The same thing has happened to butter. If you're used to buying a pound of butter (four sticks in a box), you'll have to adjust. It's now two sticks in a box. Some of the brands still had some of the pound packages on the shelf last week, but I anticipate that we won't be seeing them around very long.

 

I've written before about the new 3-pint convenience carton of ice cream at Braums. For our convenience, it costs the same as the old inconvenient half-gallon carton. Propane suppliers are doing the same thing. They've reduced by two pounds the amount of gas they put in a 20-pound tank. Blue Rhino spokesman Chris Hartley says that was done to "save consumers a price jump." Now let's analyze this. I don't know what propane cost, but just for ease of example let's say that you've been paying $18.00 for 18 pounds of propane. That's $1 per pound. But now you get only 15 pounds of propane for $18.00. That's $1.20 a pound. Is that a price jump? I'd say that's a 20% price jump.

 

I understand that prices go up and companies must economize or raise prices. But don't try to fool me into thinking you're doing me a big favor by giving me two sticks of butter (in the new convenience pack) for the price of four. And don't cut down on the quality of my food -- I'm tired of getting the stem end in my Del Monte canned carrots!