Saving An Inch

Update.--This week I noticed the loaves of this bread are back to the former length. I'm not sure why or what happened to cause the change and back, but after comparing some older bags, thinking they may have just shortened the bag, they didn't, so the inch is back.

Really saving an inch and a quarter (1 1/4"). I buy locally made bread, mostly from the Macrina bakery, and more specifically their Sour Ficelle baguette bread. It's neat for snacks and other stuff (soups, etc.). But recently I noticed the bread didn't seem to take as long to eat, meaning it seemed shorter. So I remember I had some old bags I kept for reason I don't know, but when I compared them by folding them across the top of the label, the bag was shorter, as seen above (same length from label to top of bag).

When I turned them over I noticed to hide the the shorter length the simply folded and taped on the back, as seen below. All in all the bread is just over an inch shorter, going from a 16" loaf to a 14 3/4" loaf.


I can't argue if the company is pressed for revenue and any meager profit (the bakery is not wealthy, just a small, local business) and this is a good way to do it, just make slighly smaller loaves, about 9% with this one type of loaf. It's more a sign of the times and companies keep prices the same while simply selling less.

I saw this with my paper towels which have gone from 165 sheets two years ago to 138 sheets last year and now to 128 sheet this year. Same price, just fewer sheets, so you buy more and the company makes more money. All in the name of profit, fewer employees, less product but more money and profit.

But then compared to Japan, we're living cheaply.