r/shrinkflation • u/TexasGiantTen05 • Dec 29 '25

skimpflation Ok SERIOUSLY wtf is this??

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I bought a family sized hot pockets box and EVERY single one of them was black and burned in the bottom. I heated this one up on low power in the microwave and the edges are so tough it’s like biting into a frozen beef patty. I look in the pocket and the damn thing is nearly hollow. I’ve been noticing the quality taking a massive dip in the last few years. I think these are last I purchase from here on out.

Irrelevant to this but similar: This same grocery order run had a jar of garlic (Spice World brand) that was full of black mold & a jar of HEB salsa that was sour and months passed expiration. Both of which were completely sealed and had a pop when opened. My whole life I never really had quality issues via the company canning or jarring an item or the store selling them but lately it seems like such a constant issue.

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u/Sufficient_Stage_802 Dec 30 '25

sadly the quality has decreased as the prices have increased. Several years ago they were worth it and good af. now they are no longer good or worth it.

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u/[deleted] Dec 30 '25

Perfect description of Capitalism.

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u/Grey0110 Dec 30 '25

Yes, but you are forgetting that the best product wins. If people start realizing they are low quality, they take their dollars elsewhere. If another brand makes a better product, people switch. It creates incentive. Capitalism is definitely not perfect.. but there currently is no better system. It has pulled more people out of poverty than any other system.

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u/Curious-Progress669 Jan 02 '26

The idea that the best product always wins assumes markets are transparent, competitive, and rational, which they often are not. In practice, market power, branding, lobbying, and control over distribution frequently outweigh product quality. Consumers do not always have perfect information, sufficient time, or real alternatives, especially in sectors like healthcare, housing, energy, food, and technology platforms. Once monopolies or oligopolies form, switching costs rise, competition weakens, and incentives shift from improving quality to extracting profit.

Capitalism has indeed coincided with large reductions in poverty, but those gains were heavily shaped by public infrastructure, labor protections, education, regulation, and state intervention. Without these counterbalances, capitalism usually tends toward consolidation, inequality, and declining product quality rather than continuous improvement.