A packet of six Purex Mega Long rolls used to contain 450 sheets of loo paper but this has been reduced to 410 sheets.
They said this change was still in the process of being rolled out and it was possible, though not intended, that some stores may have both versions on shelves for sale.
The spokesperson couldn’t confirm if the pricing for these packs would change, saying retail pricing was set by stores. They would not discuss whether there had been a change in the wholesale price.
Last year, Massey University marketing professor Bodo Lang told The Front Page that downsizing a product, but not the price, has become more frequent as retailers and manufacturers become more attuned to the ways customers respond to price increases.
“They have cottoned on to the fact that consumers are very sensitive to price changes because the price is often advertised very heavily and at the point of sales, and it’s generally the most important attribute that people look at when they make a purchase.”
Ipsos New Zealand’s quarterly survey of 1004 New Zealanders (released in November) revealed inflation and the cost of living remained the most pressing issue facing New Zealanders, with 61% identifying it as a concern.
The report says the topic “has remained the No 1 issue facing New Zealanders for the 15th survey, since Feb ’22. This result was trending downwards until May this year and has been increasing ever since”.
Speaking to ways consumers could combat inflation, Lang encouraged shoppers to pay attention to unit pricing. Comparing the price of products by their volume, weight or per unit lessens the likelihood shoppers are duped by unchanged packaging hiding less product.
In an Auckland Central supermarket this week prices for “long” toilet rolls varied by 19c per 100 sheets between brands. Paseo’s eight-pack of three-ply long rolls was 45c per 100 sheets; Cotton Softs’ six-pack of three-ply was priced at 38c per 100 sheets, and the Purex six-pack of two-ply was on special for 26c per 100 sheets.
In August 2023, the Consumer Information Standards (Unit Pricing for Grocery Products) Regulations came into effect, requiring certain grocery shops to display unit pricing besides the cost of the product in-store, online and in written advertisements.