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Fox’s Chocolate biscuits tin 365 g. Really disappointed.

(50 Posts)
Lovetopaint037 Sat 30-Dec-23 20:53:05

Just opened the tin costing £7.50. couldn’t believe how the packaging was arranged. The central part was just plastic representing where biscuits should have been placed. My dh thought there must be another layer but of course there wasn’t
One section only contained one biscuit as that section was raised more than others. Anyone else been disappointed in a product? Enclosed photo. Hope you can see it

Greyisnotmycolour Wed 17-Jan-24 23:16:55

That's a great result LovetoPaint, enjoy your biscuits.

CanadianGran Wed 17-Jan-24 20:41:47

Lovetopaint, it was good that you emailed, and that they responded.

While griping publicly makes us feel better, and warns others, the best thing is to communicate with the company. I have often had refunds or coupons for replacements when I have complained directly.

Good for you.

Lovetopaint037 Wed 17-Jan-24 19:24:47

I have had two emails from Fox’s in replies to my complaint about the inordinately large proportion of plastic to biscuits. They have been very understanding and have attempted to explain they have in protecting the biscuits and providing a commitment to recycling etc. They assure me that this will be a discussion held at a meeting of their committee. They have issued me with tokens worth £7. In order that we may have another opportunity to enjoy their biscuits. I am going to spend them on packets of their biscuits which I look forward to putting on the empty tin I nowhave in my cupboard.

M0nica Tue 02-Jan-24 08:28:58

It would take all day to shop were I to do a full comparison on every product going into my shopping basket, and I haven't the time.

Anyway for most food shopping there are often other factors involved in buying decisions than just price. Quality, personal preferences, environmental and ethical issues. There are also products that have been a standard size or weight for generations and any change often is noticed until you get the product home.

NotAGran55 Mon 01-Jan-24 19:04:04

Though not through

NotAGran55 Mon 01-Jan-24 19:02:59

I always compare products per 100g as it’s impossible to do a price comparison across different packaging sizes otherwise, unless you’re a mathematician ,which I’m not!
I do like numbers through and getting the best value for money.

Germanshepherdsmum Mon 01-Jan-24 18:23:02

I always look at the weight MOnica. And if shopping in person the size. And the price. As retired people we have more time to consider these things, whether shopping in a supermarket or online. It was very different when I was shopping at the supermarket on a Saturday when working, looking after a child and totally frazzled.

M0nica Mon 01-Jan-24 17:53:08

GSM As I have commented before, when you are in a supermarket with a shopping list, you just do not notice chnages in weight in a familiar product, even less so if it something you do not buy regularly. This is what manufacturers rely on when they make these cuts in size and quantity.

Hasving been caught once with biscuits I am more likely to scrutinise the package if I buy food as a gift, but was caught napping when it was a packet of butter that was downsized!

Germanshepherdsmum Mon 01-Jan-24 17:24:58

Quite right, MOnica. Manufacturers have to choose between keeping a product the same size and increasing the cost, or reducing the size and keeping the price down/imposing a smaller increase. In the case of the tin of chocolate biscuits, the weight of the contents was stated. Maybe people need to be more aware of what a stated weight equates to. Perhaps some still think in imperial rather than metric weights. If in doubt when buying a tin of biscuits, compare the stated weight with that of a packet of similar biscuits. In the case of tins, you are of course paying more for the actual tin than you would for a box or packet - hence this year I bought a box of McVitie’s chocolate biscuits - 550g for £5, no excess packaging and box easily recyclable. I have more than enough old biscuit tins!

M0nica Mon 01-Jan-24 17:08:25

^This is yet another prime example of the "shrinkflation" method practised by greedy manufacturers to maximise profit - oh, and they often simultaneously put the price up too.
Because they can.^

I think that is a bit unfair. As we know prices for raw materials whether, food ingredients, energy and everything else have rocketed. Manufacturers go for shrink inflation because the price of something may need to go up in price by 75% if the contents remain unchanged, but 20% if thy reduce the quantity in the product.

A good example is a Fray Bentos steak pie, still the size it always was. In my local supermarket over the last 2 years they have gone up in price by 85% because the size is unchanged. where other things have 'only' gone up 20 or 25% because the product content has been reduced.

Lovetopaint037 Mon 01-Jan-24 15:12:05

mae13

This is yet another prime example of the "shrinkflation" method practised by greedy manufacturers to maximise profit - oh, and they often simultaneously put the price up too.
Because they can.

Exactly right. The only thing that doesn’t shrink is the price.
Dh moans about the shrinking chunky kit-Kat.

Lovetopaint037 Mon 01-Jan-24 15:08:40

Baggs it is shallow tin so okay for limited use. Gone are the days it seems when you could use a lot of containers for storing cakes. Do you remember the Quality Street tins that could store a 9inch Christmas Cake? Now plastic and so small.

mae13 Mon 01-Jan-24 11:38:21

This is yet another prime example of the "shrinkflation" method practised by greedy manufacturers to maximise profit - oh, and they often simultaneously put the price up too.
Because they can.

25Avalon Mon 01-Jan-24 11:24:39

Mine’s a box not a tin, 550grm. Much better value at £5.

Calendargirl Mon 01-Jan-24 09:29:09

M0nica

Buyt GSM when you go out to a supermsrket to do shopping you do not normally go on line to check out the details of what you have ought.

You go to the shop see the box of biscuits and assume the contents will be the same as they have been for 50 years or more,

When my children were small, (born 1974 and 1976), my DH’s boss always gave them a large tin of Quality Street for Christmas.

Such bounty! We had never had chocolates like that before. Think the tin must have weighed 3 lbs or similar.

No use hoping today’s offerings match those of 50 years ago, sadly.

M0nica Mon 01-Jan-24 09:22:00

GSM Your lawyer's mind must make you a far more analytical shopper than most.

We all know the minds capacity to fail to notice some events from the invisible gorilla experiment www.theinvisiblegorilla.com/gorilla_experiment.html

While making a normal shop, looking and choosins sfuff off the shelf, it is very easy to miss changes.

Recently my eye was drawn by a promotion on butter, it was a big reduction and, I admit, I was a bit puzzled by it, but I bought some amd it was only when I put it intot he fridge at home alongside some butter I had bought earlier that I realised that the pack wa smaller, weighing in at 200 grammes instead of 250. Gramme for gramme it was still cheaper than the bigger pack, so I still had a bargain, but in all the offer signs, I had failed to notice the decreased size.

Oreo Sun 31-Dec-23 20:14:18

I pick up a pack of biscuits and if it’s light I know there’s hardly any biscuits in it.If a tin it’s harder to tell.
The packs look attractive but not much content, better off buying normal chocolate digestives.
It really is a kind of con as the manufactures know buyers will assume it’s packed with biscuits.Once bitten twice shy in future.

Baggs Sun 31-Dec-23 19:40:05

Germanshepherdsmum

I would have thought it pretty obvious that the weight did not match the size of the tin.

15g x 23 is 345g and it says 15g is an approximate weight so there's no deception at work.

toscalily Sun 31-Dec-23 19:04:34

Germanshepherdsmum As older/retired people we may have more time to check weights & measures v price. Younger very much busier people may not always have that time, online or shopping in the store. And, even if we are older we don't always check something when we are busy, as Monica has pointed out, we may have bought similar products in the past and buy thinking it will be the same. Just because it was so obvious to you does not mean it is obvious to everyone.

Litterpicker Sun 31-Dec-23 18:00:39

The change in spreadable butter sizes is another that is done to deceive - former 500g carton now weighs 400g and 250g is 200g (the one I noticed recently is Anchor but I think some other brands have done the same).

Litterpicker Sun 31-Dec-23 17:56:43

I took a photo of these Aldi Florentines - I do usually check the price per 100g or whatever weight is given and in this case an attractive tin was not a factor, but I do think this is deliberate deception and exploits people with less time, ability or experience with regard to checking everything they buy.

Germanshepherdsmum Sun 31-Dec-23 16:58:51

I would have thought it pretty obvious that the weight did not match the size of the tin.

M0nica Sun 31-Dec-23 16:06:50

Buyt GSM when you go out to a supermsrket to do shopping you do not normally go on line to check out the details of what you have ought.

You go to the shop see the box of biscuits and assume the contents will be the same as they have been for 50 years or more,

Germanshepherdsmum Sun 31-Dec-23 14:25:31

See below from Sainsbury’s website. Clearly states 23 biscuits.
www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/foxs-fabulous-chocolatey-biscuit-selection-365g

Baggs Sun 31-Dec-23 13:31:12

Is it a nice tin?