Quaker Granola Bars - 8 count box sold on Sept 14th & 10 count box sold on Sept 21st (same cost)
I purchased a box of Quaker granola bars from the same store two weeks ago with a quantity count of 10 bars proudly displayed on the outside of the packaging. This week I purchased the same Quaker Chewy 90 calories granola bars at the same price of $2.89 and this time there are 8 bars in the box with the display of 8 units hidden in a font reduced by 75% from last week’s box font size displaying only 8 units.
What happened to my 2 additional granola bars? And as I further inspected my individual granola bars I compared one bar to a bar left over in my 10-count box only to further discover that the bars themselves have shrunk in size by about 5%.
I did have the great fortune of having a photo on my box of one the Jonas Brothers, Nick, on my box. (I guess I have given up 2 granola bars for that privilege)
So as consumers are we more upset with feeling cheated with a loss of two additional bars verse a higher price. Most definitely I am. If Quaker just increased their price based on the fact that their costs are increasing I could understand that. The cost difference might influence the quantity of product I purchase. Whereas being deceiving about how the packaging is done and reduction of both the quanity of units and the individual size is just outrageous and shame on Quaker. I also feel like as a customer, if I am taking the hit on my home finances from paying more in grocery and more for Quaker products then shouldn’t Quaker take a hit too? Maybe instead of making as much margin on their product they can create more value for us customers especially during this difficult economic time.
I don’t want to sound like I am out for Quaker, many companies are doing the same thing and my suggestion to them is don’t deceive the consumer. Be honest and transparent and look for ways to give value. Same packaging but reduced product is obvious to customers, smaller packaging or smaller size product is obvious as well. Adding more fillers and corn syrup is also becoming more obvious and dangerous to our health. If you want to keep customers for the long haul and build strong ethical brands, look to Smucker’s as a case study. Smucker’s has always believed in giving more and they prove that by filling their jelly to the very top of each jar. Several of Smucker’s top accounts produced reports showing that by reducing the jelly by 2mil. from the fill line Smucker’s could save hundreds of thousands each year. And yet the CEO holds firm that the Smucker’s way is to give the consumer more than they expect. “They treat people the way you want to be treated. It’s the old golden rule.” Which is why I am so loyal to Smucker’s. Even when their jelly prices increase I know I will still get a full jar of jelly right to the top. I feel good buying from them. And I don’t feel cheated. For more on developing customer loyalty contact Princeton Marketing Group.
