One thing that everybody seems to be talking about these days is the price of groceries. You can’t go to the store without spending a lot of money, even if you try to be a thrifty shopper.
That is why it is so important to be a good shopper and understand the subtle differences between products. Keep in mind that companies are out there to trick you, and they are very successful because they have a team of experts who figure out ways to do it without you knowing.
There are some spice companies out there that are getting sued because of the differences they made in their product. This includes McCormick & Co, who are in the middle of a lawsuit because of their ground pepper tins.
Watkins, which is a small company says that McCormick reduced the amount of pepper in their tins by 25%. Even though they are putting less pepper in the tins, the tins are the same size.
This is a deceptive practice, because it looks like you are getting the same amount of pepper, it’s just the weight of the pepper is different. According to Watkins, McCormick is using this to trick people into thinking they are getting the same amount of pepper.
Since you can’t see through the outside of the tin, you need to look at the difference in the weight. That is what you see in the picture.
Watkins also sells a smaller tin of pepper, but they don’t trick their customers because they make the tin smaller. They are arguing that McCormick is using deceptive marketing practices and they are even making the writing on the can small so people can’t tell.
This is a type of practice that is known as slack-filling. It is often used but it is seen in the industry as being a dishonest practice and it breaks the rules.
The next time you are at the store buying spices, make sure you take a close look. If you don’t, it might cost you money.