size really does matter!!

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Aha! I thought that would get your attention! I know just what you're thinking, too. And, with regard to what I'm going to talk about, yes, even that as well. We've all seen (yes, even you who will deny it) those on-line sites that we occasionally stumble upon even using the most innocent keywords in Internet searches - they will use above-average appendages to get your attention (and hopefully your money). We all know that the average "appendage" cannot compare to what is marketed. And, THAT'S my focus. Using size (or the appearance thereof) to get our money. How many of you remember when coffee actually came in 3 lb and 1 lb cans? Then it dropped in weight but the cans remained the same size (remember - illusion is the key) and now those 1 lb cans, which had been 13 oz, are now 11 oz. The size remains the same, but what they contain has been reduced. Initially, the price doesn't change - we don't feel we've lost anything. But, they are making more money because they are selling less product at the same price. How about those double rolls of toilet tissue? Have you ever compared the numbers of individual sheets in those rolls to the single rolls? The vast majority of brands do NOT have double the number of sheets in those double-sized rolls. But, YOU think they do and that you're getting a better rate. What about economy sized anything - bigger package should mean lower cost per ounce (or piece). Often, that's not true. Very often, the larger "economy" size has a higher breakdown price than the smaller size. Again - the appearance of size mattered in getting your money. Recently, I purchased a shelf-stable Taco Bell dinner bowl - taco beef with rice and beans. It looked like a real bargain - decent sized bowl surrounded by the cardboard packaging and closed with vacuum-sealed durable plastic. Then I decided to eat it. I opened it. The first thing I found was that the bowl's opening was deceiving - once you peeled the plastic back, there was another lip inside the top edge which reduced the diameter of the bowl holding the food contents. Then, once I began to eat it, I learned that the volume was reduced even more because the bottom was concave - it curved upward, again reducing the capacity of the bowl. So, what looked like a substantial quantity of food had lost a substantial portion of its volume due to deliberate package design. In other words, a false sense of size was created in order to enhance the desire to purchase the product. So, how about it - in what way have YOU been deceived? How have you been tricked by marketing and packaging techniques into thinking you were getting more than you actually got? And I'm not talking about rolled up socks. Tell me about your experiences.