An allegedly unnatural practice employed by some grocery stores could be costing shoppers hundreds of dollars a year, a customer has revealed.
In a now-viral video posted on October 24, TikTok user Gvizzle (@gvizzle_74) claims that the advertised weight of some of the items he purchased did not match the actual weight of the food inside the package, leading to him being overcharged. It became clear that it was possible.
The TikToker first noticed this discrepancy when he purchased a can of tuna. The package said the drained weight was 120 grams, but when I weighed it, it was only 105 grams.
“If I had bought 10 cans that day, one would be completely empty and the other would be like a quarter of the tuna was missing,” she explained in the video.
The second example involved a package of chicken meat advertised with a net weight of 862 grams. When we weighed it, we found that there was only 772 grams of chicken inside, a difference of 90 grams.
Calculating the financial impact, she said: “One product, one package of chicken, costs her $1.78. How many packages of chicken did she sell that day?”
She continued, “This happened in the metro, but a few weeks ago I got some fish for $1.53 at the Real Canadian Superstore, where I usually shop. If you buy 3 proteins a week, rounded up, you’re stealing $5, or $260 a year…”
The TikToker then shifted focus to the bigger issue, accusing manufacturers and grocery stores of “stealing from us every minute of every day.”
Gvizzle asked, “How many thousands of transactions are happening per hour?” And how many of those transactions are people paying for something they don’t actually get?”
The video has since been viewed more than 922,000 times, sparking outrage and concern from other consumers.
@gvizzle_74 #Grocery #Grocery shopping #Grifters #shrinkflation #Shrinkflation is real #Metro #RealCanadianSuperstore @Real Canadian Superstore @Globalnews.ca #cbcmarketplace @CBC News ♬ Original song – Miyabi
One commenter wrote, “There should be a law that says if the weight is not accurate, the cost must be fully refunded.”
“And the employees aren’t earning a living wage,” another added.
“My recipe no longer fills the pot like it used to,” a third person complained.
The Daily Dot reached out to Gvizzle via TikTok direct message and Metro via press email.
*First published: November 20, 2023 at 10:30pm CST
Vladimir Spica
Vladimir Spica is a freelance writer for the Daily Dot based in Serbia. He enjoys traveling in Europe, reading non-fiction books, and playing with his dog Max.
