Ripped off at Sherwin WIlliams

[Doug Kanter]

Well, I think the solution is for enough people to bitch directly to Sherwin-Williams, claiming that the precise one gallon size is important because it allows people to determine surface coverage in a predictable way. Of course, this isn't quite true, because humidity and a few other random things can affect whether seven nineteenths of an ounce makes a difference, but if enough people yell about it, that won't matter.

About 5 years ago, there was a plot afoot to reduce the size of cans of evaporated milk. I heard about it 2 months ahead of time because I'm in the grocery business. It never happened. Initially, I wondered if an army of home bakers got all over the manufacturers' cases, but it might've been bigger than that. Unrelated manufacturers often specify "one such-and-such ounce can of evap milk" in recipes. So, it might've been insider influence that put a stop to it.

The idea made no sense. The vast majority of evaporated milk is sold around holidays. Tell your average grandma that the price of the stuff's gone up forty cents since last year and she'll say "So? It's Easter".

[dances_with_barkadas]

consumers are worthy of respect than producers

just the other day, a oil producer told me that he's sick and tired of selling the same size barrel of oil to you for $40, when you keep shrinking the value of the dollar by deficit spending

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Are people getting skinny since they now consume less from the smaller packages?

I really really want a 7 Series BMW but it is not in my budget. Do you think they should sell a version with only three wheels so that I can afford it? Or do yo think I should buy another brand that I can afford?

I do. They want to keep the price in line with the competition. They do this by reducing size. I was part of a program years ago to reduce cost on some products. The idea was to make the tubing walls thinner, a few less fasteners, and on and on. It worked for a while, but when customers got PO'd, the company went out of business. The problem with the food industry is that they all do it so they are all equal.

My favorite ice cream did go up $a package, but it is still smaller than the half gallon of decades before. No I only buy it when it is on sale and I stock up. What did they gain?

Evil, I say, evil in the name of market share and profits.

[3rd eye]

HAW! We are talking about 5 ounces here. I can't imagine any painter that can estimate any job down to a

1/2 cup/gal.

[3rd eye]

You paid extra & didn't get a full gallon because you wanted the fancy new packaging.

If you are so "outraged" why not take it back & buy a full "gallon" can.

[jeffc]

Um, it's so that it can take all sorts of colors, i.e. colorant. It takes space ya know.

[jeffc]

Oh for crissakes people. No 2 "gallons" of colored paint contain the same amount of paint. The base paint takes a certain volume. They have to leave room for adding colorant in the store to make any color you want. Experienced painters are going to be "screwed up" because they haven't ever gotten an exact gallon in their lives, and they never expect to.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

No so. I just looked at two cans of Pittsburgh paints. One was a pre colored paint the it is clearly marked "one gallon" while the base for tinting is marked 3 15/16 quarts. Another brand is plainly 1 gallon also.

If the OP bought a pre colored paint, he is screwed, If it was in fact a base for tinting, there may be some legitimacy, but it still seems like a lot of room for tinting.

[Doug Kanter]

Ya know, whenever you're asked to explore any possibility except the one you've chosen and carved in stone, you refuse. So, live in a narrow world, and have a nice day. By the way, keep your lamps trimmed and burning. The black helicopters are on the way.

[Doug Kanter]

Evil? What's the alternative? Slowly go out of business??? And, what's so evil about a company like Breyers shrinking their package a bit, when there's a world full of rocky road/marshmallow addicts who are happy to pay twice as much (unit price) for those little Ben & Jerry's containers?

Your "thinner tube walls" analogy is a bit off, by the way. You reduced the quality. Not the same as a food or paint company reducing the amount per package.

[Doug Kanter]

Actually, there are painters like that. They're the same guys who swear their Chevy Suburbans are getting upward of 35 miles per gallon. :-)

[Doug Kanter]

Maybe it's related to current fashions. Are more people asking for dark colors than in the past? If you want a green that's 30% darker than an army uniform, does it require more tint (by volume) than a pale green?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

So you are saying that since others are being deceptive it is OK for all to be deceptive?

You are saying since people are willing to pay a lot of money per ounce for B & J is is OK for Breyers to go to a smaller container? It has been a half gallon for 50+ years that I know of and all of a sudden we find that 1.75 quarts is a better size? For who? Certainly not the every day consumer that may not have even notices for a few months

The "owner of the month" of Breyers is whoring the name and reducing quality also. Most of the new proudcts have all sorts of unneeded crap in them that they never needed. Guar gum is cheaper than cream so they came out with a new vanilla. Now it is a crappy as the competition.

Breyers used to be a very good independent in the Philadelphia area but then they were sold to Sealtest, then Kraft, Good Humor, now Unilever. They also had better flavors years ago, like raspberry ice and bananna.

My point was less product for the same or more money. It was not so much the quality but the lesser value that did them in.

[~^Johnny^~]

[Hopkins]

My God, people, paint is not like ice cream. The grocery is not going to add chocolate sauce before you leave, making it a "true" half-gallon.

Like jeffc said, a can of paint is less than 1 gallon so they can add colorant! How do you suggest they get all those colors if the can is full to the top?

still seems like a lot of room for tinting.

5 ounces is by not a lot of tint.

[phlegmatico]

people who homebrew their own ice cream don't have the problem.

people who don't can piss and moan all day long... then buy what's on offer.

"the dogs may bark, but the caravan moves on"

[G Henslee]

That's Dogless at his finest.

*that* will never happen.

[Percival P. Cassidy]

On 07/30/05 07:33 am Hopkins tossed the following ingredients into the ever-growing pot of cybersoup:

So if I buy an old-fashioned metal can of paint that is labeled "1 gallon" (and really does contain a full gallon), it has no room for tinting??? Baloney!!!

Perce

[G Henslee]

Try Dumb-Edwards paint supply. Their 1 gallon can is actually 1.175. Which means their 5 gallon containers must be almost 6 gallons!!

[Ranieri]

One time I bought a 2x4, and the damn thing was only 3.5" x1.5"!!!