‘I just noticed this’: Kroger worker says Kellogg’s cereal prices are going down—but there’s a reason why
You’re not crazy: Froot Loops are getting smaller. One Kroger merchandiser revealed that Kellogg’s cereal prices were dropping because the company was rolling out new, tinier boxes.
In the video, TikTok user GothicMoon (@gothicmoon0686) stands in front of a grocery store shelf lined with Kellogg’s cereal boxes. She asks, “So you know that boycott we just finished on the first of this month for this company right here?”
The boycott in question was the “Let Them Eat Cereal” movement, started in response to Kellogg’s CEO Gary Pilnick recommending poor families eat cereal for dinner.
Kroger worker restocks smaller Kellogg's cereal boxes
Let Them Eat Cereal called for consumers to completely cut out Kellogg’s products from April 1 through June 30. Now that the ban is over, GothicMoon points out that Kellogg’s products remain cheaper, but are also getting smaller.
“I am currently coming into stores and doing resets—they had this planned,” she claims. “Do you wanna know why their prices are coming down? ‘Cause we’re shrinking their box sizes again.”
GothicMoon pans over from the shelf to a shopping cart next to her, filled with dozens of old cereal boxes.
“These are all products that have been yanked off of the shelves, and I am putting smaller boxes back up,” she explains. “So, they’re shrinking again! And that’s why the prices are going down.”
“Let them eat cereal,” she declares.
GothicMoon made a second video detailing the exact size difference between the old and new cereal boxes.
“So here’s a little follow up,” she starts, camera focused on a Froot Loops box in the store. She zooms in on the bottom right corner of the box, showing the ounces listed.
“You see this? 8.9 [ounces]. I’m removing this from the shelf,” she says. She shifts focus, holding a new shelf label up to the camera. The label lists the size of the new cereal boxes as 7.8 ounces. GothicMoon did not note the cereals' new price.
“They’re taking over an ounce, again,” GothicMoon states. “This is the second time in less than a calendar year that I’ve done this for Kellogg’s."
What’s happening with Kellogg’s cereal?
The Daily Dot couldn't confirm whether Kellogg’s is officially rolling out smaller boxes nationwide, but the company does have a history of participating in "shrinkflation."
Shrinkflation is the practice of downsizing the product while keeping prices the same or higher. Sometimes companies do it blatantly, with reduced box sizes and blatant price increases. Other companies do it subtly, with smaller box sizes and a sale price that’s disproportionate to what customers were previously getting.
A recent Guardian article detailed the findings of Australian researchers who tracked the change between Kellogg’s boxes in 2019 and in 2024.
“Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut cornflakes, which has considerably more sugar than the brand’s regular cornflakes, jumped from $6 to $10 in the pandemic inflationary years, even as its family-sized pack shed 30 grams,” the article said. “This equates to an actual price increase in excess of 73 percent.”
Other Kellogg’s cereals also jumped in price: the actual cost of Froot Loops increased by 35 percent, and the Australia-only Sultana Bran increased by 82 percent. Local news outlets in the U.S. reported similar tactics.
Still, commenters on GothicMoon's video agreed that the box shrinkage was a victory for Let Them Eat Cereal. Many noted that their boycott won't end anytime soon.
“I just noticed this, this week at my store while putting cereal product away the boxes are thinner and less wide,” a commenter said.
@gothicmoon0686 #letthemeatcereal #kelloggs #shrinkflation @TallGirl6234 ♬ original sound - GothicMoon
“The prices aren’t really going down if the package is smaller,” someone else commented. “It’s a forever ban for me though.”
Most commenters echoed this mentality.
“They could give me a lifetime supply of my fav cereal and beg for forgiveness… still a forever ban for me,” someone said. “Love this for them.”
The Daily Dot reached out to GothicMoon for comment via TikTok comment and direct message, and Kellogg’s via email.
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