A lot of people resent how sneaky shrinkflation feels.
Manufacturers would gladly boast about increasing the size of their product if they did so, but do everything they can to hide when they've shrunk it.
Manipulative tricks like oddly shaped packaging or plastic fillers to take up the space that was previously product are examples of why people hate shrinkflation.
If something goes up in price but the quantity and quality stayed the same, people wouldn't feel like they're being tricked.
They wouldn’t feel tricked, but then they’d be pissed off at the rising prices, which affects their ability to enjoy the product.
If someone sells you a bag of chips but they’ve already eaten two of the chips, your enjoyment of the bag will still be the same as if you had the whole bag. If they reveal that fact to you though, then your experience will be soured.
If you've always been sold a dozen eggs in a package that can hold twelve eggs, but suddenly the same package is relabelled and used to sell you only ten eggs, who in the world looks at that situation and says "as a rational market participant, I can't be mad because the package has indeed been updated to say 'ten eggs' and I just failed to take notice (yolk's on me)."
People like to be dealt with fairly. When they occasionally notice things that make them realize there are rooms full of people whose entire job is to trick them, they don't like it. Where's the mystery?
Manufacturers would gladly boast about increasing the size of their product if they did so, but do everything they can to hide when they've shrunk it.
Manipulative tricks like oddly shaped packaging or plastic fillers to take up the space that was previously product are examples of why people hate shrinkflation.
If something goes up in price but the quantity and quality stayed the same, people wouldn't feel like they're being tricked.