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The Great Publix Fish Fillet Swindle

Last night I followed a craving for fish fillets into the deepest recesses of my freezer. (Do NOT make fun -- we are poor writers over here; in fact, some of us survive mainly on tuna fish sandwiches).  Now, look at the image below. Do you see the writing on...
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Last night I followed a craving for fish fillets into the deepest recesses of my freezer. (Do NOT make fun -- we are poor writers over here; in fact, some of us survive mainly on tuna fish sandwiches). 

Now, look at the image below. Do you see the writing on the box?  I'm not talking about where it says "prepared to perfection" (although they are).  Not the flap where it says "you've got a winner of a dinner" (although that is also true). I'm talkin' about the corner, where it says the box contains 10 fish fillets.

Now, imagine my dismay when I opened the box to cook my winner of a dinner and there were only SEVEN filets, people.  Now, I am not a hog, but neither do I appreciate being ripped off.  Perhaps it's just a case of Publix needing to find a different, more mathematically inclined, person to count the fish filets and put them in the box. Or perhaps, friends, it is something more sinister.  Something called "short-sizing." A very real problem in America today.

You see, it has become a common practice for companies to charge you the normal price for an everyday product -- but sneakily make the portion size smaller.  MSNBC did a story about it. That coffee you're used to buying a pound of? Same price, but now in a 10-ounce package. Ice cream?  used to be a half gallon; now it's 1 1/2 quarts.  Oh, you can bet Publix is going to hear it from me on this one.  Stay vigilant, people!  One dude in Colorado has even resorted to counting his sheets of toilet paper.   

-- Deirdra Funcheon

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