What has happened to some of my favorite consumer products:

Puffs facial tissues -- a few years ago they shortened the tissues almost an inch - I actually noticed that they were closer to square when they did it - without resizing the box. Sneaky. Kleenex seems to have done the same. Look how much space is inside at the end of the box. When will they have the balls to resize the box too, saving even more costs? Watch for when they finally do resize the boxes, they'll advertise "Compact box! Saves space! Still the same size tissues!" Which by then will be true.

Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup -- I still eat the soup, but pick out the nasty chicken pieces they put in today. I'm almost ashamed to feed them to my cat, with all the gristle and chunks of fat. I've always been a little picky about chicken gristle, but have eaten that soup all of my life, so the quality changed just within the last few years.

"Cento" brand pepperocini -- good flavor, and the brand I found with the highest percentage of "soft" peppers in the jar, the ones I pick out and eat. Hard ones get trashed. Can't find them anywhere in my area anymore, been maybe five years now.

Crest Toothpaste "Multicare Whitening" -- that one helps reduce stains quite noticeably. A couple of years ago, I could extract almost every last bit out of the standard tube. Now, it comes in a standup squeeze bottle. I cut open one that stopped producing paste when squeezed, and there was at least a tablespoon left that never would've escape me in the tube package. So I buy it more often than I should have to, Crest making more money.

Jeez!

Thank you.

I'm really unhappy with the American-Standard toilets I put in my house.

For low-flow toilets, they perform ok., but I want more:

1) The bowl should be bigger in diameter--sometimes in the dark it is hard to hit;

2) The bowl should have a self-cleaning spray-shield that is deployed when the seat is raised, not only doubling the size of the target, but protecting the surrounding floor, cabinets, etc. from undesirable splashes;

3) I want my toilet to have both a powerful, built-in exhaust fan and some sort of gas shield seal between my ass and the fixture to prevent the escape of noxious fumes. I'm tired of people entering the bathroom after me and running back out screaming curses at me.

That's some of the stuff that bothers me.

Big Chief want Toto.

Lots of companies have put less product in their packages

that way they don't have to raise prices. Unilever put a dimple in the bottom of all their jars like Skippy and Hellmann's mayonnaise and most soap bars are a little smaller. I think it's deceptive and any changes should have to be printed on the package.

$65.00 1/8s are outrageous

I hate thin, single-ply toilet paper. When used as ass-wipe (instead of the more durable corn cob) it leaks through to your fingers. Most unplesant!

And when used to blow your nose, you blast a hole right through it and the snot and solids end up in the palm of your hand.

Coda

Where are you located at? Cento is in my town and available all over the area. Can I help you with anything?

f16devils -

I'm in the vicinity of Huntsville, AL. Don't worry about it, I'm tough enough to take it. I just need to remember when I drive to Memphis for my mom's birthday in a couple of months to look around there for the peppers.

But thanks.

Basically any counter-top appliance sold today. There are so many $80 pieces of %#$@ out there flooding the market these days that idiot consumers buy. Freakin' "shiny" plastic that looks like metal but isn't, cheap plastic knobs just waiting to break, holes for handles not drilled straight...and the list goes on. An $80 toaster should last my entire life, not a couple years, it's ridiculous that companies sell this cheap crap at such an inflated price.

Who the hell thought it was okay to accept the fact that "Well, this $300 espresso maker really isn't going to last but 3 to 5 years until the pump dies, you really need the $2,500 if you want a good product." - You might as well buy a $300 paper weight.

Trust me, I could keep going...

Have you seen how TINY a Reese's peanut butter cup is these days? Same size packaging as the ones my Grandma used to buy me, but they're only about 2/3rds as big...heresy.

Don't EVEN get me started on the red cardboard crap they sell today masquerading as tomatoes.

Toilet paper! I've noticed certain toilet paper manufactures have narrowed the roll. The paper isn't as wide as it used to be. That pisses me off.

Ice cream in 1.5 qt sizes.

Cheap aluminum foil.

The price of a disposable razor.

Kid's toy packaging. What's up with all the damn wire ties and then having to put the decals on yourself?

Actually, why can't any gawdam automotive engineer design an air filter housing that doesn't require a contortionist with 4 arms and hands to change a friggin' air filter? Have you ever tried to change an air filter on a 6.0L Powerstroke in a 2003 SuperDuty? And they don't get any better with age either!

Packaging made with recycled paper. I hate the milk cartons or cereal boxes that don't open properly, but rip apart.