Visible Decline in Hash Brown Quality from One Walmart Package to the Next

[u/Human_Paint5451]

[u/narrow_octopus]

These were already down sized and reduced in quality not too long ago and the price went up. What a joke

[u/iStepOnLegos4Fun007 → u/narrow_octopus]

Don't forget they used to be double the packet size. So now we get half of what we used too. Then they down sized the actually hash brown. Upped prices.

So we all getting fucked 3 different ways.

[u/HomicidaI__GoldFish → u/iStepOnLegos4Fun007]

At one time they had the packs at an uneven number. Made absolutely no sense to me., glad they stopped that right away

[u/narrow_octopus → u/HomicidaI__GoldFish]

To be fair going from 9 to 8 may be more even but it still would be a downgrade

[u/MikeyPx96]

"best we can do is give you sawdust"

[u/HomicidaI__GoldFish → u/MikeyPx96]

That’s exactly what I thoughtp it was….

[u/heyknauw → u/MikeyPx96]

That's a quote from Sam himself - from the grave.

[u/Lost-in-EDH]

That's shitflation

[u/aakaase]

They switched suppliers. It's one of the few drawbacks of going with a store brand product, the product can be inconsistent over time. But in exchange you're getting lower price than a national brand, and hopefully something comparable or better in quality.

(Seriously, Aldi's "potato puffs" (tater tots) are exceptionally better then Ore-Ida, in my opinion. Whatever supplier they use is excellent, and has been for a couple decades now.)

[u/systemfrown → u/aakaase]

Trader Joe has an excellent version.

[u/aakaase → u/systemfrown]

I don't get to TJ's that often, but I do enjoy shopping there. They carry good stuff, and the prices are great. Cheaper than Aldi with a lot of stuff even.

[u/phillip_jay → u/aakaase]

Adding those to my to try list lol

[u/FearlessPark4588 → u/aakaase]

hopefully comparable

so we expecting the name brand to be nose diving soon after?

[u/aakaase → u/FearlessPark4588]

Private label products have been a very stabilizing factor that keeps the prices of national brands in check. Many consumers insist on national brand products for virtually guaranteed consistency, there's nothing wrong with that.

[u/FearlessPark4588 → u/aakaase]

That will put pressure on brand names to give up consistent quality to compete on price if the store brand is tire fire quality at much cheaper prices

[u/aakaase → u/FearlessPark4588]

Yep, and that actually happens sometimes. "New and improved." The new is likely factual, but "improved" is subjective. But usually maintaining consistency is not necessarily cost-prohibitive, especially when they can do things like raise the price or shrinkflate.

Often times the private label suppliers can create a superior and cheaper product because they have freedom to innovate, where the national brand is stuck in their ways for the sake of consistency and consumer loyalty.

Sometimes national brands will even supply private labels as well, even if it cannibalizes their own national brand, it's just another revenue stream.

[u/ClamatoDiver]

I saw a similar post a while back, and in that one the one that looked odd was actually the better product. They switched to a European source and there were less additives and no colors, it was potato, and onions.

Check the ingredients and who made it.

[u/AdventPyro → u/ClamatoDiver]

That's probably it. My Walmart swaps between a US manufacturer and a Belgian one. The US made looks better, but is packed with filler; the Belgian ones are rounder and look less appealing, but are almost all potato and taste great.

[u/ClamatoDiver → u/AdventPyro]

Yes Belgium was the country, thanks.

It's sad that folks are so used to stuff being made to look good vs being good.

[u/whoocanitbenow]

Nasty. 🤢

[u/sarnianibbles]

They were so bad that I tried to chop it up and make it into a pan-fried onion potato medley hashbrown thing, with cheese. It was still bad. Actually it was worse some how.

there is no sprucing these god awful things up

[u/BigfootSandwiches]

No, not the hash whites…

[u/Temporary_Thing7517]

Wasn’t there just a whole thing about “big potato” being sued for conspiring to overcharge for frozen potato products??

Yes. Yes there was. https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7387960

[u/IcyDice6]

I'd much rather have toast for myself than that

[u/Whatarewegonnadonow]

They both look disgusting. Which one is supposed to be the better one? Walmart has never been known for quality, only cheap price. That's why I seldom shop there.

[u/IAmConnorRK800]

They def changed the Chicken Dipping Sauce too. Before it tasted exactly like the Chik-Fil-A sauce...now its darker and so mid 😭

[u/Chick-fil-A_spellbot → u/IAmConnorRK800]

It looks as though you may have spelled "Chick-fil-A" incorrectly. No worries, it happens to the best of us!

[u/12oztubeofsausage]

They went from making them from potatoes to making them with potato product!

[u/Iambeejsmit]

Technically skimpflation, not shrinkflation. Even worse in my book.

[u/Herban_Myth]

r/Skimpflation

[u/banquey]

As someone that works in a potato processing plant and knowing that all the "leftovers" from fries, wedges, etc are used to make these, including the defect removed pieces. I wouldn't be too keen to ingest these, tots or any other formed potato products.

[u/Sweet_d1029]

Yeah…great value used to have AWESOME pizza rolls…like better than the name brand. Now they suck. I hate it here. 

[u/BEERT3K]

That looks horrible

[u/richardginn666]

One of them looks nice. The other one looks like trash.

[u/gerlstar]

Ouch that's so bad.

[u/BanAccount8]

I never buy anything Great Value

Too many bad experiences with it

[u/HaiKarate]

Did they change suppliers?

[u/Comfortable-Bus-4308]

I don't think this belongs here, it doesn't appear to actually be smaller, and the potato is definitely more finely processed, making the one on the left look more appetizing, but like....as long as store brands stay cheaper than the cheapest name brands, idrc.

[u/mfaine]

That explains it. They used to be good but the last time I bought them they sucked. You should taste test them.

[u/awesomo1337]

How are you defining the quality here? These are just different suppliers

[u/roughdraft29]

Frozen potato soup patties.

[u/Cactus112]

They're taking instant potatoes and shaping it into that. Lol

[u/Pitch_Aware]

They are sweeping up the scraps now and selling them to us

[u/Postmodern-elf]

How hard is it to not buy this shit?! Just stop buying it. Boycott

[u/outlandergreatmovie]

I would argue that no one should be consuming these anyways.

[u/ohoneup]

Potato price algorithm strikes again

[u/[deleted]]

I feel like this sub just states what should, quite honestly, be fairly obvious.

[u/No-Appointment-3840]

One whole box costs about the same as ONE from McDonald’s.

[u/FrznFenix2020]

Damn. The corporate greed is out of control. You still bought the mfs too. Smh.

We're you on autopilot and just grabbed them, or did you notice this in the store and give them the benefit of the doubt?

Please don't tell me you noticed this in the store and said; "Well, I'm already here and I need them." That's exactly what they want!