The Hotdog Conspiracy

now sold in packages of 5

 

I was doing my weekly shopping and thought, hey, why don't I get some hotdogs.  They weren't on sale, but they are a quick and easy meal.  I know which ones I like, and I know where they are in the store.  I quickly go there and pick up a package.

What!

There is something completely strange here.

There are only 5 hotdogs in the package.

Five?

I had to count several times.  I looked around, thinking this must be a hidden camera segment.  Apparently not--but I have checked YouTube repeatedly, just in case.  So, naturally, I checked the buns.

Six, as usual.

Quite the conundrum.

When I was a child they sold hotdogs in packs of twelve and buns in packs of 8.  I thought that was strange, but once I learned a little math, I figured two packages of hotdogs and three packages of buns and all was well in the world.  If I do that to today's problem I get six packages of hotdogs and five packages of buns.

Someone at Schneider's wants you to eat 30 hotdogs.  30 hotdogs!

Obviously, this is another example of lowering the quantity while maintaining the price.  (see my previous post on this phenomenon    http://theoctagonalpeg.blogspot.ca/2013/09/new-and-improved-means-smaller-and-just.html) This seems pretty easy when you do it to liquids, or things that are sold by weight, but why do it to hotdogs.  They could have made the hotdogs smaller.  I probably wouldn't have noticed, and might have appreciated the better fit to the bun and the reduced calories.

What to do?  I guess I should consider the possibilities.

Possibilities

1. I buy them all and store them in my freezer.  I don't know if I actually have that much space.  I am also not sure I can eat 30 hotdogs in one year.
2. Buy one package and either throw out the last bun or keep it frozen until the next time.  Two problems with this.  I usually eat two hotdogs at a time.  That means one hotdog will go to waste and two buns will stay frozen for a long time.  It is also likely that I will forget about these things and buy new buns the next time.  Soon my freezer will be overloaded with mismatched freezer burnt buns.
3. I forget the whole thing and buy something healthier to eat.  And that's what I did.

Now What?

 

 

So, a deal is done.  Does that mean we forgive and forget?  The answer to this question is no.  I am not proposing we boycott the games, or even turn off the television, or give up the season tickets you've had since you were a child.  I am talking about making some kind of stand.

What that means for people going to the game is a boycott on the merchandise and concessions.  Wouldn't it really hurt them more if they didn't sell any popcorn, or beer, or jerseys?  Wouldn't you be sending an important message that you love hockey, but you don't have to support the marketing, the merchandising, or the price gouging.

Yes, we will be hurting some of the little people by this action, but I don't see a way around it.  Sorry concession stand worker.  We've got to stand up for ourselves and not just meekly go back and suck it up.  We have to show them that we've been the ones hurt in this.  We're the ones that need some kind of compensation.

I don't know what part of merchandising and food sales are included in "hockey related revenue" but I suspect this action will have an effect on both sides. I still side with the players on this deal, but they need to know they are not innocent.

No shirts, no pucks, no family sized cokes, no programs.

Time to take a stand.