This kind of thing has been going on for many years, regardless of the economy. Wasp-waisted bottles were another cute trick. Of course, the amount shown on the packages in ounces or quantities were always perfectly accurate and honest. It's all psychology. Another long-standing gimmick is simply not selling smaller sizes at all. Kind of like movie theater candy. I've notice a lot of giant cereal box sizes. I buy smaller ones, which costs me more but doesn't have me eating so much stale cereal.

Giant servings at restaurants also fall into this category, and can make you fat to boot.

Many of the stores I shop at have prices on the shelf, not the product. Also on this label is a little bit of text telling you what you're paying per pill, or serving, or ounce. Good for comparing what you can save in different sizes, but also good for keeping track of things like this.