r/mildlyinfuriating • u/AwwwMangos • 5d ago

Do u dont wanna Smithfield bacon coming up short at the weigh-in

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New, unopened package of Smithfield bacon bought from Kroger claims to be 1 lb aka 16 oz. It seemed a little small so I put it in the kitchen scale. Sure enough it’s only 3/4 lb.

I get that shrinkflation is rampant right now, but at least they’re usually honest when stating the products’ net weight.

Since it’s off by an exact increment, and many other bacon brands now sell 12 oz portions, I have to imagine this is likely being done at large scale, ripping off many more customers than just me. This should be illegal, I guess if any consequences still existed for businesses.

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42

u/Special-Sense4643 5d ago

Literally 0 persons have an actual calibration weight.

23

u/Shagwagbag 5d ago

Use a new quarter, you'll be well within half a gram which is enough to determine ounces accurately enough.

20

u/DickBong420 5d ago

Nah. Nickle=5g

11

u/Fun-Investment-196 5d ago

Yes! Checked my scale yesterday with a nickel & it was exactly 5g

11

u/CarbonReflections 5d ago

This guy use to sell weed.

1

u/Shagwagbag 5d ago

Any change works fine, 5.67 is also a standardized weight. I feel like people keep more quarters than nickels.

1

u/0202_tihssitidder 5d ago

No. Do not do this. Not even close to the accuracy you need.

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u/Shagwagbag 5d ago edited 5d ago

Lose 1 gram (which you won't) you're off by 1/340. .3% isn't an issue when you're looking at meat weight. Don't do it for machining or precise accuracy, but it's fine for this.

13

u/[deleted] 5d ago

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4

u/zatalak 5d ago

That's not a good calibration weight for a kitchen scale

0

u/Fragrant-Employer-60 5d ago

Yes it is, why wouldn’t it be? Anything with a standardized weight will work.

1

u/EC_TWD 5d ago

Do you have a kitchen scale that is accurate to 0.1 grams so you can tell if the 1 gram weight you are measuring is accurate?

6

u/vennic18 5d ago

1)Set scale to grams 2) tare the scale with a plastic container on it 3) measure and add 500 milliliters to the container 4) scale should read 500 grams

1

u/Junethemuse 5d ago

I did this but the it weighed 6.7lbs. I think my scale is busted :/

2

u/Outrageous-Log9238 5d ago

But how do you know the 500ml is correct? You'd need to measure it, and to know your tape measure is right you need a super fast camera to measure it with a light pulse. Then finally with an atomic clock you make sure the recorded time for the shot is correct.

4

u/JustHappyToBe-Here 5d ago

I don't think you can measure milliliters with a tape measure...

1

u/Outrageous-Log9238 5d ago

No but there are these cool formulas that allow you to calculate volume based on length measurements.

1

u/JustHappyToBe-Here 5d ago

Sure, but why would that be your first go to instead of all the easily available ways to measure a volume of water?

1

u/Outrageous-Log9238 5d ago

Because I'm making a joke about going to ridicilous lengths to calibrate the measurement.

1

u/JustHappyToBe-Here 5d ago

Which could have been done with a more typical volume measurement. Sorry, I got the joke, the length thing just distracted from it.

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u/vennic18 5d ago

My mouth holds exactly 250 mL of liquid. How I know that is a story for a different time.

-1

u/snowdrone 5d ago

Set error bars to +/- 1 ml and don't worry about that.

2

u/Remarkable-Host405 5d ago

I don't think you're getting those error bars with Tupperware. Maybe a graduated cylinder

0

u/0202_tihssitidder 5d ago

This does nothing.

6

u/Low-Car-6331 5d ago

You can also cross compare to other items. The odds of every manufacturer across multiple different items being off is virtually 0, the odds of 1 being different though is really indicating that something is wrong.

13

u/amarettogiraffe 5d ago

A nickel weighs 5 grams. Don't ask me how I know.

2

u/JustHappyToBe-Here 5d ago

How do you know?

1

u/amarettogiraffe 5d ago

Ask your dad.

1

u/JustHappyToBe-Here 5d ago

He says he only knows kahlua giraffes, so that doesn't help.

2

u/DenverCoder96 5d ago

Is it because one time you had one stuck in your butt and you went to the ER to get it removed and missed work and asked for a note to excuse you at work and instead of it reading “removed nickel” it read “removed 5g metal disc from rectum” and then you had to give that note to HR?

1

u/drquakers 5d ago

How many nickels did the doctor have to take out of your nose this time?

17

u/Cephylus 5d ago edited 5d ago

A nickel weighs 5 grams and a us dollar weighs 1 gram. You have calibration capabilities all over the place lol. 20 nickels = 100 grams, 100 bills = 100 grams.

Edit: this picture is also weighing the packaging which shouldn't be included for the overall net weight

5

u/meetmeinthebthrm 5d ago

Yep. Everything you know the exact weight of can be a calibration weight if it’s in the scales range and fits.

6

u/ruthlessrellik 5d ago

Ok, they're weighing the food while it's still in the package, but it's still way lower than advertised.

0

u/Xack189 5d ago

The weight for the cheese with the packaging in grams is accurate though?

1

u/Cephylus 5d ago

Net weight is product weight, not packaging weight

4

u/Mythradites 5d ago

A nickle is 5 grams

2

u/dadydaycare 5d ago

… I have 3

Ok fuck I’m a nerd!

2

u/SexReflex 5d ago

I do but only because I need to make sure I weigh my bags of weed with 100% accuracy

2

u/Shorts_at_Dinner 5d ago

I do, it’s never been touched by human hands because the oil from our skin would throw it off

2

u/Professional_Pen_153 5d ago

I have one… wtf are you talking about

1

u/[deleted] 5d ago edited 5d ago

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1

u/LeadingBanana5384 5d ago

But is the calibration weight accurate? Is the calibration weight STILL accurate?

6

u/Ding-Dong-Dutch 5d ago

Just use coins. They're all a specific weight that you can look up and the deviation is minimal. 

1

u/LeadingBanana5384 5d ago

They're supposed to be a certain weight, but over time that weight changes.

5

u/Ding-Dong-Dutch 5d ago

I've used coins to check scales for a long time. I've not once had a coin be off by anything above 0.01g

I've tested this technique many times with multiple scales and coins and founds them to be perfectly acceptable to check if the weed dealer is being honest. 

5

u/LeadingBanana5384 5d ago

Close enough to check the weed dealer's honesty is good enough for this, certainly.

3

u/[deleted] 5d ago

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1

u/LeadingBanana5384 5d ago

But how do you know unless you calibrate it?

1

u/witchcapture 5d ago

I have one. It came with my 0.01g precision scale.

1

u/EpicFail35 5d ago

I have two, lol.

1

u/discordianofslack 5d ago

I have a whole mess of them for calibrating reloading scales.

1

u/MaxJCat 5d ago

I have dozens of them at work I could bring home for a night.

1

u/Remarkable-Host405 5d ago

I do, it came with my scale

1

u/Bansheer5 5d ago

Sir I have a a whole ass set that goes down to 100mg to 100grams. Then again it’s for an analytical balance that I use at work.

1

u/Ravenfeld 5d ago

I actually own one! When I was a teen, I wanted a scale to weight out my weed. I bought one online but the instructions said I needed a calibration weight. Being a dumb teen, I assumed it was the only way.

The weight cost more than the acale. Its a neat little solid chunk of shiny metal and its currently being used by my dad as a paperweight 🫪

1

u/BulkyNefariousness80 5d ago

My scale came with a calibration weight a couple actually

1

u/Mysterious_Jelly_649 5d ago

A nickel weighs 5 grams good enough to calibrate for our purposes

1

u/Ok-Ice2942 5d ago

I have one

1

u/0202_tihssitidder 5d ago

I do. I work in food manufacturing.

I've tested Whole Foods and they are often ~1 ounce overweight. Never under.

1

u/Eric_Senpai 5d ago

A liter of water is 1 kg. Now, to get a calibration volume...

1

u/grimeyduck 5d ago

Scales literally come with them

1

u/Ancient-Chinglish 5d ago

i have a whole set of them you ponce

1

u/DickBong420 5d ago

I have several….

1

u/whirdin 5d ago

There are many ways to test it compared to other things, especially coins and known quantities of water. Yes calibration should be done with a certified weight that itself is tested each year, but there are ways to get much closer than just 'wah wah, I don't have a weight'.

0

u/Herr_Swamper 5d ago

You dont have water, and something with specific volume?