TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Economists say "shrinkflation" may be causing you to get less bang for your buck.

You may be getting fewer chips or candy per package than you used to.

The trick behind it is that you may not even notice.

It is a way for companies to protect their bottom line.

One local economist says this has been going on since the 1970s.

But, he says younger people may not have experienced it yet and could fall victim to shrinkflation.

This is because people may not always be paying attention to the unit price of what they buy.

"You don't count the M&M's, you don't weigh the candy bar. And only when that candy bar or M&M's is dramatically smaller, do you even notice that it's smaller," said Dr. Robert Guell, an economist at Indiana State University.

Guell says it is important to check the unit price and read the fine print before you buy something.

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