ICE CREAM AND PREACHING

There'll be less ice cream in the half gallon you buy. Dreyer's and Schwan's have already cut their half-gallon containers, replacing them with 1.75-quart cartons, "to cut costs." What a spin! They're really doing it to make more money!

While manufacturers over the years reduced the package size of everything from candy bars to dish detergent, the traditional ice cream "brick" remained what it was - the half gallon. Nowat least two ice cream makers have started silently phasing out the half gallon with a 1.75-quart carton, a half-pint smaller (Associated Press, November 19, 2002).

About three-fourths of all ice cream is sold by the half gallon. Other ice cream makers are expected to do the same as Dreyer's and Schwan's. One woman was interviewed who said, "The same thing happened with laundry detergent. They're cheating the public, because they don't advertise it" (ibid.).

I'm old enough to remember when you got more of just about everything for your money - more food on your plate in a restaurant, more detergent in the box, bigger candy bars, more service at the gas station - you name it. But they found out they could give us less and we would still pay the same price.

In case you hadn't noticed, this is happening in pulpits across the land as well. You get less in the sermon, but they still expect the same amount in the offering plate. As that lady said, "They're cheating the public, because they don't advertise it."