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A practice where businesses gradually increase prices without explicitly announcing it, often through subtle changes like reducing product sizes or quantities while keeping the price the same
最近、コーヒーの価格が上がった気がする
I feel like the price of coffee has gone up recently
企業はステルス値上げで消費者の反発を避けようとする
Companies try to avoid consumer backlash by implementing stealth price increases
This practice is often used to avoid direct price hikes that might alienate customers
This practice is frequently observed in supermarkets and convenience stores
Consumers should compare product sizes and prices over time to detect stealth price increases
From English 'stealth' (隠れた) + Japanese '値上げ' (price increase)
Common in business and marketing contexts, often used critically to describe deceptive pricing practices