How much does bottled water cost? Like most products, bottled water has a consumer cost and environmental cost. Retail price is often what concerns people most. “Where can I get the best price on a case of 16.9-ounce bottled water?” It’s easy to compare prices and cost hits the wallet right now. The environmental cost may be more challenging to calculate and see but it still exists. We’ll deal with consumer cost in this post.
How Much Does Bottle Water Cost Wholesalers?
The International Bottled Water Association states on their website, “According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC), the average wholesale price per gallon of domestic non-sparkling bottled water was $1.13 in 2010. As a popular retail food product, bottled water is available at many differing price points. Also, according to BMC, consumers most often tend to buy bottled water in bulk from supermarkets or large discount retailers.”
How Much Does Bottled Water Cost Consumers?
Consumers pay retail, not wholesale. I surfed the Web and found bottled water advertised from less than $0.25 to well over several dollars per 16.9-ounce bottle sold in bulk. The price of bottled water varies hugely depending on:
- Type – spring, purified, mineral
- Brand – store (plain wrap), national, or upscale
- Bottle Size – 8-ounce, 16.9-ounce, gallon
- Quantity – 1 single serving bottle, a case, a pallet
- Purchase Location – convenience store, supermarket, large discount chain store
$$$ Purchasing Bottled Water Can Add Up to Big Dollars $$$
Sometimes we don’t see how incremental costs can add up to a huge number. For example, if you were to drink just one 16.9-ounce bottle of water a day at a cost of say $.50 per bottle, you would have spent $182.50 in a year. After 50 years you would have spent $9,125.00 on bottled water and used 1,800 plastic bottles. I don’t know about you but I can think of many things I could do with $9,125.00. Imagine if you drank two bottles a day, or bought upscale or flavored waters at $1.00 each. That would double your 50-year cost to $18,250.00.
Imagine what could be done with that kind of money…
Related Posts
- Bottled Water Alternatives
- Introduction to Single-Serving Bottled Water
- What is the Environmental Impact of Bottled Water?
- Why Do People Drink Bottled Water and How Much?
