If you can imagine it, years ago, there was no such thing as bottled water.
Drinking water from a bottle would be something that you would have to put together yourself because you would not find this on the shelves at the grocery stores.
Today, bottled water is everywhere you look.
You can pick some up at the gas station, the convenience store, the airport, and pretty much everywhere.
Overall, in addition to the convenience of water being available everywhere, the price has started to increase as well.
There are some significant reasons bottled water is so expensive.
If you are wondering what they are, we are happy to clear it up for you.
Take a look at the top ten reasons bottled water is so expensive.
Why Is Bottled Water So Expensive? (Top 10 Reasons)
1. Materials
If you are a homeowner, you know that water is expensive to begin with.
When you take a shower or water your lawn, the charge on your water bill is going to increase.
To keep water from spilling from the container, you will need to ensure that the proper plastic materials are used.
In addition, the materials have to be safe for people to drink from.
Water bottles have to be a certain type of plastic that is both recyclable and safe for humans to drink from.
These materials are going to be a large portion of the price that you pay for a bottle of water.
Of course, without these materials, you are not going even to have the bottled water to use.
This is why many people choose to get reusable water bottles.
With a reusable bottle, you can pay once for the bottle and then continue to refill it on your own.
The more you refill your water bottle and use it, the better the value will be for the water bottle that you are purchasing.
When manufacturers make bottled water, they have to source the material, fill the bottles, properly package them, and then get the products to the consumer.
For there to be any profit for the bottled water manufacturing company, the end user’s price needs to be quite high.
2. Designing And Printing
Bottled water needs to be both designed and printed with a label on the water bottle.
If you take a look at the water bottles on the shelves, you will notice that they all have very different designs.
Some bottles of water are square while others are more like a cylinder.
The cylindrical shape seems to be the most popular of all the types, but they still look different between each manufacturer.
The water bottle is designed to be the perfect size to hold a liter most of the time.
In addition, there is a label that must go on the water bottle.
The label will give information about the bottle of water, the company that makes it, and any other important information about where the water is sourced.
If the water is sourced from a specific location, sometimes it is more desirable for people, and therefore, that information will be printed on the side of the bottle.
Printing on the side of the water bottle takes ink, design work, and printing expenses.
The graphic designers who come up with the designing and printing on the water bottles are highly skilled, and they know how to work in this industry.
Believe it or not, there is quite a bit of psychology that goes into designing and printing a water bottle.
Ensuring that water bottle companies have the perfect design and printing on their water bottles ends up costing them quite a bit of money.
3. Sourcing The Water
Bottled water manufacturers need to have access to quite a bit of water to source from.
If you don’t have a great source for water, you can forget about starting a bottled water manufacturing company.
Sourcing of water is difficult because it is a limited natural resource.
There are also certain areas of the country where water is better than others.
Some people will only drink certain types of spring water, and people need to consider where the water is coming from.
The cost of getting water in large quantities is tough.
In addition, it is going to be very expensive.
The better the water, the more you are going to have to pay for it.
When water is sourced and bottled, it is tested and sometimes cleaned, or there are additives put in the water.
Other times, it is going to just be clear water from a high-end source.
The water needs to be researched, sourced, transported, and then brought in to be put in the water bottles.
The price you pay for a bottle of water is going to change based on where the water was sourced.
4. Labor To Fill The Bottles
When you look into the cost of almost any product, the labor costs are going to be the most significant.
This is an unfortunate problem, but many jobs are going to robots and machines because the cost of labor is so high.
Labor to fill water bottles is one of the reasons that bottled water is so expensive.
The time it takes to ensure the bottles are properly filled and closed is going to add to the total cost that you pay for your bottled water.
Labor includes paying taxes and worker’s compensation for employees as well.
In addition, many employees are going to have benefits that will also weigh into the costs.
Employee benefits programs are some of the highest expenses for any employer.
Still, employers tend to have no choice but to bring some employees on board.
The fact that these costs are so high means that you will pay extra money when you purchase bottled water.
Let’s also consider the additional labor costs for those who are selling you the water.
For a water to make it to the store where an employee will sell it to you, there are even more costs of labor involved.
As you can see, there are just not enough ways to cut the costs of labor along the way when you are bottling water.
It is essential to ensure that you remember all of the people who make a living as part of this process.
It will help you to understand the total costs that you are paying every time you purchase bottled water.
5. Packaging
When you get a bottle of water in your hand, you must consider how it got there.
From the time the water was first collected to the time that it was put into a water bottle, there was packaging involved.
In addition, the water needs to be then packaged to go to a store for it to be sold to the end user.
This packaging typically includes crates or pallets.
Many containers of bottled water are sold in a six-, 12-, or even 24-pack.
These packs are usually a combination of both cardboard and plastic wrapped around the water bottles.
Of course, this may not seem like a lot of material, but there are costs involved.
One of the problems with a water bottle making it to the end user is that the packaging costs are part of the entire process, not just the start or the end.
There are lots of steps that involve this packaging, and it’s smart to consider this when you are considering the price.
Think about the time it takes you to source a water bottle, fill it, chill it, and then take a sip.
Although this does not seem like that difficult of a process, try doing it millions of times.
This is where costs start to add up, and those costs need to be recovered in the price that people pay for the bottles of water.
6. Transportation
There is one major rule that you will learn in transportation, and that is when something is heavy, it costs more to ship.
Water is very heavy.
When you move even just a pitcher of water, you will likely have to use both hands.
Therefore, you can imagine how much fuel it takes to move a truck that is completely filled with bottles of water.
The truck will have a hard time even getting started if it is just slightly underpowered.
In addition to the fuel that it takes to move the bottled water, it also takes time and people.
The longer a product takes to get from the production line to the hands of the consumers, the more the product can cost.
This is because every step of the way, there are costs involving transportation, storage, and labor.
When water is shipped, the costs are high.
For large brands like Poland Spring or Dasani, there are supply chains set up throughout the company, and there are delivery drivers and large transportation outlets set up.
As you can imagine, in order to make money on this bottled water, the margins are very slim.
Think too about the fact that stores that will sell the water to you are expecting to make a profit on the water as well.
Transportation is likely not going to get any cheaper.
This will keep the costs of not just water but many of the things that we eat and drink continuing to go up over the next several years.
You won’t have to worry about seeing huge jumps because, most of the time, these are just small steps up in price that will cause you to realize you are paying quite a bit more eventually.
7. Marketing And Advertising
If you think that there is no competition in the water industry, think again.
Companies have to seriously compete with a lot of other companies to get their water product on the shelves and then out to customers.
There are things about bottled waters that will make certain customers want them.
In addition, some people are going to be very brand loyal about the bottled water that they choose.
If they only drink Poland Spring, chances are they will buy it for the rest of their lives.
Many will argue that the taste of the water is different between the brands as well.
Although the taste of the water is very similar most of the time, there are some distinct differences to consider.
The marketing and advertising for bottled water is a very large industry.
The companies spend millions of dollars on developing ads and getting their product in front of as many people as they can.
Although consumers are going to decide based on the cost of the product, they are also going to decide based on the name they are most comfortable with.
If a person sees that a six-pack of Poland Spring is just fifty cents more than the store brand water, chances are they will go for Poland Spring.
The reason behind this is usually more about how the water was advertised than anything else about the water.
Overall, the competition is fierce when it comes to bottled beverages of any kind.
Since the market is so large and there are so many customers the companies are fighting for, you can expect to see even more marketing and advertising for water through the years.
With people starting to care a bit more about the recycling of plastics, it will be interesting to see how the marketing is spun to reflect these ideologies.
8. Convenience
What is more convenient: having to carry a cup of water around or picking one up at the store when you get thirsty?
Most are going to say that the purchase of bottled water is much more convenient.
The reason behind this is that water cups are sometimes bulky, and they will also occasionally cause the people using them to end up spilling their water.
Essentially, you are either a bottled water person, or you are not.
The reason bottled water became popular to begin with is simply that it is very easy to work with.
A bottle of water is something you can put in your car, put at your desk or put in your lunchbox.
It has zero calories, and it is needed for survival.
Therefore, people enjoy having the convenience of a bottle of water at their fingertips at all times.
It is very smart to consume water throughout the day.
You will feel better, and your body will function better as well.
However, if you want to save money, you don’t need to purchase this water at a local convenience store.
This is where you start to see prices increase, and they are essentially too high for the decision to make sense.
When your sandwich costs as much as your bottled water, maybe you should consider bringing a reusable water bottle or a cup of water.
9. Location
Water is expected to be available at our fingertips at all times.
If you look at most stores, the location of the bottled water is almost always right by the cashier.
The items right by the cashier are the impulse items that people purchase.
Most of the time, the thought of whether or not this is necessary and if the items are worth the money is not considered.
Instead, people see the item, and they simply place it in their cart because they are about to cash out.
These items end up costing quite a bit of money and, in some cases, could even double the amount of money you are paying for your purchase.
Overall, water is in the prime location spots in stores to cost the premium prices.
Think about Home Depot, for example.
There are parts and equipment throughout the store that can help you build a home.
However, in the front of the store, there is a cooler with water bottles in it.
These bottles of water typically cost $2.00 or more apiece.
Most thirsty contractors can down one of these water bottles in a few seconds.
If you look through the rest of the store, you will find items like pipes, gardening seeds, light switches, tiles, and more for $2.00 as well.
When you compare the values, it’s hard to understand how the water can get so expensive.
It has so much to do with where it is positioned in the store.
If that same thirsty contractor goes to the grocery store, chances are a case of water could be $5.00.
This means that the water bottles bought in bulk are certainly a better deal.
Now, what about considering purchasing a reusable water bottle for about $5.00 and then filling it over and over for years?
Clearly, there are ways to save money on bottled water, but be careful where you are buying it from because the location will have an impact.
10. People Will Pay
The last and slightly obvious reason that bottled water is expensive is that people will pay for it.
Years ago, when bottled water first started being sold for a dollar, many people complained, but most still purchased them.
Now, as time goes on and the prices are getting closer to $3.00 or more, people are still buying them.
The wall has not hit where consumers stop and say that the pricing is ridiculous, and they just won’t pay.
When you add in the different costs that are experienced by the manufacturers, there is certainly justification for the price increases.
However, a large portion of this issue comes down to the fact that people are making the decision to purchase these bottles of water because they want to and because they can.
As long as consumers continue to purchase and support the industry, there is no reason for the suppliers to let up on the product or to lower the price.
This cycle is never-ending, and we are likely to see it continue for quite some time.
If you don’t want to pay for bottled water, simply find another solution.
Believe it or not, there are many other options out there.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you can now see why bottled water is so expensive.
This is really not about companies trying to get consumers to pay extra money.
There are real reasons behind these costs, and they are likely not going to change anytime soon.
If you are wondering whether purchasing a bottle of water is necessary, try to consider the circumstances.
If you are extremely thirsty and dehydrated and you need to stop somewhere to purchase a cold bottle of water, certainly don’t stop yourself.
However, if you are stopping every day to purchase bottled water, chances are there are cheaper options out there for you to consider.
This could be a way to save quite a bit of money in the course of a year.
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12358 says
I want this to include how if you want to sell something expensive, then you first have to convince the public how scarce said product is. Which has been done for millennia that ‘pure water’ is a scarce resource. which is the major reason why water is expensive.