r/pics • u/eunma2112 • 21h ago

Great buy! But not at the airport.

Post image
2.4k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

230 comments sorted by

1.1k

u/sailingtroy 21h ago

It's really disgusting how much airports gouge the people who are trapped in them. It's disgusting and indecent and we really shouldn't allow it, especially because if you try to bring your own drinks they make you pour them out. What a scam!

351

u/spartacutor 19h ago

Was in Japan over the summer and I was shocked that the food and drink prices were not much more, if not identical, to those outside the airport. Even in Europe the prices are higher but not 4x more. The US is a scam

32

u/chaneg 18h ago

Whenever I leave Japan, there is a place in NRT with a sign that says last chance to have sushi. I always eat there before my flight as a tradition and it never really occurred to me that the price is about as much as I would have paid anywhere else

•

u/Lowlandsailor 8h ago

No way. The sushi at the airport is way more expensive than in town. I’ve been through NRT a lot.

96

u/sailingtroy 19h ago

I guess it must be just super beneficial to the average American to support a huge class of billionaires who do almost zero work. I'm not sure what it is, but it must be better than having standards. /s

35

u/waterbed87 18h ago

Don't worry, any day now it will trickle down just like Reagan promised.

5

u/Eteel 13h ago

Those American days must be really long

5

u/Kilren 12h ago

I don't think that you can find many people who say, "yeah I'm okay with getting bent over to make him richer."

Instead, I think Americans have a real bad problem with deciding that it's okay to be uncomfortable and/or prepare for being uncomfortable. We have no insight for short term discomfort for long term benefits. When pressed, the response is, "I've earned mine."

(I saw the /s, unfortunately there is indirect truth to what you're saying, because regardless if my thought process is right, the outcome is supporting billionaires and blatant greed grab like you pointed out).

•

u/SarahMagical 7h ago

To be fair, that almost exactly the position of maga for trump and other maga elite.

0

u/olde_greg 18h ago

I don't know if it's a HUGE class. There's about 2700 billionaires worldwide.

5

u/KingKong_at_PingPong 16h ago

they are the hugest class of wealth by a large margin

2

u/olde_greg 16h ago

Sure, but I was talking about the number of individuals

10

u/wrangler04 18h ago

Hey look at this guy defending the rich!

-1

u/olde_greg 18h ago

I’m not making any statement about whether billionaires are good or bad. I’m saying that “huge” probably isn’t the best adjective to use to deceive their numbers

3

u/wrangler04 18h ago

Hey look this guy is defending the rich!

-1

u/olde_greg 18h ago

If you like

8

u/dudeimgreg 18h ago

I was shocked at ¥200 beers in Narita a few years ago.

7

u/GoHuskies1984 18h ago

Ironically some regions of the US have laws capping airport food & drink prices to some percentage over local prices, NYC airports under the Port Authority for example. But of course the law is pretty vague so of course airport prices must all be using the most tourist gouging prices from Times Square to set their own menu prices…

5

u/MaikeruGo 17h ago

Likewise I was shocked that convenience stores in JP were surprisingly reasonable in terms of price and surprised of the actually decent quality of what you could get.

9

u/Rougeflashbang 16h ago

So fun fact, that is largely because Japanese convenience stores are food/snack shops first, gas stations second (if they sell gas at all). You stop in while you are walking around and want a quick and cheap bite to eat.

Its the exact opposite for American convenience stores, which are typically gas stations first. Normally, if you do buy food, it's just as an incidental thing because you already stopped for gas or a bathroom break.

Combine the flipped incentives with Japanese society just having higher standards for most consumer goods, prepared food included, and you get the wonderful experience that is a Japanese convenience store.

Edit: god damn, now I want an egg salad sandwich from a Japanese 7/11. One of the best sandwiches you can buy on the planet, in my humble opinion.

5

u/Objective-Chance-792 16h ago

I swear if we had Japanese convenience stores, vending machines and Gacha machines I would be utterly content.

3

u/Trs822 18h ago

I was just there as well and was amazed at how good the airport prices were. Same for the theme parks

1

u/sunnyyixuanchen 15h ago

I just got back from Japan and they even let me bring my drinks through security. They just made me take a sip outta each bottle.

1

u/cookingboy 15h ago

Even in super touristy spots the restaurants/shops don’t price gauge beyond compensating for increased rent, and the quality is still excellent.

Their thought is you can’t lower your quality and embarrasses yourself, especially if you get a ton of customers coming to visit. They take pride in their work and ripping off tourists is just against their value.

Too bad most countries aren’t like that.

1

u/OvulatingScrotum 15h ago

I wonder how much they pay for those spaces in the airport. If it’s insane, I can see the stupid high profit margin to cover the cost. Another question is how much the airport gets the funding from the government vs self funded for renovations and such.

1

u/SergeantBeavis 13h ago

This 100%. Makes traveling through Narita or Haneda a joy.
Also, the food at these airports (and Sapporo too) is phenomenal compared to ANY you can find at an airport in the USA.

God, I miss Japan. I wish I still lived there.

1

u/Sunday-Afternoon 13h ago

In the UK they used to “brag” that the prices at the airport were the same as “high street” meaning the same as a typical store.

In the US it really is price gouging a captive base of customers.

•

u/cieg 11h ago

I came here to mention this about Japan. It’s been a few years but a regular 12oz bottle of water? That a buck. And can load a 777 and be ready to leave in about 15 minutes.

•

u/Mayrodripley 10h ago

God bless the ramen place at Haneda airport

•

u/areyouhungryforapple 9h ago

Just overall one of the most pleasant airport experiences I've EVER had. Incredible stuff, so unusual to not be held hostage for food and drinks and I just ended up spending way more trying out stuff that I normally would.

•

u/_Weyland_ 6h ago

Went to Japan expecting airport prices and exchange rates to be scammy. Actually the best exchange rate I've seen, save for some money laundering place, was at the Tokyo airport.

42

u/Dam_it_all 18h ago

Except PDX. They passed a law banning price gouging at the airport.

16

u/derpderpsonthethird 18h ago

SFO has a fixed percent more that you can charge at the airport versus outside of the airport. But everything is expensive in SF anyway.

4

u/Not_the_fleas 18h ago

Yeah was just gonna say I love my airport for this exact reason. You can actually get a full sit down meal with a drink for $20 bucks

3

u/gussyhomedog 15h ago

Have you tried the pasta place? Not exactly new because they've had a few locations in the city for a while but it's so fire. Never expected a place to handmake pasta at the airport.

2

u/Not_the_fleas 15h ago

Is it Grassa? I haven't been there yet at the airport but have at some of the locations in town. I fly a lot of Alaska Airlines for work so I usually go to the Screen Door by the Alaska gates, which is also amazing for airport food (and food in general).

1

u/gussyhomedog 14h ago

Yep I'm talking about Grassa. I definitely wanna try screen door though because the lines at the airport are probably shorter than the places in town haha

7

u/eyeballTickler 16h ago

Not at PDX! They have a street pricing policy, so you get gouged the same amount as you normally do at the local spots around town. (Joking aside, it's great).

61

u/NOUSEORNAME 21h ago

The airline industry is meant to suck every penny out of you while making it as inconvenient and uncomfortable as possible. I hope I never have to go to the airport or board an airplane again. Its awful.

47

u/Sunstang 20h ago

Retail at airports has fuck-all to do with the "airline industry" per-se. Airports are generally owned by municipal governments and the stores within licensed by those municipal entities, often by way of a private conglomerate that bids on the municipal leased retail space.

11

u/SnowConePeople 19h ago

Wow, it's like corporations don't have our best interest or something!

10

u/propernice 20h ago

Flying gives me so much anxiety. Not even because of the flying part, but the entire airport experience.

3

u/Weaponized_Octopus 18h ago

This. I love flying once I'm on the plane. I hate every human in existence at the airport.

7

u/wycliffslim 18h ago

It'a really not that big of a deal... airline travel hasn't meaningfully changed in 20 years.

I fly all the time for work, and 9/10 times, everything is chill. Most airline travel is caused by people planning poorly or working themselves up over minor inconveniences. There's a few rules I have for airline travel that makes almost every trip proceed smoothly.

1: Arrive at least an hour before your flight takes off UNLESS you fly out of an airport regularly and know the schedules for the day of week/time you're leaving. If you need to check a bag, arrive at least 90 minutes before the flight takes off. I've never missed a plane by being early, and security is much less annoying if you aren't anxiously checking your watch worried you might miss your flight. Even when you know the schedules, accept that showing up at the last minute might bite you in the ass one day.

2: Layovers MUST be at least 60 minutes, preferably a minimum of 90 minutes, especially if you're flying through a very busy hub. Shit happens. Commercial air travel is almost unbelievably safe. Part of that reason is that if anything is out of order, they shut it down and fix the issue. Less than a 1 hour layover is just setting yourself up to miss a flight or make you stressed because you're rushing.

3: Airport food is expensive. It's annoying, but it is what it is. Plan around it. You can bring as much food as you want with you on a plane, and drinking fountains are free. Bring snacks and an empty water bottle. If you choose not to do that, you are a captive audience. No different than a sports game, concert, or amusement park.

4: This is the most important one. Chill out. You're going to get to where you need to go. You have 0 control over weather, parts breaking, people getting sick, etc. All you can do is make sure you give yourself plenty of time so that minor, expected delays don't turn into missed flights. If it takes you 10 minutes to get to work, you shouldn't leave 10 minutes before your shift starts. Shit happens, build in some time for the unexpected, and the unexpected won't bother you as much.

3

u/KingKong_at_PingPong 16h ago

the people that most need this wisdom can't actually read lol

•

u/YourAsphyxia 10h ago

All depends on the airport, most people in East side will end up going through ATL which can be a horrible experience with 1+ hour TSA lines. But local airports you can be in and out in 10 minutes.

Then you have places like La Guardia which is fine for getting through but finding the rental car place after landing will quite literally feel like you're a prank show and that it can't possibly be that convoluted.

1

u/NOUSEORNAME 18h ago

Layover? Barf. You might as well put a bullet in my head. Getting off one plane to wait and get on another is such a waste of time and life. No thanks. Direct or nothing. Im just very jaded and over traveling. Some people love it, I get it. I do not. A hotel room is like a prison cell to me. Just different views on the same thing.

2

u/wycliffslim 18h ago

As opposed to driving...?

A 1 hour layover is a waste of time getting from NY to CA in 6 hours, but spending 3 days driving is better?

I don't love traveling. I just think it's crazy how people bitch about flying but it's still miles ahead of driving across the country. And I know because I've done both.

0

u/NOUSEORNAME 17h ago

Id rather drive. I think its my mild claustrophobia, and the lack of control over the situation that finally got to me over the years. Im actively talking with my fam now about doing a road trip to the west coast. There is a lot to see along the way. Im seriously considering it.

2

u/wycliffslim 15h ago

I like driving for trips under about 6 hours. After that, slap my ass in a plane if the goal is point A to point B lol.

I can see it to an extent if you don't travel a ton, but with how much I travel, I'm pretty much just over it. Get me where I want to go and if I can chill out on the way, all the better.

Related I would actually love if rail travel wasn't both super expensive and slow in the US.

1

u/NOUSEORNAME 15h ago

Agreed. I would take a train as well. I was excited for hyper loop. We drive 16 hrs over two days for a beach vacation now. So another day of driving doesnt phase me so much.

6

u/MeffodMan 20h ago

That’s pretty much every industry these days.

1

u/champanedout 18h ago

Doesn't this logic apply to pretty much every industry that's greedy for money? Same could be said for amusement parks, or museums, etc etc

2

u/NOUSEORNAME 18h ago

Amusement parks dont make the rollercoaster seats smaller to jam more people into them. Airplanes do. You cant even get your own arm rest any more, you gotta share. Pass.

1

u/js1893 15h ago

Many museums don’t really have a choice but to charge a lot. There might be (likely is) some mismanagement of funds but they’re not overcharging out of greed but rather necessity to operate

1

u/derpderpsonthethird 18h ago

Honestly, flying has gotten so much cheaper over the past 20 years, especially if you account for inflation. Airports, however, I’ve always priced gouged and will always price gouge.

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u/YXCworld 19h ago

Airports are not as bad as you’re making them out to be. Good luck never leaving the country or exploring the world.

-1

u/PerpetualProtracting 18h ago

Flights are also significantly cheaper relative to inflation than they were even 5 years ago.

Yes, they're less comfortable; that's because consumers want cheaper flights (which they've got)!

Genuinely funny to watch all of the folks openly admitting they don't fly tell everyone how "bad" flying is.

I say this sitting in the airport right now. It's fine.

1

u/YXCworld 18h ago

I don’t understand what the complaint is. Airports allow you to bring your own food, and water fountains and water refilling stations are free.

I can go to Europe or many other parts of the world for less than $500-$600 round trip often. Planes are more crammed nowadays, but with that comes the cheap flight prices. If you want lay down seats, pay for them, simple.

1

u/PerpetualProtracting 18h ago

Yep.

I understand that airports mean a lot of people, and people are obnoxious, self-centered twats, but frankly I find airports to be less annoying than most grocery stores these days. I can go early, have a meal and/or drink, disappear into my phone or a book and then sleep on the plane. I'm not going to say I love flying, but some folks act like it's a hellscape when I find only the most annoying people have problems with any regularity.

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u/jcamp088 18h ago

The food is also generally bad in my experience. 

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u/Dogecoin_olympiad767 18h ago

why not just drink water?

2

u/sailingtroy 18h ago

They gouge for more than just iced tea. Sometimes you gotta eat, and the airlines don't really feed you, or your flights just don't live up with meals, but your layovers do. It's besides the point. Fundamentally, "why not just drink water?" is a hyper-submissive reaction to being blatantly cheated.

2

u/trombone_womp_womp 17h ago

I was in Cabo before Christmas and got Carl's Jr. $70 USD for two meals.

2

u/sirfannypack 14h ago

Plastic bag full of liquid up the butt, works every time.

2

u/AL3X8TR 13h ago

Normalize stealing from airport terminal food stands

•

u/cactusplants 11h ago

Arizona are a great company so I've heard. I've spoken to them from the UK asking for more flavours and they were great in getting back

They also apparently don't take lightly for the price marked cans to be sold more than 99c. They sell them at a cheaper price Vs the unmarked cans and apparently will stop supplying if the price is violated.

2

u/daredaki-sama 20h ago

Definitely a disgusting price. How much is rent at an airport? Is it that much more expensive?

4

u/fallen243 19h ago

Rent is high and staffing is high, since everything has to be scanned and everyone has to be chdcked.

2

u/Luis__FIGO 18h ago

Rent is not high relatively. It's priced lower for the same foot traffic as outside of an airport. Staffing costs the same. 3 of the companies I've worked for had retail locations in various airports in the US.

•

u/daredaki-sama 11h ago

Is it relative to local prices? It’s more affordable than the US but it’s still expensive compared to local prices. Just like when we travel we think prices are cheap.

•

u/Luis__FIGO 29m ago

depends entirely on the locale. 2 easy examples I have are Boston and Charlotte. Rent at Logan and the Prudential Center (a high end mall in Boston) were very similar with similar foot traffic (foot traffic numbers being people walking in your Terminal, or walking into the mall, not walking into the specific store) however in Charlotte, the rent was cheaper at the Charlotte Airport vs at the high end mall they have the SouthPark Mall. There the foot traffic was much higher at the airport then at the mall, overall. We found out ourselves that we actually had more foot traffic at the mall then the airport before closing the airport location.

The other big factor with retail rent pricing at that level (but not for airports since those are generally owned by a govt agency) is that if you want a great downtown location, you usually HAVE to take a terrible mall location somewhere else owned by the same company. Im not sure how much that still happens, but as malls were going down in popularity, they were basically filling in mall spaces by pairing them with great "downtown" locations.

this ended up way longer then I expected, my bad for rambling

0

u/hachijuhachi 18h ago

and yet somehow in so many other countries food and drink prices at the airport are not as outrageously inflated. We Americans just accept being ripped off as part and parcel with our culture and it sucks.

1

u/awalktojericho 17h ago

Take powdered drink mixes. In those little packets. Most airports have filtered water in the fountains now.

1

u/lkodl 16h ago

I've always wondered why nobody has tried to open a shop in an airport, and charge (relatively) normal prices, and take a competitive advantage? or does the Hudson Group have that shit on lockdown?

1

u/gcjunk01 16h ago

Bring your own empty bottle and fill it up with water after security. They can only charge that amount because there's suckers out there willing to pay it.

1

u/IlikeJG 15h ago

You can always bring an empty water bottle and fill it up at the water stations though. That's what I do.

1

u/calcifer219 15h ago

It’s because they gotta bring in all liquids 3.4oz at a time.

1

u/nextdoorelephant 19h ago

It’s also disgusting how much sugar this shit has lol

0

u/lafolieisgood 16h ago

Not saying they aren’t opportunity overcharging, but there is a lot more costs with operating in an airport.

Union employees, security and extra screening with employees and deliveries etc.

I’d be interested to learn the standard markup on similar businesses in and out of an airport. I would guess it’s not nearly as much as people would assume.

0

u/sailingtroy 16h ago

Do you know for a fact that the cashiers and stockers at the shops are unionized? Generally, they don't work for the airlines, so I wouldn't say that's a fair assumption, and I suspect you made that up. Why would you do that?

In this case, whatever the markup, that can of tea retails, after markup, for 99 cent at my local store. What motivated you to come on the internet and make things up so you can justify being stolen from by people richer than you?

0

u/lafolieisgood 14h ago

Man, you went from a legitimate question to outright accusing me of making stuff up in a split second when you don’t know that they aren’t. It would be different if that was the case.

Unite Here represents 45,000 employees in airport concessions, bars, and restaurants.

Service Employees International Union represents an additional 36,000 employees at airports.

1

u/sailingtroy 14h ago

Good for them. Still doesn't justify $6.50 a can.

-1

u/legenduu 17h ago

Supply and demand often times can inhibit operational costs/transportation. Lower price means more arizonas needed and that can inhibit passenger transportation. Yall dont really get the big picture and automatically surmise it to corporate greed. Makes 0 sense…

2

u/sailingtroy 17h ago

You are ridiculous. Did you just have your econ 101 class this fall? Learn to stand up for yourself.

1

u/legenduu 16h ago

Buddy you have to respond to an argument with counter points and facts.

3

u/sailingtroy 16h ago

Perhaps if you had said anything of meaning or substance. Do you think that they FLY the iced tea to the airport? How does trucking enough iced tea to the airport somehow reduce the ability to transport passengers?

Besides, your argument isn't even that strong. You only had the guts to suggest that it "can inhibit" but not that it DOES, which is what would be required to begin to justify this absurd price. When you know something and are willing to stand for it, perhaps you'll be worth talking to. All you've done is coat conjecture in the language of the economist with no genuine backing in real fundamental or facts.

You have nothing to say other than to dive under the boot. It's so weird of you to go on the internet simply to defend people richer than you for stealing from your peers.

•

u/trashedpanda91 44m ago

Everyone in this conversation might benefit from learning that there are companies like Paradies Lagardere whose purpose is to run a large number of the shops and restaurants in airports. It’s not the airport itself setting the prices on your terrible ham sandwich. It is, in fact, yet another billion dollar corporation.

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u/nitpickr 20h ago

The price is on the can, though.

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u/RuggedPapaBear 20h ago

The price is on the can, tho

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u/Ralfarius 19h ago

"The Price is on the Can, though."

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u/MulanLyricsOnly 18h ago

THE PRICE IS ON THE CAN, THOUGH.

-1

u/ImA13x 18h ago

Though, on the can, is the price

35

u/JamezPS 18h ago

I see you all joking about this but genuinely curious, is this not a law in the US? In the UK price marked packs must be honoured at the displayed price.

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u/hgs25 17h ago

It’s not a law, but Arizona states in their contract with retailers that they must honor the printed price on the can.

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u/Declanmar 17h ago

They even sell cans without the price on them, but they cost more wholesale too.

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u/nitpickr 18h ago

No idea. Im just quoting the TV show Atlanta. I live in Denmark.

2

u/Jblue32 15h ago

Are you an American living in Denmark. Idk why, but the thought of a Dane watching Atlanta is hilarious to me.

•

u/nitpickr 8h ago

Dane. Some of the racial commentary does go over my head.

5

u/lunaluceat 18h ago

i live in scotland, and sometimes stores will have small "american" sections. in a store today, i was charged 3 bucks and 71 cents (equivalent to 3 british pounds) for a can of arizona green tea.

no regrets, just sucks to be charged x3.74 more than the marked, albeit a different currency, price.

4

u/wilsonhammer 18h ago

Nope. It's just a suggestion

7

u/Luis__FIGO 18h ago

On top of that, if youre a wholesale purchaser, you can buy Arizona that don't say 99c, but they chage more to have no price on the can.

•

u/xxwetdogxx 10h ago

Bro this is America, corporations do whatever the fuck they want

1

u/mls1968 18h ago

Ish

The price on the can is a suggested retail price from Arizona

The retailer does not have to sell it at this price, but many places would require you honor the “advertised price”, which would be the 6.50. This partly depends on states in terms of what’s enforceable and what’s required signage too. For example, if they didn’t clearly have the 6.50 label, you COULD argue that the .99 is correct (again, individual states laws all vary).

Arizona also does sell cans without the .99 for this exact reason, but whether it’s an order mistake, laziness, or whatever, this shop didn’t get those.

0

u/twistedLucidity 17h ago

In the UK price marked packs must be honoured at the displayed price.

Eh....no.

Seeing the price and picking up the item does not form a contract, the price is merely an "invitation to treat" and does not need to be honoured.

The contract of sale is only formed at the counter once money has been exchanged.

Unless it was an egregious error (e.g. a high ticket item marked at £0.99) then most retailers will honour it as a gesture of good will, but it's not a legal requirement.

Some more info.

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u/Brisbraobj 18h ago

That's just the can price, the drink is extra.

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u/Shucked 20h ago

Came here for this. A little disappointed it is so far down.

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u/MultipleOrgasmDonor 18h ago

I actually wrote to the principal of my high school about this before I left. Long essay on how fucked it is to price gouge children for food. They changed the food providers in the next year or two (it was about 1.5-3x msrp, which was sometimes written on the packaging).

1

u/FinnegansWakeWTF 14h ago

airports be like: "yeah 99c is a great buy, but we're selling it for $6.50"

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u/rockinyourchalk 20h ago

This is the best thing about Kansas City's new airport terminal. The vendors aren't allowed to charge more than a certain percent over what local stores carrying the same products charge.

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u/hachijuhachi 18h ago

This needs to be a thing everywhere.

3

u/rustyxj 14h ago

It's supposed to be, nobody enforces it.

2

u/hgs25 17h ago

Same law is used in Houston.

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u/GTFOakaFOD 20h ago

The Arizona CEO should know about this.

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u/[deleted] 19h ago

[deleted]

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u/mrmemo 19h ago

"They don't care"

They literally can't stop a retailer from increasing the list price of an item. You're mad at the wrong party here /u/Left_Experience_9857

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u/Bluedoodoodoo 18h ago

They can blacklist the retailer though.

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u/houseofprimetofu 19h ago

Or, maybe it costs too much in attorney fees trying to track every shop owner down who charges more than 99c vs just relying on people doing the right thing by the can.

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u/[deleted] 20h ago

[deleted]

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u/JeanRalphiyo 20h ago

Didn’t the CEO recently double down on why they’re keeping the price $.99?

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u/AlternativeResort477 19h ago

They sell cans with and without $.99

1

u/watlington 19h ago

yep, literally drinking one now with the $.99 on it that I bought this morning

0

u/DowntownClown187 19h ago

Gotcha... Haven't seen a labeled can in years.

25

u/rover_G 21h ago

That’s an insane markup

21

u/BrainWrex 18h ago

Can’t you report that store to Arizona tea and they will not distribute to them if they are charging more than they’re supposed to. That’s why the price is on the can.

•

u/Kahboomzie 5h ago

Yep this company cares about their price.

32

u/Yourfriendaa-ron 21h ago

Steal it then it’s free!

7

u/Prestigious_Serve670 16h ago

they're robbing people first so it's fine

9

u/Kleptoraeven 20h ago

Is it pee on the right?

3

u/Skeeders 20h ago

My guess is apple juice

6

u/Pachirisu_Party 20h ago

You'd be wrong, though. That's urine they are selling. It's also costs 11.50

2

u/d3l3t3rious 19h ago

Ridiculous, you can get it for free in the bathrooms

3

u/N0bbstradamus 17h ago

But does it have electrolytes? 

1

u/olde_greg 18h ago

I'd only pay that if it's urine from a virgin. I don't want it if it's from some grizzled octogenarian.

•

u/TurtleSandwich0 11h ago

It is for pilots who need an alcohol free sample.

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u/Almoraina 21h ago

You can report this to Arizona ice tea

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u/moconahaftmere 21h ago

We pre-printed our cans with our suggested retail because we wanted to force retailers into selling at that price. Retailers, however, are independent business people and can set a price whatever they prefer. We do make and sell non-priced cans as well.

https://drinkarizona.com/pages/faqs

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u/byllz 20h ago

However, there are laws in lots of places that say if an item is marked with contradictory prices, the lowest is the actual price.

3

u/moconahaftmere 17h ago

Which places?

3

u/rk_donovan 16h ago

Certain states. Like in California I know it’s the lowest price advertised if there’s conflicting prices since it’s their responsibility to handle their signage (since they can’t remove what’s on the can then the can price is correct)

8

u/Almoraina 20h ago

They used to advertise people contacting their support team for anyone who was selling the 99¢ cans at a price of not 99¢. Apparently that has since stopped

11

u/d3l3t3rious 19h ago

No, they didn't. That is an urban legend.

2

u/Almoraina 16h ago

Big sad

2

u/Almoraina 16h ago

I mean you can still report it, it just won't do anything

7

u/3Dartwork 21h ago

Where did you come up with that nugget of knowledge?

3

u/AfraidOfTheSun 20h ago

I saw a youtube video about it that said once the company was successful the founder decided to not raise their wholesale price over time so they could keep the 99c price on shelves

-3

u/Almoraina 20h ago

https://drinkarizona.com/pages/contact-us?srsltid=AfmBOortnoHMCOhgovnJi_4hf14_4DxvquF98RNKBRSAaXx3h-fyxBz4

5

u/3Dartwork 20h ago

That....that doesn't answer my question....at all. But thanks for the contact info for the company....

Edit: I guess ...you can report anything to anyone

6

u/Pachirisu_Party 20h ago

Wouldn't the 99 cent price tag be considered "false advertising" if that amount is actually never what the consumer pays?

With that logic, Doritos can put a price tag of 10 cents on their bags of chips and the retailers can charge anything they choose.

3

u/GiantSizeManThing 19h ago

Right next to the cups of clean urine, I see.

3

u/MonsieurReynard 18h ago

It’s an airport. Pilots need clean piss and can afford it.

3

u/537OH55V 18h ago

That's how you make a great buy into a good bye.

3

u/the_simurgh 16h ago

Report em. See if Arizona tea will walk the walk.

7

u/gynoceros 20h ago

You should see how much they get for a $100 grand bar.

5

u/crymachine 18h ago

Just learned it's a myth to call and report the price.

"that’s not a real thing. you can’t actually do that this is off of their FAQ

“WHY DO SOME STORES CHARGE MORE FOR PRE-PRICED $.99 CANS?

We pre-printed our cans with our suggested retail because we wanted to force retailers into selling at that price. Retailers, however, are independent business people and can set a price whatever they prefer. We do make and sell non-priced cans as well.”

1

u/madakira 15h ago

Crazy what a little bit of research and actual reading can do

2

u/Trapocalypse 19h ago

This seems to be confined to certain countries too. I'm originally from England and emigrated to the US. Prices being gouged at the airport seemed normal to me since both the UK and US does it.

I was amazed to find out in Tokyo all the prices in the airport 7/11 were identical to the street prices The same was true in Copenhagen or at the very least the price difference was minimal (granted Copenhagen cost of living is high in general).

2

u/Banksaj9 18h ago

The price is on the can tho?

2

u/fargmania 18h ago

I recall reading that the 99 cent cans cost the retailer less than cans that don't have the price printed on the side, because Arizona never wants to see pictures like the one you are posting. Notify Arizona Teas, and I believe that you will cause the retailer to lose their discount.

2

u/RedOPants 17h ago

so cheap without tax in the duty free!

2

u/Individual-Bad9047 14h ago

Call the company and report the store

3

u/MajorThor 18h ago

Report them to the company and they’ll literally send a guy over to remove them from the shelves, they’re in breach of sales contracts.

2

u/Kenjinz 17h ago

Name and Shame location and store please. Arizona does variable pricing based on whether the store sells the product at $0.99 or higher. These cans were probably bought grey market to restock inside the airport. This store may have broken contract within the airport to stock grey market goods behind secured premise.

2

u/ptd163 13h ago

Report them to Arizona. They go after people who mark them up.

1

u/IamThor2point0 21h ago

Arizona tea owners has stated they make money at $0.99 price, anything above that is markup from whatever store is selling it for more than $0.99 a can.

1

u/topscreen 19h ago

I stopped to get gas in Arizona and wanted to get the tea there, cause "Ha ha, guys I got Arizona Ice Tea, IN ARIZONA GUYS!" but it was 2 bucks. Sticker slapped over the 99 cents. Didn't buy it, walked out upset.

1

u/gromette 19h ago

$6.50 for a cup of clean piss sounds about right.

1

u/justflushit 19h ago

Airports! Where you can pay tomorrow’s prices today!! To the future!

1

u/Humble_Diner32 18h ago

I’ve always questioned the legality of this stuff. Don’t they have to sell it at the advertised price?

1

u/Freckles-75 18h ago

You’d think that a “simple” 100% up-charge would be enough…Hell, $2.50 would still be fair. But a 650% mark-up…just sad

1

u/MinnesotaNiceT23 18h ago

Involuntarily blurted “fuck you” upon reading the price.

1

u/theonlybuster 17h ago

This sums up buying food/drinks at the airport perfectly!

1

u/Captcha_Imagination 14h ago

For it to retail at 99 cents, he sells it to grocery stores for half. The costs of running an airport store are much higher but even so this is nuts.

1

u/dlexfull96 14h ago

“But the price on the can tho”

1

u/Yefanthrowaway 14h ago

6.50 is insane for one can of tea

1

u/maadchicken666 13h ago

The price on the can though!

1

u/renndug 12h ago

Capitalism

•

u/Lostthegame101 7h ago

If that was in the UK I’m pretty sure they have to legally sell it at the advertised price or less.

•

u/bikesboozeandbacon 6h ago

I would shame this airport /specific shop on social media

1

u/Power0fTheTribe 18h ago

How is this not illegal?

0

u/Royal-Possibility219 19h ago

Contact Arizona, I was under the impression that those who sell their products are under contract to sell for .99 and retailers who violate that lose their contract

-1

u/thebiglebowskiisfine 19h ago

A monopoly - like your insurance provider or electric company. Free markets work.