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| Jim Gaffigan - Bottled Water | ||||
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“Every time I go into a store, I’m always like, ‘Hey, how you doin’!? Yeah, I know I can get water free from any faucet, but, uh, I wanna pay for it. I’m just curious, do you have any air back there?’ ” –Jim Gaffigan
Bottled water has always struck me as a rather silly product. Jim Gaffigan, one of my favorite comedians, articulates the silliness of the concept of bottled water. But the thing is, while I like to joke about bottled water, I still buy it! And I don’t just buy it on occasion; I buy it regularly.
All jokes aside, bottled water has become a seriously profitable industry in the United States. Americans drink around $15 billion worth of bottled water each year (http://www.droptheprop.info/bottled-water-statistics). The burning question is: Why do we pay for something that we could get virtually for free?
There are several reasons why many Americans prefer to pay for a bottle of water instead of drinking a cup filled with free tap water. The biggest reason is convenience. Many Americans are always on the go, and they need water that can keep up with their lifestyle. Bottled water is portable and fast. No waiting at the tap for your cup to fill up and for the ice cubes to chill it slowly (if ice cubes are even available, that is.) No spilling over the rim of a cup while walking to class or driving to the office. All you have to do is stick your hand in the refrigerator or pop some coins in a vending machine, and bam, you have cold, portable water in mere seconds. Another convenient aspect of bottled water is that an empty plastic bottle requires no post-drinking effort. All you have to do is simply discard it in a receptacle, whether that is a trashcan or a recycling bin. On the other hand, cups and stainless steel canteens have to be washed before reuse.
Another reason many Americans choose to drink bottled water is their belief that bottled water is healthier for them than tap water. Many Americans believe that the municipal water that sputters out of their tap is dirty and contaminated, which poses considerable health risks; while this is true for some cities in the United States, many cities boast water that is as clean as the water bottled under any brand name. Bottled water brands have convinced consumers that their product is healthier than tap water by promoting their brand as a symbol of “purity;” they reinforce this association through emphasizing the pristine sources their water comes from, such as the Swiss Alps or an artesian aquifer in Fiji. Many consumers prefer the taste of bottled water to tap water; some consumers even choose between bottled water brands by taste. I can identify with this; while I enjoy the taste of the water in some bottled water brands, I think other bottled water has a faint taste of plastic.
However, not all Americans have become smitten with bottled water. Many simply refuse to pay so much for water. They do have a point: an average ounce of branded bottled water costs five cents, while an average ounce of gasoline currently only costs two cents! Additionally, bottled water poses a serious threat to the environment. Each year, empty bottles of water account for an average of 1.5 million tons of plastic waste (http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/5-reasons-not-to-drink-bottled-water).
-Erica DeBrock
So true! I'm glad you chose to write about this, because it is one of those things that everyone knows they shouldn't be paying for, but they do anyway. I think there may be something more than just convenience at work here. Even though "water" is all the same to your body, notice that when you go to the bottled water aisle of a convenience store, there are different "tiers" of bottled water. Evian has a high class name that people view as higher quality (and even carry it around with them as if to show others that they are of a higher status). On the other hand, Aquafina is for average bottled water drinkers. Could it be that bottled water serves as a social status indicator in some ways?
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting topic and one that I think most of us can relate to. Throughout my sophomore and juniors years, I was guilty of making a weekly purchase of bulk water bottles. This year, I decided I needed to save some money and invest in a Brita and reusable water bottle. While a plastic water bottle fits in with the student lifestyle perfectly (convenient, easy to carry, don't have to wash it), when you look at the statistics you mentioned, it really is crazy. Erin, I definitely think that bottled water serves as a type of social status indicator. Certain bottled water brands (the ones that immediately come to mind are Voss, Fiji and Smartwater) are seen as hip and cool to be carrying around. With celebrities like Jennifer Aniston promoting these brands, they have become the "it" thing to drink, even if you could just get it free from the tap.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Erin with regards to the social status indicator of bottled water. Some brands such as Carolyn mentioned like Smartwater and Fiji have unique packaging and give off an appearance of being healthy and middle to upper class. Maybe more people do this than I'm aware of, but I don't understand why people don't just buy a Fiji, Dasani, or Smartwater one time and then just refill it. I don't really notice the taste difference between tap and bottled. This would allow the consumer to maintain a strong social status, save some money, and help out the environment.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Jim Gaffigan is an excellent comedian.