CLEVELAND — Whether you call it soda, Coke or pop, shoppers agree on one thing: it has become an expensive grocery purchase.
“I do enjoy pop. I try not to buy it,” shopper Jamie Lopez said.
Lopez said both the calories and the cost have pushed Coke off his regular shopping list.
“They’ve gone up dramatically in price so it’s not something I really want to fit into my weekly budget of shopping,” he said.
Some shoppers have questioned whether aluminum shortages are responsible for higher prices on canned beverages. Jen-Yi Chen, a professor of supply chain management at Cleveland State University, said aluminum is only part of the equation.
Transportation, labor and energy costs also affect the final shelf price.
“Energy costs is actually a big part in aluminum production,” Chen said.
News 5 compared several Diet Coke packages at the same Walmart to determine which offered the best value.
A 12-pack of 12-ounce aluminum cans cost $9.97, or about 83 cents per serving. Twelve 12-ounce plastic bottles cost $8.75, or about 73 cents per serving.
The cheapest option was a two-liter bottle priced at $2.97. It cost about 53 cents for every 12 ounces.
A six-pack of 16.9-ounce bottles cost the equivalent of $1.06 per 12 ounces. A single 20-ounce bottle was the most expensive option, costing the equivalent of $1.49 per 12 ounces.
The results show that package size and convenience may affect the price even more than whether the drink comes in aluminum or plastic.
Shoppers can compare the price per ounce on shelf labels, check weekly advertisements and look for digital coupons. Larger bottles may offer the lowest unit price, but they only save money if the drink is consumed before it goes flat.
Each week, we’ll visit Meijer, Giant Eagle, Aldi, Walmart, Marc's and Dave's Market to check prices on everyday essentials.
Those include 0.2% milk, a loaf of wheat bread, chicken price per pound, ground beef tray or patty per pound (80% lean, 20% fat), one dozen white eggs and toasted oats cereal.
If you're willing to shop around, you can snag even deeper discounts on meat, dairy, and pantry goods.
Find a better deal? We want to hear from you! Submit your finds through the form below. If you beat our prices, we’ll feature them.
And if you’re a savvy shopper, always chasing the best deals, we may even join you on your next grocery run.
