Consumerist
Why was Coke only a nickel for 70 years while the price of other products increased with inflation and according to supply and demand? From Slate:
Coke itself was taxed first as a medicine, then as a soft drink, and survived sugar rationing. All the while, the price stayed at a nickel.Sadly, this very interesting article doesn't solve the real mystery: Why Coke's price triples depending on its proximity to roller coasters and rock bands. —MEGHANN MARCOPart of Coke's problem was the cost of replacing vending machines that accepted only nickels—and the fact that the alternative, dimes, represented a 100 percent price hike. (The boss of Coca-Cola wrote to his friend President Eisenhower in 1953 to suggest, in all seriousness, a 7-and-a-half-cent coin.)
The Mystery of the 5-Cent Coca-Cola [Slate]
(Photo: damageinc86)
