Summer is coming, and cold drinks are on sale. Recently, the Weibo topic "How outrageous the price of contemporary ice cream is" has become a hot search topic, triggering a strong discussion about the price of cold drinks. A cold drink costs as little as 20-30 yuan, as much as 40-50 yuan, and some even sell for 65 yuan, which is already more than the price of a lunch. Can we really not afford cold drinks?
Affordable cold drinks are hard to find in supermarkets, with the average price around 15 yuan.
On April 28, the reporter visited a chain fresh food supermarket on Laiyan Road, Nanjing. In the cold drink area, there are dozens of categories of cold drinks, with prices ranging from 8 to 53 yuan. There are basically no common cold drinks sold in this supermarket. The prices of some old-style cold drinks have also increased a lot after being "upgraded". In terms of taste, it is also novel and unique, such as: rice wine rose, sesame paste, chocolate liqueur and other flavors. Due to factors such as packaging, taste and brand, prices are generally on the high side, with prices ranging from 29.9 yuan per box (250g), 20 yuan per bottle (80g), and 53 yuan per box (3 bottles).
The reporter observed the freezer for 30 minutes. Three or four consumers looked at it for a few seconds and then left. Ms. Sha, a citizen who has just worked for a year or two, said that whether it is a convenience store or a supermarket, cold drinks generally sell for about 10 yuan, which is still relatively high. But if there are fresh flavors, she is still willing to buy them and try them. Ms. Sha told reporters that she has tasted a certain brand of Internet celebrity ice cream priced at about 20 yuan, but feels that the price/performance ratio is low, the taste is ordinary, and it is not worth the price.
New flavored bird's nest cold drinks sell for 68 yuan per box
On April 29, the reporter visited a chain cold drink wholesaler on Xianhe Street. The cold drinks here range in price from 2 to 65 yuan, of which there are more than 10 types under 10 yuan. , there are more than 20 kinds of products priced between 10 and 30 yuan, and less than 10 kinds priced at more than 30 yuan. There is a "bird's nest" ice cream (80g) priced at as high as 68 yuan. The salesperson told reporters that in previous years, after the May Day holiday, there would be a peak sales season for cold drinks. With the improvement of people's living standards, the sales volume of cold drinks worth about 2-5 yuan is far less than that of cold drinks worth about 10 yuan. For products that cost more than 30 yuan, consumers only buy one or two to try, and few buy in bulk.
(The reporter bought 12 cold drinks for a total price of 52 yuan, with an average price of 4.3 yuan/bottle)
Are cold drinks in scenic spots cultural and creative products or cold drinks?
html On April 30, the reporter came to a certain scenic spot in Nanjing. The cultural and creative ice cream sold in the scenic spot was themed after the buildings or elements in the scenic spot, and the prices were 15 yuan and 18 yuan respectively. Perhaps due to the cooling weather in Nanjing in the past two days, few people are interested. Ms. Yin, a tourist, told reporters that she came here with her children. Prices in the scenic area are a bit more expensive than on the market. In addition, since it is a "cultural and creative product", you have to pay for creativity. The price is moderate and affordable. .A staff member of the scenic spot said that the price of ice cream is set by the scenic spot. It is made of milk and fruit and is a customized product produced by the scenic spot. The reporter compiled cultural and creative ice cream in major scenic spots in Jiangsu, with prices ranging from 15 to 20 yuan. Among them, Jiming Temple , Niushou Mountain , Slender West Lake : 18 yuan/branch, Confucius Temple 18-20 yuan/branch, Xuanwu Lake 15-18 yuan/branch, Yuantouzhu : 20 yuan/branch.
Affordable cold drinks are mainly sold online and through individual wholesalers.
Have low-price and affordable cold drinks disappeared? The reporter visited the cold drink wholesale merchants on Wenyi Road and saw familiar traditional cold drinks. The lowest wholesale price was only 0.9 yuan, and there were nearly 10 kinds of cold drinks ranging from 1 to 5 yuan. In addition, on online shopping platforms, the wholesale price of traditional cold drinks sold by many merchants is also around 1.5 yuan. The merchant said that they use the refrigeration technology of foam boxes and dry ice , which will not melt, and they promise to pay compensation if it melts.
Expert: I hope we eat cold drinks to cool off the heat rather than to check in.
Regarding the increasingly high prices of cold drinks, Pu Zhengning, associate professor at the School of Economics and Management of Southeast University, believes that in the past 20 years, with the increase in the per capita disposable income of Chinese residents, , the price of ordinary cold drinks has not increased much, and the selling price of traditional cold drink products remains at a low level, between 0.9 and several yuan. The reason why high-priced cold drinks appear is mainly because manufacturers hope to obtain higher unit price per customer in pricing.Pu Zhengning said that people no longer rely solely on cold drinks to cool down as in the past. In today's summer, there are refrigeration equipment indoors, and alternatives such as heat-relieving drinks, milk tea, and coffee also compete with cold drinks. In addition, in addition to factors such as channel development, advertising and marketing, and rising raw material prices, individual manufacturers have launched high-priced cold drinks to position their high-end brand images.
Regarding high-priced cold drinks, Pu Zhengning believes that consumers need to maintain rational consumption and leave the rest to the invisible hand of the market to be the judge. If a brand's products are just for new shapes, new flavors or new gimmicks without paying attention to the control of product quality and improvement of taste, and consumers will not repurchase after trying it once or twice, the product or brand will eventually will be eliminated by the market.
In April 2019, Zhong Xuegao published an advertisement saying that light milk ice cream was promoted as not adding a drop of water, but actually contained drinking water ingredients; brewed red grape cold drink was promoted as using special grade red grapes, but was actually bulk red grapes. In the end, it was determined to be false advertising by the Shanghai Jiading District Market Supervision and Administration Bureau and fined 6,000 yuan.
Pu Zhengning called on consumers to return to the essence of summer, not to buy for the sake of trying something new, but to enjoy the cold feeling and sweetness. When choosing products, it is no longer about being “influencer” or “checking in”, but choosing more products to try based on your reasonable spending.
Source: Jiangsu News Broadcasting
