Why is Red Bull (and other energy drinks for that matter) so expensive?

Question

Why is Red Bull (and other energy drinks for that matter) so expensive?

Answer 1

When you are buying a "brand" name product like Red Bull, you aren't just paying for the product but for the marketing (e.g. television, internet and radio ads) behind that product that convinces you that this particular brand such as Red Bull or Coca Cola is "better" than their generic peers.  Such marketing is referred to by marketers as "educating" the consumer (called brainwashing by the rest of us) and pricing is determined by how successful these marketers were in convincing customers that their product is worth the expensive cost it is priced at.  In other words, it is expensive because of the overhead manufacturers have to pay to educate consumers about the product and because this is the price that most people are willing to pay.

Answer 2

Because of the way they're made, they have special procedures for making energy drinks as efficient as possible. I calculated how much I spend on energy drinks in a month and it was well over 100 dollars! Insane. I found this new energy drink that I got a free trial for. Its pretty cool and one pack lasts me like 2 months. For more information see http://www.voernix.com/2008/07/frs.html

Good luck and stop wasting your money on mainstream energy drinks.

Answer 3

I know people will say supply and demand and product name but that can't really be it. Red Bull came out first and there was not that much demand for it and it was $2. Plus everything doubles in price every 10 years and Red Bull and other energy drink have not gone up nearly much at all. Now Monster and others are as popular and well known names yet they still charge only half as much.

It really is the ingredients. With sodas much of it is chemicals, which are cheap or just simple and easy to get ingredients. Energy drinks use many more ingredients and some are harder to get or extract. They use many stimulants in them. They add in B vitamins. Adding nutrients always increases the price. Taurine must be extracted from annimals. Other stimulants too are extracted from their source so that they can have the stimulant only and not the entire source.

Answer 4

because of product research,cost and govt tax

Answer 5

AS ANY FAD OR NEW THING COMES OUT THEY ARE HIGH --------AS MORE COMPETITION COMES OUT THE PRICE DROPS

Answer 6

becase stores know that people will buy the drinks so they know that they can crank up the prices.

Answer 7

its not reaserch or "special" chemicals... the Taurine, caffeen, sugar, and vitamins that are the main ingredients are all commonly available and fairly cheep these days.  Its not like they actually do testing to see what the best concentration is, most just throw enough together to give you a buzz and bottle it.

I would say its mostly supply & demand... people think these things are so much greater than soda, so they charge MUCH more for them.

if you don't like spending the $$$ there are generic store-brands and off-brands widely avaiable that have the EXACT same ingredients for less than 1/2 the price.  I personally like the Rip-It brand, which is available at wamart and dollar stores for $1 a 20oz can, while monster, rockstar and such are all $2.

Answer 8

Because the refining and engineering in making the chemical used in the drinks costs far more than the production of lets say sugar and sweetners in coke. The chemicals in energy drink are made to 'open' the capilleries and veins in the body allowing sugar and caffine to be dispersed faster, to do this, specificly shaped molecules are required. Also, it costs more to produce large concentrations of caffine than a regular doeage found in lets say coke.

Answer 9

Supply and demand.  People want 'em and are willing to pay the high price, so they'll leave it high.  If the market drops out (the demand drops), the prices may come down to try to increase demand.

Some of it is vanity, too.  Like Starbuck's.  I personally don't like their coffee and don't care if I'm not seen holding one of their logo-emblazoned cups, but a lot of people evidently do.  It's really not very good coffee for the money -- I can buy a pound of good coffee beans for the cost of two or three cups of their burnt-tasting crud.

But if some company came out with an exact duplicate of Red Bull but in a boring white can and at a third of the price, it probably wouldn't sell as well.