How Come The Price Of A Single Bud Light Varies So Much From One Market To Another?

We continue our investigation (see previous article here) on the price of beer by including this time the United States in our Quebec-Ontario comparison.

To get a good idea of the situation, we compare apples with apples, or in this case, Bud Lights with Bud Lights.

Question: What is the best price a consumer can get in these three markets for a Bud Light can, no matter how many one needs to buy?

In Ontario, it’s easy: there is only one place you can find any: at The Beer Store. And look: it’s great. There is a discount this week! We can get a case of 30 X 355 ml cans for $ 46.95 instead of $ 52.95, or $ 1.56/can.

Such a good deal on the Bud Light at the Beer Store … It reminds us the SAQ huuuge 10% discounts…

In Quebec, another discount, this time at Costco. We are offered 120 cans of 355 ml for $ 124.98, or $ 1.04/can.

When buying 2 cases of 30 cans, Costco pays the taxes. Still, the case end up costing $ 62.49 each.

In the United States, Wal-Mart (New Hampshire store) sells a 30 X 360 ml can case for US $ 17.98, or $ 22.83 CAD, or $ 0.76/can.

Question: How can an identical product vary in price so much from one market to another?

The answer: taxation, regulation and big brewers’ privileged market position in Ontario.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *