Because It’s Always Been Done Like That

That’s always a bad reason to do something, but it sprung to mind on the weekend. I went to buy a carton of beer on the weekend. The beer was $25.99 for a carton of 24 small bottles.

But if I bought only 6 small bottles, the price was $9.99 (equating to $39.96 for a carton of 24).

Why The Big Price Hike When I Buy The Smaller Quantity?

So why the price hike if I buy just 6 bottles instead of 24?

I’m not sure. There is no additional packaging, transport or cooling costs. No added taxes. No anything.

The only thing I can think of is that the price for lower quantities is higher per bottle ($1.54 per bottle when buying a 6-pack, $1.08 when buying a carton of 24) as a way of encouraging the larger purchase.

If a company sold those 6-packs at the same price per bottle as the 24 bottle carton, would that encourage more sales.

I’d guess yes.

Are there old ‘policies’ in your business or industry that don’t make any sense? Could you shake up the industry and attract a new niche by some simple changes?