Bottle questions

[rjh914]

Good morning my fellow vendors.

I've got 2 new accounts lined up and both have requested bottles.  I've dealt in cans only up until now.

Where is the cheapest place to get bottles?

Would you recommend going with 16.9oz or 20oz bottles?

Thank you.

[AngryChris]

As long as you can source them, 16.9 are going to be the best way to go down now.  They are cheaper but you may be limited on flavors depending on your sources

[LBR12]

Depends where you live. Where I am 20oz have a better profit margin and come in more variety. That is the opposite for some places.

I actually put some 24oz coke and sprite in a machine and they do really well. The profit on those is the best believe it or not . But it seems to be regional.

If it's only 1 machine you might do well sourcing from regular stores as they go on sale frequently.

 

[AZVendor]

You usually can only find Pepsi products in 20 oz and sometimes 24 oz.  Coke is the one that does the 16.9 oz.  The funny thing is that it used to be that the 24 oz Pepsi bottles were comparable in price to the Coke 16.9 oz and cheaper than any 20 oz bottle so my operator customers would put 24 oz Pepsi and 16.9 oz Coke in the same machines at the same prices.  Goofy for sure and probably nowhere near where the pricing is now.

[AngryChris]

5 hours ago, AZVendor said:

You usually can only find Pepsi products in 20 oz and sometimes 24 oz.  Coke is the one that does the 16.9 oz.  The funny thing is that it used to be that the 24 oz Pepsi bottles were comparable in price to the Coke 16.9 oz and cheaper than any 20 oz bottle so my operator customers would put 24 oz Pepsi and 16.9 oz Coke in the same machines at the same prices.  Goofy for sure and probably nowhere near where the pricing is now.

Imagine paying almost $30 for a case of Pepsi or coke 20oz

[LBR12]

6 hours ago, AZVendor said:

You usually can only find Pepsi products in 20 oz and sometimes 24 oz.  Coke is the one that does the 16.9 oz.  The funny thing is that it used to be that the 24 oz Pepsi bottles were comparable in price to the Coke 16.9 oz and cheaper than any 20 oz bottle so my operator customers would put 24 oz Pepsi and 16.9 oz Coke in the same machines at the same prices.  Goofy for sure and probably nowhere near where the pricing is now.

It's funny about different markets.. here in Canada I can source pretty regularly 24oz coke or Pepsi for 50-60 cents a bottle. Cans are 51 cents to put that into perspective. I can sell the 24oz for 2$ and they sell fast. Cans go for 1.25$

Of course US and Canada are way different markets but those 24oz have always been cheap here for some reason. 

[HopeVendor]

I live in southern Indiana.  I only do 16.9 bottles from Sams Club, Kroger, and Walmart.  My cost per bottle is 60-65 cents.  I sell them in all my machines for $1.75.  It’s been working well so far.  

[DeeBee]

On 1/9/2024 at 7:01 AM, rjh914 said:

Good morning my fellow vendors.

I've got 2 new accounts lined up and both have requested bottles.  I've dealt in cans only up until now.

Where is the cheapest place to get bottles?

Would you recommend going with 16.9oz or 20oz bottles?

Thank you.

Cheapest place for 16.9oz is typically wholesale clubs like Sam’s and Costco. You can only get 20oz. soda from distributors like PepsiCo, Coke, KDP.  You’ll need to have an account with the bottlers first. Pricing for 16.9 oz bottles will range from $.60-$.70 and you can usually charge $1.75-$2.00. 
Cost of 20oz bottles range from $.95-$1.45 for the flagship products (Pepsi, Coke, etc.). You can likely charge $2.25-$2.50/ bottle with minimal pushback. 
Profit margin is much higher on the 16.9oz size and I tested a theory, and it’s played out in several locations, that an individual will often purchase more 16.9oz bottles throughout a day than 20 oz. This depends on the location though. 
 

You may want to talk to your client to see if they have a preference on size or even test both sizes in the machine and near what sells best. 
I’m always close with my clients and will let them know when we’re testing options to keep them in the loop. We’ve gotten great feedback and suggestions from all of our locations.  Good luck!