New York-Based Arizona Iced Tea Keeping $.99 Price But Can Stores Still Charge More?

It's still mind-blowing that we can walk into a convenience store and grab one of those super-tall, big cans of Arizona Iced Teas in one of the many flavors. My go-to is the 23- ounce green tea with ginseng and honey.

The fact that the price of 99 cents is literally part of the design on the can is so comforting and appealing, around since the 1990s even through continued inflation of everything else in the food and beverage industry.

Is that about to change?

According to the Today Show, that 99 cent price we love seeing on the can isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future.

The multi-billion dollar company is successful and debt free so according to owner Don Vultaggio's interview with the Today Show, there's no reason to make people pay more when the company continues to be profitable anyway.

We’re gonna fight as hard as we can for consumers. Why have people who are having a hard time paying their rent have to pay more for our drink? Maybe it’s my little way to give back.

That said, I recall going being at a gas station and craving one. The tag underneath the cans had them priced at around $2.00. I didn't think much of it at the time thinking maybe the price simply increased.

However since this latest Today Show interview with Don, I decided to do some research on my own and sure enough the $,99 is merely a suggested retail price according to Arizona Iced Tea.

We pre-printed our cans with our suggested retail because we wanted to force retailers into selling at that price. Retailers, however, are independent business people and can set a price whatever they prefer. We do make and sell non-priced cans as well.

Overall it seems to be working as that was the only time I've ever seen the price higher then 99 cents.

Oh, and just in case you're not familiar with the history of this Long Island, New York-based company, Arizona Tea was invented by a truck driver who, to this day, has never been to Arizona.