# Bottled water- Is it really worth it? (Scam or not) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 19, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327 "2016-08-19T18:19:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/21 "2016-08-19T20:42:18Z")
It’s not a “scam” because all bottled water companies promise you is water in a bottle and that’s exactly what they give you. It’s certainly not worth it to me. For what bottled water would cost me for a week, I could get enough tap water to drink for the rest of my life (and I’m not that old, I swear!). Some people drink bottled water because they believe its safer. I’m not convinced. If your town has a problem with its drinking water supply (like the recent problems in Flint, MI), then bottled water probably makes sense. Otherwise, the tap water is perfectly safe. You can filter it through a Brita filter if you are still leery of drinking water straight out of the tap. Public water supplies are heavily-regulated by the EPA but bottled water is subject to very little oversight. Bottled water is probably safe enough in the U.S. at least because half of it is just filtered tap water so it’s at least no worse than what comes out of the tap. According to the sources cited in this pricenomics article ([The Ad Campaign that Convinced Americans to Pay for Water - Priceonomics](https://priceonomics.com/the-ad-campaign-that-convinced-americans-to-pay/)), people don’t drink bottled water because of the taste – blind taste testing shows they can’t tell the difference. Bottled water also requires enormous amounts of plastic (about 2.7 million tons globally each year - [Drinking from a Bottle Instead of the Tap Just Doesn't Hold Water | Scientific American](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bottled-water-ridiculous-waste/)) which consumes oil and then pollutes the ocean. Bottled water drinkers desire for imperceptibly “better” water is making the world a worse place for everyone else in it. > [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Billions of dollars in marketing every year, promoting it as a worthwhile product. They’re not “offering” it, they’re all but waterboarding us with it. I’m sympathetic to your view, but I think this is an overstatement. The only estimate I can find says that bottled water marketing costs in the U.S. totaled $61 million in 2013. It was from a bottled water trade group that is putting the best possible spin on bottled water and is perhaps understating those marketing costs but that’s not even near “billions.” It turns out, it just doesn’t cost that much to convince Americans to pay a lot for something they could get for essentially nothing. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/22 "2016-08-19T20:44:02Z")
Bottled water is no more of a scam than bottled soda is. If you’re in a situation where it would be reasonable to buy a soda, but you’d rather drink water, then buying water is also reasonable. You’re not being “ripped off” because it’s just tap water. It’s a beverage like any other, just water flavored. Sure, you could carry your own water bottle everywhere and refill it wherever you happen to be, but I like the taste of my water to be predictable. All tap water may be safe, but it doesn’t all taste good. ---
**Author:** ![onething](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/df788c/32.png) [@onething](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onething)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/23 "2016-08-19T20:44:29Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Sorry, but no tap water is going to taste like Gerolsteiner. It has a very strong metallic taste that you can’t get from the tap or anywhere else. It’s like comparing tap water to whiskey. There’s a big mark up in comparison, but the two aren’t the same thing. It is quite exquisite. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/24 "2016-08-19T20:45:11Z")
> [@onething](#): > > True. You’re probably thinking of Dasani and Aquafina, or even SmartWater, which is just distilled water from Boggs in PA. But many popular brands like Poland, PureLife, Evian and such come from natural springs, hence the term spring water. But you’re right, paying for tap water, whether it has been filtered, mineralized or demineralized seems like a scam. H[sub]2[/sub]O is H[sub]2[/sub]O. Where it squirts out of the ground makes absolutely no difference in its composition. There is absolutely no reason to ever ship it more than a few miles for emergency and special-needs sale. A trivial amount of dissolved minerals can replicate any taste balance if you’re really addicted to the flavor of French rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/25 "2016-08-19T20:50:33Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > Bottled water is no more of a scam than bottled soda is. If you’re in a situation where it would be reasonable to buy a soda, but you’d rather drink water, then buying water is also reasonable. You’re not being “ripped off” because it’s just tap water. It’s a beverage like any other, just water flavored. Except that in your argument, it’s all Kool-Aid flavored. The odds that you would buy bottled water as any kind of a regular drink, had you not been exposed to two decades of intense marketing pressure, are pretty close to nil. It used to be a _joke_ in the beverage industry that their marketing departments could make people buy plain water in a fancy bottle. A _joke_, people. I won’t say sodas etc. are defensible, but at least they are given a substantially developed flavor and other characteristics. Water goes in one end of a Coke plant; Coke comes off one bottling line after they’ve at least made it taste like something, while Dasani simply skips steps 2-78 and comes out as… water. At the same price as Coke. At least try to argue the actual issues here, and not simply stand up for the marketing department’s fabrications. ---
**Author:** ![onething](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/df788c/32.png) [@onething](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onething)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/26 "2016-08-19T20:57:30Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > Bottled water is no more of a scam than bottled soda is. If you’re in a situation where it would be reasonable to buy a soda, but you’d rather drink water, then buying water is also reasonable. You’re not being “ripped off” because it’s just tap water. It’s a beverage like any other, just water flavored. > > Sure, you could carry your own water bottle everywhere and refill it wherever you happen to be, but I like the taste of my water to be predictable. All tap water may be safe, but it doesn’t all taste good. I feel the same. For example, when you drink a Coke, the only thing healthy in it that your body retains is the water which was used to manufacture it. The rest is either sugar or corn syrup, fizz, and food coloring. Take Mountain Dew, for example, which uses BVO to prevent the ingredients from seperating. I’d rather pay for plain water, although Dasani and Aquafina taste pretty bad in my opinion. And in paying high prices for plain water, we might be contributing to the lower prices of sugar beverages like Coke and Pepsi, which is not all that great. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/27 "2016-08-19T21:32:09Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Except that in your argument, it’s all Kool-Aid flavored. The odds that you would buy bottled water as any kind of a regular drink, had you not been exposed to two decades of intense marketing pressure, are pretty close to nil. > > It used to be a _joke_ in the beverage industry that their marketing departments could make people buy plain water in a fancy bottle. A _joke_, people. > > I won’t say sodas etc. are defensible, but at least they are given a substantially developed flavor and other characteristics. Water goes in one end of a Coke plant; Coke comes off one bottling line after they’ve at least made it taste like something, while Dasani simply skips steps 2-78 and comes out as… water. At the same price as Coke. > > At least try to argue the actual issues here, and not simply stand up for the marketing department’s fabrications. Awesome, I’ve never been snarked on before! I suppose by “koolaid flavored,” you mean I’m an unwitting shill for Big Water. I do in fact buy water instead of soda, in a bottled-drink situation, because I really like water better than soda. Who cares if I can get water for pennies at home. If I’m not _at home_, and I haven’t bothered to bring my 52 oz insulated cup of ice water that I filled up _at home_, and I get thirsty, of course I’m gonna buy a bottle of water. Am I not getting my “money’s worth” because it doesn’t have caffeine and sugar and flavoring added? Should I buy a soda I don’t want so I won’t be a victim of Big Water? At least try to comprehend that people have different taste preferences here, and not simply assume that they’re too stupid to make consumer decisions. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/28 "2016-08-19T21:36:16Z")
When I buy bottled water, I don’t buy it for the taste. I buy it for the convenience. I’m out and about, and I get thirsty, so I buy a bottle. It’s palatable, cold, and refreshing. I then pitch the bottle in the nearest recycling bin. No muss, no fuss. I’m sure that a Brita filter and a Nalgene bottle would provide similar refreshment at a fraction of the cost, but it would also be at a fraction of the convenience. With bottled water, I don’t have to carry a reusable bottle around all day, I don’t have to dick around washing the bottle or filling it before I leave the house, and I don’t have to worry about my water warming up over the course of the day. I wouldn’t drink bottled water at home, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/29 "2016-08-19T21:51:26Z")
Scam? Hell no. My aunt has hard water and it smells and tastes like _sulfur_. If you want to drink water that tastes like rotten eggs, be my guest. (And trust me, it’s extremely strong. Even with a water softener) And I definitely notice a difference in taste with our local water. It has this weird, plastic-y taste to it. Now, it can be used for ice cubes, or tea, or whatever. But drink it straight? I’ll continue buying my bottled water, thank you very much. (I never noticed the difference until I was in high school and one of my friends had a fridge with a water dispensor. It’s so obvious) ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/30 "2016-08-19T22:53:04Z")
And at our house, tap water tastes strongly chlorinated and a bit like dirt. I buy and drink bottled water for the taste alone. To me, spring water tastes mineral-ly sweet and I have my favorite types. I don’t cook with it, though. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/31 "2016-08-19T23:07:00Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > When I buy bottled water, I am paying for the bottle more than the water. It makes it easy to carry and then it is disposable. Carrying around a cup is a pain in the neck, so I think bottled water can be a good deal for the convenience. When I am at home though it is always tap water. This. I also routinely refill water bottles from the tap. There are parts of the US where the tap water tastes nasty. Fortunately, that’s not where I live. > [@onething](#): > > I find that the best still water is Ougaku (from Japan). The best one widely available would have to be Evian for me, with Icelandic as a close second. For sparkling water, Badoit would have to be my favorite. I enjoy its mineral richness. The only problem with tap water I have is that the treatment process usually makes the water slightly acidic (below 7 pH), which reduces the benefits of water. Its important to drink water that has a pH around or above 7.3, which is the pH our blood has. For me, water is a passion, which is why I don’t mind the price tag. But with the pollution caused by plastic bottles, the monopolies by companies such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and now Nestlé, and the millions of people who still don’t have access to water, I’m beginning to question things. Then again, driving your car to work, in comparison I guess, is just as harmful. The very tastiest water I’ve ever had was tap water in Banff, Canada. It was purified with ozone, not chlorine, and the source was a glacial. It was fabulous. In general, I find bottled water tastes a bit like plastic, and I generally prefer tap water. But it depends a lot on the source, and there’s no question that some bottled water tastes better than some tap water. I think I prefer my water a bit on the acid side, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/32 "2016-08-20T00:02:58Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I’m not the one who made the comparison. If it’s not “water,” it’s an inappropriate example. Well, it says “water” on the label, Buster. YOU didn’t specify that I had to differentiate between mineral water, spring water, and the tap water that corporations like Coke and Nestle bottle and charge for. Anyway, as you can see, the smart people here agree that Gerolsteiner is _der gut schtuff_. Try a bottle today! ---
**Author:** ![onething](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/df788c/32.png) [@onething](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onething)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/33 "2016-08-20T00:34:53Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > This. > > I also routinely refill water bottles from the tap. > > There are parts of the US where the tap water tastes nasty. Fortunately, that’s not where I live. > > The very tastiest water I’ve ever had was tap water in Banff, Canada. It was purified with ozone, not chlorine, and the source was a glacial. It was fabulous. > > In general, I find bottled water tastes a bit like plastic, and I generally prefer tap water. But it depends a lot on the source, and there’s no question that some bottled water tastes better than some tap water. > > I think I prefer my water a bit on the acid side, though. Yeah Canada is great. Our tap water is usually on par. I’m from the province of Québec. We have about 4% of the world’s fresh drinkable water. Nevertheless, in some municipalities, it still tastes like crap. If the water you drank from Banff was from a glacier and it was purified with ozone, chances are it was more alkaline than acid. That may be why you enjoyed it so much. It really makes a difference. For example, Aquafina and Dasani usually have a pH (“well”) below 7, which explains the harsh taste, though the filtering and demineralization could also account for that. There is also the debate as to whether water actually “tastes” something. I believe so, of course. There are even water tastings held, and water bars, where they serve all sorts of water from around the world. This is mainly in Europe, because why not. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/34 "2016-08-20T00:58:40Z")
Most water has other stuff in it. Of course it “tastes”. And some water in the US Midwest tastes absolutely horrible. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/35 "2016-08-20T01:01:59Z")
This says Banff tap water is chlorinated and comes from a well. ☹ > **[Drinking Water | Banff, AB - Official Website](https://www.banff.ca/420/Drinking-Water)** > > Banff’s drinking water comes from deep underground wells. Alberta Environment rates Banff's tap water as "High Quality Groundwater." Town staff tests the water daily to ensure the water is safe for public consumption. Banff’s drinking water... Although, I suppose all the ground water there is sort of glacier run off. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/36 "2016-08-20T01:28:23Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > …A trivial amount of dissolved minerals can replicate any taste balance if you’re really addicted to the flavor of French rocks. I suspect that you were raised by strict Fundamentalist parents who burned the taste buds out of your tongue as an infant so you could not be seduced by Satan’s delicious flavors and, moreover, that you put ketchup on your hot dog. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/37 "2016-08-20T13:42:12Z")
As others have said, it isn’t a scam; you get what the company offers. But where I live now, it’s not necessary. The stuff out of the tap tastes fine. I gild the lily a bit by using a Brita filter at home when I make ice or fill the coffee maker. At work, we have a built-in filter that dispenses hot or cold water and it’s great. In Florida, the water out of the tap generally was terrible and we got filtered water at Publix. You’d buy the first bottle, then just take your empty gallon bottles back and refill them for a quarter or so. ETA: When I lived in Florida I had a BF whose house had well water. The stuff that came out was, I think, directly from hell, it was so sulphurous. If you made ice cubes from the stuff, your drink reeked of sulphur. It was awful. I drank warm diet coke rather than anything with water or ice. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/38 "2016-08-20T14:29:03Z")
I’ve been having bottle water, 18 litres, delivered to my house for a couple of decades now. It comes from an artesian well in Northern Quebec. It was through travelling I was first exposed to bottled water, which I grudgingly consumed wherever the water was dodgy. After returning home I really noticed how nasty our tap water tasted and smelt! Yuck! But what really turned me was trying to replicate my Gran’s home cooking, peasant style. Her food was delicious, I watched her cook it, but could not get the taste right. I ate in a home style restaurant in the city one day, and the potatoes tasted just like my Gran’s. I had to know how they were doing that and I grilled my server. She finally revealed they didn’t use city water, they had a private source of fresh water from a distant well that they brought in for use in their cooking! All my Gran’s water came from a well! And I was sold! I use bottled water to do all my cooking, pasta, tea, juice, ice cubes, anything we consume. It made an instant and noticeable difference in the taste of our food immediately and I never looked back! I can make my Gran’s peasant food and the taste is bang on! I would never consider going back. But I never buy bottles of water when I’m out, and brush my teeth with floridated tap water. But I also don’t drink tap water unless there are no other choices. I realise people think it’s odd, but we love it! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/39 "2016-08-20T15:20:00Z")
Those of you who have bad-tasting tap water, does it improve if you leave it in a pitcher overnight? ---
**Author:** ![onething](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/df788c/32.png) [@onething](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onething)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327/40 "2016-08-20T15:58:47Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > I’ve been having bottle water, 18 litres, delivered to my house for a couple of decades now. It comes from an artesian well in Northern Quebec. > > It was through travelling I was first exposed to bottled water, which I grudgingly consumed wherever the water was dodgy. After returning home I really noticed how nasty our tap water tasted and smelt! Yuck! > > But what really turned me was trying to replicate my Gran’s home cooking, peasant style. Her food was delicious, I watched her cook it, but could not get the taste right. > > I ate in a home style restaurant in the city one day, and the potatoes tasted just like my Gran’s. I had to know how they were doing that and I grilled my server. She finally revealed they didn’t use city water, they had a private source of fresh water from a distant well that they brought in for use in their cooking! All my Gran’s water came from a well! > > And I was sold! I use bottled water to do all my cooking, pasta, tea, juice, ice cubes, anything we consume. It made an instant and noticeable difference in the taste of our food immediately and I never looked back! I can make my Gran’s peasant food and the taste is bang on! > > I would never consider going back. But I never buy bottles of water when I’m out, and brush my teeth with floridated tap water. But I also don’t drink tap water unless there are no other choices. > > I realise people think it’s odd, but we love it! Word. At our house in Québec, the water is delicious. In Wisconsin, it smells like rotten eggs, since it comes from a well. We have the best water filtration system on the market but it still doesn’t help. And in mexico, well we can’t even brush our teeth with the water that comes from the tap. We have to buy water jugs and put them in every room on every floor around the house. Bottled water is no doubt more expensive than it should be, but you know what to expect every single time, no matter where you are. Its convenient, to say the least! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-water-is-it-really-worth-it-scam-or-not/763327.md?page=3)