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I never meant that a consumer buying cases of water at the grocery was wasting money, my point was that at so many venues, water costs well over a hundred bucks a gallon. Why is my tap water only worth .003 cents per gallon, at the store maybe a buck a gallon, and at a concert 120.00 per gallon?
Which price is “correct”? Even at a store, if water is more than a nickel a gallon, that is too much. Water prices should vary by thousands of percent?
Imagine if you will, what might ensue if a gas station in California charged 10 a gallon, and one in Arizona charged 50 cents, and one in Massachusetts charged 100.
Instead of assuming that your tap water is not potable, why not have it tested , install a filter and or softener as needed, etc. If it cannot be brought up to safe standards, then buy bottled water.
And I use a CPAP machine and is does require distilled water, but, it costs a couple of bucks per gallon, and it is not tap water, it is distilled. I buy two gallons per month.
I will never feel that plain old water is worth what everybody charges, again, anything more than a few pennies per gallon is wrong.
I am not suggesting there is never a need to buy bottled water, I am steadfast, though, in that it costs far too much, by , in too many instances, thousands of percent. My previous house had a well , so, my only cost was for the electricity for the water pump, so, virtually free. Let’s just say it cost me .001 cent per gallon. Now, do the math and I hope you are shocked at the difference between that and 120 per gallon.
In many cases it is necessary to buy bottled water, but, there is no justification for the insane prices that are so routinely charged, except greed.
Alas, I have always been sure that perhaps Einstein or Newton or Da Vinci was the wisest person ever to inhabit Earth, oh no, let us find the person who decided to bottle water, and make a figurative killing, and that person shall be capable to find the cure for everything that is a threat to humanity and Earth.
So, a price variation from virtually zero, to, 120 a gallon. But, those darn big oil companies, gouging us, etc.
Sadly, I feel I may have a future as a politician, I.e., I say one thing and shortly thereafter, do something different.
I very recently said that we pay thousands of percent more, etc., for bottled water, for the exact same stuff that falls , by the billions of gallons when it rains and so forth, and boy was I wrong! And by at least a thousand percent!
The horrific recent hurricane Helene, and the previous rainstorm that preceded it, dumped approximately 40,000,000,000, 000 gallons of water, that’s 40 trillion, which is not a mere “ drop in the bucket”.
I am clearly not hesitant to admit when I am erroneous, which happens with alarming frequency, please, accept my apologies.
I need to also get this off of my chest, I was the high school teacher whom criticized a teen age Albert Einstein , telling him, “ You will never amount to anything, Einstein!”
Finally, would anybody like to buy a Betamax VCR?
The price of water, like real estate or other commodities is a function of market prices. In Death Valley, there is no water and if you were there and thirsty you might pay a lot to get some. You won’t find a drinking fountain at a truck stop on the interstate, but you will find lots of bottled water. It is expensive to run a store out in the boonies, so why give away water when you can charge for it. And, at concerts, and sporting events it isn’t just the water that is expensive. Ask your flight attendant the time you fly for some water. Get out your wallet first……
Have we ever mentioned here that there are still water fountains near the gates in airports? HD readers and commenters, do you bring an empty water container with you through TSA, then fill it while walking to your gate? In some countries (China for one) you can choose between cold and boiling water at the airport because everyone carries tea leaves in their water bottles. Available on trains too, for free.
Yes, of course. My day pack has two outside pockets. I use one for a refillable water bottle and the other for a collapsible umbrella. If I’m in a country where I have to buy bottled water, at least I can buy bigger bottles and transfer it.
I seem to remember that Russian trains also had hot water, maybe even tea.