Water off the shelf - popularity of bottled water - Checkout Line

American Demographics, April, 1997 by Marcia Magelonsky

The "designer water" craze that started in the 1980s is still going strong, but not necessarily because of well-heeled Perrier sippers, There are more than 700 regional and 75 imported brands of water on the market today. In 1995, Americans consumed 11 gallons of bottled water per person

Households that are well off do have a propensity to buy bottled water. Those with annual incomes of $60,000 or more are 35 percent more likely than their share of the population suggests to buy it, according to ACNielsen.

Yet income doesn't paint the whole picture. Black, Asian, and Hispanic households are more likely than whites to use bottled water, even though blacks and Hispanics as a group have lower-than-average household incomes. One reason may be cultural -- bottled water is common on dining tables throughout Latin America and in some regions of Asia. Scares like the municipal water contamination that occurred in Milwaukee in 1993 may have even low-income families springing for bottled water.

It's clear that many households are still opting for bottled water, even though it can be an expensive habit. A five-year supply of bottled water at the recommended intake of eight glasses a day can cost more than $1,000. An equivalent amount of tap water costs about $1.65.