There was a time when someone had a great idea, "how about selling bottled water"? Someone else asked ?who in their right mind would pay for something that you can get for free?? The history of bottled water began in Europe some 200 years ago. It started when spas frequently visited by the royal families began to sell the water from their private springs. As they drank the water and became healthy, the habit of drinking healthy water from spas continued through the direct bottling of the water at source. EVIAN of France was the first brand that started to promote the business, together with PERRIER for natural carbonated water.
That is all fine and dandy except now everyone is peddling bottled water of course you have the so called bottled at the source but then there is the bottled at the source of the faucet but for the sake of not getting sued buy some of the big soda bottling companies I will refrain from saying names like Coca Cola, or Pepsi Cola, everywhere you go there is a new water, lets see there is the Fiji water, imported from the island of Fiji, then there is Arrowhead from a hidden spring in the mountains, there is mineral water, flavored water and according to Snapple they are selling all natural as opposed to what, synthetic water? What was once a $200 million a year industry has now grown close to a $5 billion dollar a year mega giant.
Why do I even care about bottled water? The truth is, I don?t but I will probably be buying bottled water until the day I die. One of my favorite brands of water to drink is the Vitamin Water bottled by Glaceau, it has a little flavor with a splash of vitamins, it make?s me feel like I?m doing something good for my body. But what really gets me ticked is when some new water comes along and insults my intelligence claiming it tastes like no other water, the bottle states ?In a remote corner of the Canadian north, deep below 5,000 acres of virgin forest the ice age created a rare geological formation called an Esker? water like no other.? So I fell for the ?okee doke? and brought a six pack of ?water like no other? passing up the bottled city water for this rare treat. I could not wait to try ?Esker? this was going to be the experience of a lifetime or so I thought!
What a ?gank?, (slang for rip off) I could have saved my $5.99 for a six pack of the16 oz. Bottles! They must have seen me coming, that damn water tasted like the same water found in the city water bottles. Do I sound a little bitter? why yes I am, why did I fall for the creative advertising crap? Hey, I?m no water expert but the truth is that almost all water is created equal? sure, you add a snazzy label and some creative marketing and soon we will be selling oxygen! Oh ,wait too late! Don?t spend your hard earned money on the Emperor?s clothes, because no matter how many times you read that story, the ending never changes.


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