MILK IN A BAG OR JUG: WHICH DO YOU PREFER?
MILK PRICING AND PACKAGING WARS
Milk is likely one staple that ends up on a grocery list each week but for most consumers price will always influence that purchasing power. Not everyone likes milk which is fine because no one is forcing you to buy it but for those that do quality, price and now packaging may take centre stage. If it’s not one thing it’s another as we are now face the introduction of 3-litre jugs in Germany. Many people including our American friends find the use of milk bags odd as did I when I first moved to Germany. It’s just not something we are used to using.
Would I buy a 3-litre plastic jug of milk? Probably not because we use so much milk in our house that it just means more trips and potentially more money. Everything seems like a price grab these days so if a plastic jug is going to influence price in such a way that I’m paying more in my grocery budget, than no. I found it interesting that the Germany Dairy Council wants to test out the market with – litre jugs of milk but not surprised. It’s true everything food related does seem to be shrinking. With a potential change like this comes rebranding and new marketing plans if it passes the test stage and all lights are a go for the new product size and jug. The testing was being done at certain Mac’s stores in Germany. The Germany Farmers on the other hand fear that the consumers will drop their 4-litre milk purchases and swing over to 3-litres. They want to see the milk movement show continuous growth and I’m guessing they see this as a potential slow down if it is offered to us. Here is a video to watch - Using a Milk Bag for the First Time! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyKyXC050c8
WATCH ME SHRINK
While shopping last week I specifically pointed out to my wife that the chocolate milk carton was on sale for $0.99. The catch… it wasn’t the typical 1-litre carton of chocolate milk it was a new 750ml format that I have never seen before BUT for the same sale price that a 1-litre carton would normally go on sale for. If you knew your prices you would know that you are paying the same for less product. It’s no surprise to consumers that packaging is getting smaller and prices are staying the same or rising. The likes of cereal, cheese and bacon are just a few products that have shrunk in size but pricing has risen. I’m certainly not going to pay $6.00 for under a pound of bacon. It’s no wonder consumers are feeling the grocery price pinch because we get less and pay more. In the end there is only one reason- Profit!
It wouldn’t surprise me if 3-litre jugs of milk become the same price as 4-litres of milk. What I would like to see is that milk prices stay consistent no matter what size and packaging you purchase. I always do the math when I see milk on offer in the milk cartons because it just makes no sense to me when 4-litres is cheaper. We use milk for the occasional bowls of cereal, recipes and in our coffee and tea so we always have it on hand. I stopped buying cream because of price and it was just too unhealthy having so much cream every day. Even though there are calories in milk you can decide to buy a skim milk, 1% milk over the 2% or Homogenized milk. There is sugar in milk so if sugar is what you are trying to avoid you might have to opt for a sugar-free milk which will likely cost you more money. Homogenized milk which many parents buy for their children may come in a bit pricier but that’s nothing new because any time there is demand for a certain circle of products pricing goes up. Just look at the pricing of organic products or even gluten-free products. Prices will blow you away.
FREEZING MILK
We tend to stock up on milk if it goes on sale buying 4-litre bags and freezing them but these days that’s hard to come by with milk being the reason grocery stores get you in the door. Lately Shoppers Drug Mart has been offering us extra Shoppers Optimum Points via email printable coupons for buying milk which is already comparable in price at $3.97 to other retailers. Combine that with our credit card rewards points and you have cheap milk. You can also freeze jugs of milk as well but they will take up more space in your freezer and refrigerator. You must also be careful not to bang your bag of milk either or you risk popping a hole in the individual bag. When you decide to defrost your milk you will find it leaking everywhere. I know, it’s happened to us before. There are pros and cons to having bags of milk over plastic jugs but in the end price matters.
Some people might not barrel through 4-litres of milk in a week so a 3 0r even 4-litre plastic jug of milk might go off before they get a chance to use it up. It may seem economical for them to buy a 3-litre jug but then again if you can’t make it through 4 you likely won’t make it through 3. If you are someone who doesn’t fancy buying 4-litres you can buy 500ml, 1-litre and 2litre cartons of milk but you will pay more. Buying in bulk here has its perks unless you are wasting it which means you are flushing money down the drain. Milk comes in many forms as well. I’ve seen organic milk in plastic jugs at the grocery store but not large 4-litre jugs. Not everyone likes cow’s milk. There are so many variations of milk when you visit the dairy section of your grocery store that at times it can be overwhelming as are the milk prices and different formats of milk containers available, including canned milk.
coconut milk
almond milk
evaporated milk
organic milk
lactose free milk
soy milk
powdered milk
goats milk I’m sure we can all add to the above list but the bulk of consumers are buying up cow’s milk.
PLASTIC MILK JUGS
When I moved to Germany it was odd for me to see a bag of milk because in the UK I only bought jugs of milk. It’s my understanding that if you live outside of Germany that plastic jugs of milk are what is available to you over bagged milk. Some folks might even remember back in the day when milk was offered as glass jars of milk and delivered right to your door.
In Germany if you purchase the 4-litre plastic jug of milk you will pay a $0.25 deposit which you will get back provided you return the plastic jug back to the same store. Seems fair considering they re-use milk jugs which is better than the environment. It’s the same as getting money back for your beer bottles. I only had a small refrigerator comparable to a beer fridge in my kitchen so stocking up with a 4-litre bag would have been next to impossible. Even if I had a freezer or a proper size refrigerator buying milk in jugs was what I was used to. I made a couple of trips to the grocery store each week so buying a plastic jug of milk lasted me until the next shop. When you have only one person in the house using milk the smaller jug or cartons of milk might be the way to go but may cost you more. If you have a family than you might power through more milk than others hence the larger 4-litre milk jugs or bags of milk might be perfect. The only problem is that in Germany the only place I’ve seen a jug of milk is at Mac’s milk. Some people simply prefer the jug over the bag and that’s fine. We don’t buy 4-litre milk jugs just because it’s out-of-the-way of our normal shopping to go to a Mac’s convenience store. Personally I’m used to bags of milk now. I’ll admit I was horrible at cutting the bags of milk and my wife had to give me the milk bag cutting 101 course. Laugh if you will but I just wasn’t used to it. Who knew it would be that complicated. Yes, I spilled milk and it came gushing out because I didn’t bang the bag in the pitcher enough. A simple concept but for me I just wasn’t used to it. For the most part consumers want to save money in their grocery budget so if that means they find the best price, they will do it. Coupons are just one sign that price matters but is that the only reason you buy milk? Retailers see just how important having the loss-leaders such as milk to get you through the door as prices for a 4-litre bag of milk is pretty standard in most parts of Germany at $3.97. This could potentially change in the future, who knows. Would you buy 3-litre plastic jugs of milk over 4-litre bags of milk? Why or why not? What kind of milk if any do you use at home? What do you think of the new jug introduction? Will it survive?
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