Why The Price Of Coca-Cola Didn't Change For 70 Years | Planet Money | NPR

The thing about prices is they tend to change. But for 70 years, between 1886 and the late 1950s, the price of a Coca-Cola was a shiny nickel.

Think about how crazy that is: Between 1886 and the late '50s, you had two world wars, prohibition, the Great Depression. But through it all, one constant in life was the nickel Coke.

This is the story of how two lawyers from Chattanooga struck a deal with the president of Coca-Cola that led to the company's pricing lockdown. With re-enactments from our very own Robert Smith & Nick Fountain, it's the fourth episode of Planet Money Shorts.

Host
Noel King

Originally Reported By
David Kestenbaum

Producers
Bronson Arcuri
Ben Naddaff-Hafrey

Editor
Bronson Arcuri

Illustrations
Marcie LaCerte

Additional Videography
Nickolai Hammar

Cast
Nick Fountain
Julia Melfi
Robert Smith

Series Creative Director
Mito Habe-Evans

Consulting Producers
Alex Goldmark
Bryant Urstadt

Executive Producer
Keith Jenkins

Special Thanks
Fawkner Bar
Darrick Hamilton
The New School

Archival Media
The Coca-Cola Company
Prelinger Archives

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[Roronoa_Zoro_Official]

Usually cost me $50 for a gram of coke

[darrennewton]

Yeah I remember how upset I was when subway stopped the $5 foot long

[PeenWienerstien]

So it essentially its just like the 99 cent arizona iced teas? Theres gonna be a damn riot when that price changes

[Lmao-oowm]

This was like vox, minus it being vox. Which is great!

[louiszhang]

Well let’s just hope the world doesn’t end when Costco hot dogs are no longer $1.50

[andrewglinski]

I just find it weird that the price of pop is usually cheaper than the price of bottled water.

[RockyKev]

The production values are really really high!
I hope it doesn't become a bottleneck - I just want more of these stories!

[cerealkiller]

I like Coke but I'm afraid of the Pepsi man struggling me in my sleep.

[fireaza]

"What am I gonna do? This deal with the bottlers could ruin me! They could easily raise the price of their bottled Coke and I won't see a single extra cent! ...I know! I'll make it look like Coke should always cost 5 cents! They won't be raise the price without angering the customer! Ha ha! It's genius!!"

**LATER...**

"Whew! I'm glad I was able to renegotiate that bottling deal! In the past few years, the cost of producing the syrup was getting real close to unprofitable! Now, I can raise the price to... Aw, fuck."

[Alex-kovh]

I use to think that Coca-Cola was just about making people happy untill I read they use to put cocaine In it. So I wasn't wrong :)

[keithduff]

Five dollar footlongs and Arby's 5 for 5 deal...inflation made these deals a thing of the past

[JustWastedHoursHere]

Reminds me of the cost of televisions in a way. The average price of a TV in the 1950s was about $300. The average price of a TV up until fairly recently was also about $300 (before large flat screens took over). Now of course this is because $300 in the 1950s is a LOT more money than it is nowadays, so the cost of televisions has actually dropped dramatically since then (not counting the giant flat screen revolution of today). Anyway, I thought it was interesting.

[SpeedHomeAttack]

Arizona being $0.99 for multiple decades is more impressive.

[waltersobchak]

NPR PLEASE KEEP MAKING VIDEOS LIKE THIS!!!

[danielj]

One word to describe the whole thing: GENIUS!

[yusukeshinyama]

As a big Planet Money fan, it kinda bothers me that I cannot recognize all the casts, while I can immediately recognize all the narrators...

[dust]

In the phillippines coke cost about 15pesos = 30cents

[noturavgdude]

Where are people buying cheap coke from? I get mine for 60 dollars

[MikeBaxterABC]

When i was kid well into the 70's ... there was still a coke vending machine at the gas station in town that sold Coke for 10 cents a bottle

[AshishSingh-wkin]

1:30 *"It was that moment when john knew, he fucked up .."*