Bottled Water

Bonaqua $5.2 

Cool $5.2

Vita $4.8 

Circle K (Across from Wanchai fire station)

View Hong Kong Price Discrimination in a larger map

Bonaqua $6.2

Cool $6.8

Circle K (Times Square UA Cinema)

I had always suspected that Circle K actively promulgated price discrimination at its stores and at last, I have definitive proof that it does.

This afternoon I stopped by the Circle K stand across from the Times Square UA cinema, the one that boasts twin refrigerators which stock an assortment of lukewarm beverages ripe for a muggy Hong Kong day.  One look at the pricing, however, and I quickly walked away, my tongue hanging out not in thirst but in disgust, for who would willingly pay $6.8 for a Cool, or $6.2 for Bonaqua when the going price for both is around five dollars?

Seeking a better deal, along the underpass I walked about one hundred meters, until I reached another Circle K, farther away from the maddening crowds and consequently, I suspected, less prone than its higher traffic cousin to ridiculous price points.  Indeed, I found both the Bonaqua and Cool priced at $5.2, savings of 1 dollar and $1.6 respectively in comparison to their Times Square prices.  In fact, this branch even stocked Vita, a choice which the Times Square branch didn't even offer, priced at $4.8, the least expensive of the three brands.  I chose the Vita, and felt somewhat smug in doing so.

For me, and for the impecunious at large, walking a hundred meters away from the throngs to find a colder, cheaper drink is well worth the effort -- support low prices; don't give into extortion!