Originally Posted by Trakhak

That argument comes up on musician's forums, too.

What it boils down to:

Expert marketing has made me crave a product, even though there are plenty of suitable and affordable alternatives.

I can't or don't want to pay what it costs to buy the product.

Neither of those facts can be my fault.

Therefore, the product's manufacturer is evil.

As for the Arizona pricing model: selling flavored water in cans and bottles has been staggeringly profitable since at least the 1800's. Far beyond the profitability that any bike manufacturer could hope to achieve. Good for Arizona for figuring out how to look like the good guys while raking it in.

Amusingly, by the way, sellers of bottled and canned water, flavored or unflavored, are held to lower quality control standards than municipalities are for the water that comes out of our taps. And bottled and canned water sellers are not required to report their test results to the public, unlike towns and cities.