The Price of Coffee
For the last few years, I've been buying a can or a vacuum-pack Key coffee from the Keikyu Department Store. In Japan, lower floors of all the major department stores sell food. The two packages are different, but contain the same coffee. For packages, I prefer vacuum-pack over can. But I have a problem.
I can't make up my mind on which to buy.
A can is 649 yen for 400 grams, and
a vacuum-pack is 549 yen for 250 grams.
Yes, the beautiful purplish blue can with golden letters is cheaper than the plain looking vacuum-pack.
I said I prefer the vacuum-pack, but when I go grocery shopping, my heart moves toward the can. The can is prettier and more for money than the vacuum-pack. My brain tells me to buy the vacuum-pack. But my heart says no. What would you do if you were in my situation? This issue has kept coming up in my current life, and last week, my brain lost to my heart again, and I bought another can of the same coffee. I'm getting weak. Now I have many cans in the kitchen cabinet of my tiny apartment. The trash day for cans is only once a month. If I call a private trash collector, they charge me a lot.
In the past, I asked a few store clerks of the market about the difference in price. They all carefully checked and rechecked the prices and told me, "I don't know." One time, a female clerk called the manager for me. The manager came, checked the coffee shelves, compared the prices, and said, "I don't know."
Yesterday, I went to take photos in the market, but the spot for the cans was empty. They were sold out! I bet many people had a similar dilemma as I did. I imagined many cans were filling up people's cabinets and piling up in trash.
Next time I need more coffee, I will definitely buy a vacuum pack. That is what I end up saying to myself every time. I prefer organic, but my brain hasn't told me to buy it yet. They are double in price.
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Keiko Amano is a bilingual and bicultural writer who lives in Los Angeles and Yokohama. She writes short stories and novels in English and Japanese. Her stories appeared in Eye-Ai magazine.
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I don't understand this
I don't understand this pricing, either. It's inducing you to buy the can and, obviously, you aren't alone in your ultimate choice. I would think the simpler packaging would be less expensive per gram.
Is there any way to recycle those cans? Are there any schools that can use them for student art projects? Community shelters that can use them to store opened containers of food? Some other way to productively use your castoffs?
Ellen, Yes, I don’t
Ellen,
Yes, I don’t understand the pricing. I wish I would find someone to give those cans. Most people here have a small living space, so they want to get rid of things, not wanting anything.
Give them to schools!
Great idea! I'm a teacher and I use all sorts of 'rubbish' to make things interesting in my class. Cans are great for making 'telephones' or 'pencil holders' or coin toss games or drums or shakers or 'what's that smell?' games or guess what's in the can? or or or...
Cans and Bamboos
Quenntis,
I wish I would find teachers like you here. Maybe, I can go to an elementary school and ask if they need cans and bamboos. Right now, I want to get rid of many bamboos growing in front of my window. They are good for the July 7th festival. Children write poems and tie them to a bamboo like a Xmas tree, and later they throw it to river.
http://web.mit.edu/jpnet/holidays/Jul/tanabata.shtml
I drink tea!
so much easier.
Why does your brain tell you to buy vacuum pack? Why do you like it better? Maybe if you answer this question the tension will resolve one way or another.
It interests me that you say it is your brain driving that, yet it is what you like, and your heart is telling you something else. Usually we think it is our hearts drawing us towards things we like, and our brains being the rational, logical aspect.
I drink black and green tea also.
Kunzang,
Thank you for your comment. I often skip needed explanation. I prefer vacuum-pack for an ecology reason.
About the brain and heart issue, I trust my brain more than my heart. In 1973 on the way back to Japan after studying in the U.S. for three years, I saw the sign on the airplane about oxygen masks: First you apply an oxygen mask on yourself before you give it to your child. The sign left a huge impact on me. I thought about it long and hard then. I was 22. Without that thought, I probably gave the only oxygen mask to my child if I were already a mother and in a disaster situation. Since then, I thought about it on and off about the sign for many issues in my life. I also learned that no matter how hard it was at times if I built a strong logic, my heart would eventually follow it.
Is it Brazilian or Colombian
Is it Brazilian or Colombian coffee? I´m kidding, I´m kidding...:-)
Keiko, keep one or two cans,buy the vacuum ones and use them to refill the cans:-). You know,it´s mostly vacuum-pack here - cans are rare and are usually in the import section, so what I do, because I also like the look of a beautiful container, is that I have a beautiful plastic container with the beans and the word coffee written all over it, and I refill it. Just an idea.
Brazilian coffee, of course!
Luciana,
I hope so! I know you drink better and cheaper coffee there. I envy you.
And yes, buy one or two cans and switch to vacuum-pack is usually sensible. That was my idea in the beginning until I found the can was cheaper. I talked with people here about this issue, but they all seem confused.
If I buy 2000 grams of Key coffee, in theory, I’ll save about 1000 yen (about ten dollars) by choosing cans. If you choose the vacuum-pack, you have to pay about 1000 yen more for the same 2000 grams.
I noticed that Caravan coffee sells an empty can for 336 yen. The price of their coffee is double of the Key coffee, and they only sell at certain coffee shops. I guess the business model is different. The coffee business must be competitive. There must be a reason why Key coffee is doing the way they are doing. If I find out a clear answer, I’ll let you know.
Keiko, you could paint the
Keiko, you could paint the cans and use them for containers in your kitchen. I have done that and when I asked my youngest son if there was one thing in the house that he would love he said the tall can that you painted and put the pasta packages in! I always buy coffee in a can. I buy Illy coffee because it is the best we can find around here. Organic is good but way overpriced.
Painting cans
Mary,
Thank you for your comment. Painting cans is a good idea. I can paint in hot pink or draw a cartoon character. You must be creative. I can tell by looking at your photo. You look great!