Los Angeles shoppers buy bottled water primarily because of taste and health concerns about what chemicals and/ or bacteria may be lurking in their pipes, according to an informal SN poll.
rtz, a shopper at Lucky Stores in Santa Monica, told SN he has been buying bottled water for years.
"I just don't trust the tap water here, despite what [officials] say," he said.
"The tap water [in L.A.] is not fresh," said Verna Asen, who was visiting California from Austria with her friend, Nicole Riegler. "The water from the tap in the Alps is so pure that there is no need to buy water in the supermarkets in Austria."
Several shoppers said store location, not price, was the primary factor in determining where they shop for their water. However, shoppers show a preference for the types of water they buy. Some buy only bottled well and spring waters, while others are satisfied with private label purified water or purified tap water sold through outdoor vending machines.
"Years ago when I was poor, I bought water from the vending machine, but now I can afford to buy better," said consumer Schwartz. "There is a noticeable difference between bottled mountain spring water and purified water. The mountain water is much better tasting."
Delores Jones, a Vons shopper, preferred the American Sparkletts and Arrowhead bottled jug waters to the expensive imported waters in single-serve bottles.
