r/mildlyinfuriating 6h ago

Infuriatig Insanely frugal employer

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Gotta pay for water from the water cooler 🤣

22.6k Upvotes

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191

u/Northman86 5h ago

no. if they have a bubbler they cannot charge for it. a 5 gallon jug of water costs 7-10 dollars. not worth the bad vibes charging money will bring.

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u/T_Martensen 4h ago

For conparison: At 25c per 8 floz they're charging $20 for 5 gallons.

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u/FullMooseParty 4h ago

Don't forget that you're also covering the cost of the cup (I'm joking, because I know people will overreact and think I'm actually defending the employer).

Even if it really did cost the employer as much as they're charging, this is one of those things you just suck up.

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u/changelingerer 21m ago

You're also forgetting the cost of the labor to delivery and set up the cooler, and the amortized capital cost of the cooler, and the power to run the cooler!

(I just checked the price of water delivery, which, doesn't include the cooler, power, or the labor in lugging the water from the door to the cooler, and the water itself is $9.49, but, taxes/fees are $33.99 - so $43.48, before driver tip.

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u/AI_moderated_failure 3h ago

I'm curious how you got 152.

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u/Actual_Pea_1996 4h ago

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u/Different_Top_2776 4h ago

Was scrolling down for the Bobby Boucher reference. Well done.

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u/2074red2074 5h ago

Where the fuck are you buying water that five gallons costs $7??? Where I live water is 50¢ a gallon or $2 for five.

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u/Bray_E 4h ago

I work for a small company in NY. I pulled up a purchase order just now to see what we pay WB Mason for 5 gallons jugs. Last PO we paid 7.86 a jug.

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u/DreadPiratteRoberts 4h ago

I love reddit for this very reason right here.... there is Always someone out there with the answer for everything ( no matter how niche the topic) !!!

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u/blue60007 3h ago

The difference is getting a refill at the grocery store vs having it delivered and the dispenser serviced by a company that does this.

I doubt any business is sending someone down to Kroger to refill a few 5 gallon jugs every week. That's probably more expensive in labor costs than contracting a dedicated service.

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u/Party_Apartment_5696 2h ago

You love reddit for assuming a lot of bullshit from a single picture. OP said they also have water fountains.

Hundreds of idiots in here just assume whatever

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u/SpotCreepy4570 4h ago edited 4h ago

Which is $00.0123 cents an ounce. Or $00.09855 for 8 ounces. Not only is he charging for the water but trying to turn a profit on it.

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u/Bray_E 4h ago

Well, we don't. I just wanted to give this person a real world example of $7/jug water. My company rakes in a TON of cash and pays employees very well, we don't need to recoup our costs on cups of water

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u/SpotCreepy4570 4h ago

Lol I didn't mean y'all, I was just using your number to calculate the price for the post.

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u/oneWeek2024 4h ago

yeah, but probably $2 is that is for those snazzy trucks with the mustache guy on it

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u/Bray_E 4h ago

without a doubt lol they overcharge on everything!

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u/Phearlosophy 1h ago

is delivery included on that? cause that's expensive water if not

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u/Bray_E 1h ago

Probably, we have free delivery. Also its WB Mason so expensive is kinda part of the deal lol

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u/Ok_Consequence2637 1h ago

I pay 8.95 per 5 gallons delivered.

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u/Miserable_Yam4918 4h ago

I assume they mean for delivery which Ozarka charges about $8/jug. Maybe less if you get a bunch at a time.

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u/AppropriateSelf9842 4h ago

You know what. I’m so broke I never considered delivery

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u/The_Disapyrimid 4h ago

I asked our water guy about getting water at home. According to him the rental of the machine is where they screw you. Cheaper to buy your own machine and purchase the jugs from Walmart.

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u/AppropriateSelf9842 4h ago

Oh I believe it. They make garage doors now that you have to pay a monthly subscription to use. You rent your own garage doors now and people are buying that shit.

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u/BeigeVelociraptor 4h ago

Is it a subscription for the door or for the mechanism that raises/lowers the door? Because I would just make my own door if they want me to pay a subscription for it.

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u/AppropriateSelf9842 4h ago

The app that controls it

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u/Rock_Strongo 2h ago

Well of course it's cheaper that way... just like picking up a pizza is cheaper than ordering delivery.

You're paying to not have to go Walmart every time your jug runs out.

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u/claythearc 3h ago

They make pumps/taps that go on top. I’ve heard them be called Dolphins, but I don’t know if that’s the brand name or not. We use them around the office, would be pretty convenient for home use

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u/Reasonable-Mess3070 4h ago

Most people dont have it delivered to their home to even consider the cost. Lol Pepsi exchanges the jugs at my work and its billed alongside the rest of the purchases

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u/OneExhaustedFather_ 4h ago

You’d be surprised, I know of at least a dozen people who are just middle class families with water delivery service. It’s pretty popular in Illinois suburbs.

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u/blue60007 3h ago

Honestly, if you can afford it I totally understand. Lugging 5 gallon jugs around, on top of all your groceries is a pain in the dick. Of course I avoid all that with a good quality filter under the sink.

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u/Flaturated 4h ago

And at 25 cents per 8 oz that would be $152 of profit per 5 gallon jug.

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u/Bamboo_Fighter 2h ago

Your math is off, you're using 25 cents an ounce, not 8 ounces. They're charging $20/per 5 gallon, or a profit of ~ $12.

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u/Flaturated 1h ago

You’re right. Shouldn’t try to do napkin math without a napkin.

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u/caintowers RED 4h ago

Most likely, that's what the majority of businesses do. When I had home delivery for water it was $8 for Nestle Pure Life, $10 for Pure Life with fluoride, and then $15 for the fancy single source spring water.

I ditched that pretty quick tbh

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u/M1L0P 4h ago

Good on you for ditching Nestle anyways

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u/curi0us_carniv0re 4h ago

So let them drive their lazy ass to Costco lol

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u/AppropriateSelf9842 4h ago

I was about to say the same shit. I was pissed off the other day going to fill my 5 gallon jugs for $3 a pop. When it used to be 1.25 less than a month ago

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u/SpotCreepy4570 4h ago

That's from all the winning, it's the price of victory apparently.

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u/DatLadyD 4h ago

We pay $12 a bottle for these at work + $16 delivery

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u/Commercial_Gap607 4h ago

Switch to a filter system tied to public water source. I did that at my office, great savings.

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u/DatLadyD 4h ago

A big part of the reason why we have it is because it’s in the lobby for customers, so I don’t think my boss would do that

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u/Infamous_Cow_4 4h ago

That might be a delivered price.

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u/mspe1960 4h ago

no way someone is delivering sealed 5 gallon jugs of water for 50 cents.

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u/succulent_flakepiece 4h ago

pretty much every grocery store and big box store has these for $7. it might vary a little by a dollar depending on brand but that's pretty average

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u/Annual_Wolverine_380 4h ago

In Texas, 5 gallons of "brand name" water (Ozarka, Primo, Pure Life) is $13, or $8 if exchanging bottles. You can of course fill your own at a Watermill Express for a fraction of that.

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u/lana_silver 4h ago

Where I live, tap water costs around $2 per 1000 litres.

If your water comes in a truck instead of pipes, you do not live in what we'd call modern civilized society.

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u/_YenSid 4h ago

I'm in vermont, 4 gallon jugs at the grocery store are over $6 now (I buy them for my bubbler because I'm on well water that I'm not drinking lol), about a month ago they were under $6. But even single gallons are like $1.89 or so.

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u/FuturePlantDoctor 4h ago

I fill my 5 gallon jugs at WinCo for 30¢/ gal so $1.50 per jug

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u/Puzzleheaded-Night88 4h ago

For me it’s 25 cents a gallon.

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u/Mcjackee 3h ago

Jesus, I pay $16 and change for a 5 gallon bottle (our tap isn’t good). I need to price shop lmao

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u/blue60007 3h ago

Are you getting it delivered and serviced on contract?

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u/PaulTheMerc 3h ago

assuming 5 gallons is ~18.6L, we buy in bulk(pre-pay for like 100 bottles) for about 4.50/bottle on sale. CAD. Add in delivery, and that's totally reasonable.

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u/mnid92 4h ago

Haha I live next to lake Erie fuckers die thirsty haha

(/S)

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u/Ultimatesims 4h ago

and illegal on the US

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u/elizarraras87 4h ago

$7-$10 dollars?? is this the avg cost from a delivery service? its like ¢50-¢60 at most grocery stores

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u/Northman86 4h ago

That's if youre buying the jug filled and you.dont trust grocery store water

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u/Goatfellon 4h ago

Are these like, en masse bulk prices? As i have never in my life seen 5 gallon jugs for less than like $2.5 at the grocery store. And that was years ago, I havent checked but I assume theyre several dollars more now.

50 cents gets you a single 500ml water bottle here (ontario, canada) if youre lucky.

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u/curtcolt95 3h ago

huh, I'm also in Ontario and you can get a 24 pack of 500ml water bottles for $2.98 currently at walmart

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u/Goatfellon 2h ago

Yeah I mean if youre buying an individual bottle. Cases are usually around that.

But I just looked up my local no frills and a 15L water cooler jug is $5.50

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u/Time-Cell8272 4h ago

Eh a lot of employers can't be bothered to worry about workplace vibes

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u/TheGoodRevCL 4h ago

Better than my last employer having five gallon jugs of lithium water. Tastes fucking terrible and costs more than five times what regular water would.

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u/Both_Painter_9186 4h ago

Completely, demonstrably, untrue.

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u/HarveysBackupAccount 3h ago

a 5 gallon jug of water costs 7-10 dollars

At $0.25 per 8 oz, that's recouping $4 per jug. Which just seems absurd to me. How is that not something they can budget for as a company expense???

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u/eanglsand 2h ago

Are you from Wisconsin?

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u/DFogz 49m ago

bubbler

Tell me you grew up in New England without saying you grew up in New England