Would You Pay $10 for Yogurt?

Posted in At the Terminal, Domestic US, LAX

“That’ll be $9.76. Is that okay?”

That was exactly the question posed to me by the cashier at the La Provence Bakery at LAX’s Terminal 4. It was very early on a Sunday morning and I was hungry after rushing into an Uber without breakfast. I wanted something light before my flight to Louisville and a cup of yogurt was exactly what I was looking for. While you can get one at pretty much any concession outlet at the airport these days, it seemed like a bakery would somehow make the best one. Why? I have no idea. Just a gut feeling I had. Bakeries do breakfast right, don’t they?

The line was long at La Provence, but it moved quickly. As I got up to the register, I saw the yogurts sitting in a refrigerated case. Perfect, I thought. I grabbed one (it was Greek yogurt with fresh berries and organic granola on top, to be precise) and got up to the cashier where I was asked a question that I had never been asked before.

“That’ll be $9.76. Is that okay?

We all know that airport food costs quite a bit. It’s part of the game. In fact, I just wrote about the Airport Restaurant Pricing Scam over at The Points Guy. At LAX, the prices are supposed to be whatever you pay before security plus 18%. That means that my yogurt, already overpriced (IMHO) at $7.95 on the outside, came out to $9.76. That’s a lot for some yogurt, berries, and granola. I expected the high price, though. What I didn’t expect was an employee double-checking to make sure I was comfortable paying that price.

Is that okay?

Yes, I told her. I had a feeling we’d be getting close to ten bucks on the total. My inquisitive mind was spinning, though. Were there people that got to the front and completely balked at the price? I asked the cashier. She said that yes, actually, around half the people that bring the yogurt to the counter end up putting it back after they hear how much it costs. Wow. Fifty percent? That should tell you something as a business owner. If your price is so high that half the people who want your product end up changing their minds, you better start looking into what price point they’ll actually feel comfortable enough with to stick to their purchase. If your cashiers have to confirm that a price is acceptable to your customer before they follow through with a purchase, you know something is wrong.

So what’s an acceptable price for yogurt at the airport? I think I’d be fine paying $5 or $6 on the proverbial street for a nice yogurt parfait. At an airport… probably $7 or $7.50. How about you? What price would you pay for Greek yogurt with mixed berries and organic granola? Let’s crowdsource this thing. Tell me your price in the comments.

Photo:AttributionShare Alike Some rights reserved by Carl Black (Not the actual yogurt I consumed at the airport)

Comments

  1. It’s a rip off. It’s worth about $4 or $5 on the street so say $6 max inside security. It’s like saying a bottle of coke is worth $2 to $3 on the street so it’s OK that it’s $5 or $6 inside security. Ripoff.

  2. $10 – because there is clearly people that will pay.
    Personally I would not, as I would check price before getting to the till. If no price is displayed, I assume they price is so excessive they are afraid to show it, and would move on to another vendor.

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