Don’t Like - Ice Cream Economics

Someone could win the Nobel Prize in Economics for developing a parsimonious theory of how the average American makes rational purchasing decisions in the ice cream aisle of their local supermarket. Today, I’ll try to be that someone. The ice cream aisle is a fascinating case study in human engagement with a market. More than any other aisle, the ice cream presents a stunning range of choices with a series of clear and simple, yet complex purchasing decision factors. To start, you have to ask yourself how much ice cream you want to get. Sizes range from a less than a pint to more than a gallon but then quality varies tremendously. This is where where panoply of options can be overwhelming because all ice cream is not created equal. A la mode of that, ice cream makers tend to make at least 5 - 10 flavors with a variety of options including, dairy free, yogurt based, and special gimmick flavors. One of the biggest choices to make is whether you want to east simple ice cream à la Haagen Dazs or chunk-filled ice cream à la Ben & Jerry’s. From there, you have more decisions to make. Without getting into specific flavors, you can next consider what kind of maker you want to go with. The choice splits quickly in to large manufacturers with no scruples, medium sized companies who balance quality with mass production, and small artisan craftsman who sometimes charge over $10 a pint. But which to choose? Well, that’s all on you the buyer, what kind of ice cream you like, how much you want to spend, what the occasion is, if you’re feeling like trying something new, if you’re trying to see who makes a certain flavor the best, how much ice cream you even want to have around, and any other number of factors. Ice cream is no joke. It’s an insane swirl of information that could drive anyone to the brink of insanity. But don’t worry, I’ll share my ice cream buying strategy with you. Here’s what to do: buy several pints of ice cream when they’re on sale—which happens every few weeks or so—and put them in the freezer for later. As a lover of simple ice cream who all too often feels that artisanal ice cream isn’t worth the cost, that mostly means I buy pints of Haagen Dazs because their coffee is the best. What you’ll buy is up to you.