Why Prime drinks are flying off the shelves at Black Country store for £6.99 each
Bottles of Prime are flying off the shelves at a Black Country shop with customers shelling out £6.99 for each one.
The Prime Hydration drinks were launched at the start of last year by YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul – with the pair having a combined 63 million subscribers on YouTube.
H & Jodie's Nisa, in Shelfield, Walsall, which stocks imported American snacks and drinks has been serving the drinks to families from as far as London and other traders eager to get their hands on them.
Owner Amrit Singh says: "The bottles that we are selling have a different shape to what's being produced here.
"Parents have bought them as Christmas presents because the children have asked for it rather than other things. We import our stock and have been selling it for 12 months. Other traders and suppliers have been buying it from us and selling it for much higher sums on eBay and Amazon.
"We pay 28 per cent VAT plus eight per cent import duty which will push the price up.
"I think sales will fall through the floor in January as the novelty wears off."
Customers calling at the shop, in Spring Lane, include Zekiel Charles, aged 12, of Great Barr, whose dad bought him four bottles at £6.99 each. He says: "The drinks tastes really nice. I follow Logan Paul and KSI.
"My favourite flavours are Meta Moon, Orange and Tropical Punch. I've had loads. I've bought a bottle for £10 at a shop, yesterday I got 10 from Aldi at £1.99 each. It's worth it."
His dad Bilston gym owner Champ Charles, 42, says: "I'm quite happy paying £6.99 for it. My parents were first generation Caribbean and they'd give us the best of what they could afford. I like to do the same for my own kids as I don't want them to miss out.
"We thought we'd stop here on our way home to get some."
Arvin Rashid, also 12, of London, arrived with his parents to shop for Prime after spotting the store on social media and says: "We're staying in Birmingham and we checked online to see where we can get Prime. We found this place. I was waiting for one month before I could try them because they weren't available.
"My five favourite flavours are Meta Moon, Orange, Blue, Tropical Punch, Orange, Ice Pop. Orange is my favourite. I've got Grape and Green left to try."
Videos on social media show Aldi stores selling out of the drink within minutes of opening, with some people even documenting the queuing before hand. The viral drink has caused hysteria among teenagers trying to get a hold of the bottles, which retails at £1.99, but has been seen in convenience stores reselling for as much as £20, and even seen on eBay listings for £50 per bottle.
