Action News Jax Investigates: Uneven beer prices at Jaguars games

An Action News Jax investigation uncovers you're paying more, but not getting much more when you buy a cold one at Jacksonville’s EverBank Field.

This weekend, fans will line up at the concession stands as the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Houston Texans.

Action News Jax’s Phil Amato found that shelling out more cash for a larger cup may be a waste of your hard-earned money.

It's either regular or large at the concession stands at EverBank Field.

Phil Amato: “Which do you think out of the two cups is a better deal, value-wise?”

Football fan Keith Glenn: “You gotta buy the big cup!”

The menus don't tell you how much you're getting but we found out from the manufacturer markings on the bottom of the cups.

For Budweiser or Bud Light, you'll spend $10 for a large 21-ounce cup. The regular costs $7 for 16 ounces.

When you do the math, you're paying 50 cents an ounce for a large but only about 44 cents an ounce for a regular.

Phil Amato: “You're paying about 6 cents per ounce more for the large cup than you are for the regular.

Keith Glenn: “Which is not how it works anywhere else in America.”

Let’s put it in perspective. If you buy one large beer at each of the seven home games, you'll have spent $70 for 140 ounces.

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Spend the same amount on regular-sized beer, you actually get more for your money: 160 ounces. That means by paying more you're actually getting less.

“Ok, yeah that's a difference. That might change my spending habits right there,” said football fan Cecil Bailey.

And one more thing to consider: When you fill up a regular cup with 16 ounces, there's still room to spare. When you fill a large cup, you'd have to go almost to the very top to get the full 20 ounces. Factor in the foam, and you're likely getting even less then what you paid for.

Phil Amato: “So is that going to change your buying habits next time you go?”

Keith Glenn: “Absolutely. It's just good consumerism.”

The Jaguars sent Action News Jax the following statement:

“The Jaguars take seriously the total cost to fans and families, and a trip to a Jaguars game is the least expensive in the league. Our #1 best seller by far is our 16-ounce beer, and only one team in the NFL has 16-ounce beer pricing lower than ours.  We offer the 20-ounce serving to give fans a volume option, as not all fans want to consume multiple 16-ounce servings. The pricing is market-driven and takes into consideration the total out-of-pocket cost to our fans, not an implied price per ounce.”

Cox Media Group