Needless to say, Coke and other soda companies also spend enormous sums on advertising for the exact purpose of creating the cravings they intend to satisfy. It’s a bit like that Homer Simpson quote about alcohol being "the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.”

My dad and his wife are going nuts on musicals and theater. Like every weekend. They seem to dig it, so good for them.

I don’t get this response, at all. You’re “horrified” and “shaken to your core” by a comment about a tiny price quibble? Why? Do you believe in your product or not? Sell it to the people who want to buy it at your price point, and ignore everybody who doesn’t want it. Non-buyers are irrelevant, except perhaps as data.