Fans of Tropicana orange juice are rebelling against smaller bottles as the recession deepens

Fans of Tropicana orange juice are excited about the brand’s latest redesign, which replaces the carafe-like plastic bottle look with a smaller, traditional-looking container that reduces portion size by 6 ounces. However, customers say that although the size has decreased, the prices have not.

Tropicana said on its website that it has lowered the manufacturer’s suggested retail price from $4.69 to $3.99, but, “It is possible that temporarily, retailers have not adjusted their shelf prices while moving from our old packaging to the new.”

However, some customers aren’t buying the excuse, and are accusing Tropicana of overcharging for less—aka, skimming. (One disgruntled OJ drinker chimed in with X, “Midnight Musics. Not a fan of the redesign of the Tropicana Orange Juice Bottle. Same price but went from 52 ounces to 46 ounces.”)

Another thing customers don’t buy is Tropicana Orange Juice. The bottles have been sitting on supermarket shelves since the summer rebrand, with sales down 10.9% in August, and down 19% in October, according to market research firm Circa as reported by CNN.

In addition to revamping the multi-use bottles, Tropicana also reduced the size of its single-use bottles, from 12 to 11 ounces. However, the price of this bottle remains the same.

“The consumer is always at the center of decision-making,” Tropicana said in a statement on its website. “As a result, we’ve redesigned our bottles to directly address their concerns regarding ease of opening, ease of handling, storage and the desire for less plastic, as well as offering more affordable juice options.”

It’s not the first time customers have revolted against a Tropicana reproduction. Fifteen years ago, fans protested when the maker of OJ redesigned the brand’s iconic orange logo (seen pierced by a red and white striped straw) and flipped it upside down. Customers hated that reproduction so much, Tropicana pulled the boxes from the shelves.

So, why all the changes and attempts to change the look and size of the Tropicana?

It could be the latest battle in the “orange juice wars,” as PepsiCo’s Tropicana brand tries to maintain its lead over Coca-Cola’s Simply brand. The rivalry is not unlike the cola wars that have kept the two companies competing for market share for more than a century.

In fact, the reason PepsiCo ditched Tropicana’s cardboard cartons for plastic carafes “was because they looked like a competitor to Coca-Cola’s Simply juice brand orange,” according to the report. The Wall Street Journal.

In 2023, PepsiCo’s Tropicana brand beat out Coca-Cola Simply in dollar sales of refrigerated orange juice, according to Statista, but not by much ($969.1 million versus $887.2 million).