The Price Rise Scam — And the Company That Refused to Play Along with Scamtology

We’ve all heard it: “Due to rising input costs…”

Energy pressures. Supply chain disruption. Inflation. Commodity spikes. Labour shortages.

Some of those pressures are real. But what’s also real is this: many companies use these moments as cover. Prices go up quickly when costs rise, yet rarely come back down when pressures ease. It becomes less about survival… and more about margin expansion.

In 2023, the International Monetary Fund acknowledged that rising corporate profits contributed to inflationary pressures in parts of Europe¹. 

Consumer watchdog Which? has highlighted “shrinkflation” in UK supermarkets, where products quietly get smaller while prices stay the same or rise². 

Grocery pricing practices have drawn regulatory attention from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission as we showed you recently.

The pattern is familiar: market power meets opportunity and the consumer pays. But here’s the part that rarely gets discussed. It doesn’t have to be this way.

The 99-Cent Rebellion

In today’s video we show how one beverage company has kept the price of its 23-ounce canned drink at 99 cents since 1992!! To put this into context, they have been through recessions, commodity spikes, global supply shocks and the credit crisis of 2008. While competitors steadily pushed prices upward, this company publicly committed to affordability.

That company is AriZona Beverages.

Rather than citing “market pressures” as justification for higher prices, AriZona focused on operational efficiency:

• Faster production lines
• Thinner cans to reduce aluminium costs
• Shipping closer to demand centres
• Streamlined logistics

The company’s leadership has said they see consumers as allies, particularly those struggling financially and believe price stability builds trust. Instead of maximising short-term shareholder returns, they prioritised long-term brand loyalty and win/win principles. A rare anti-scam within Scamtopia!

And that loyalty has become a natural competitive advantage. While other brands quietly raised prices, AriZona’s 99-cent beverage became a symbol, not just of affordability but of restraint. When so many others are scamming you, someone with integrity and respect stands out by a thousand miles.

Power vs Responsibility

Large corporations often argue price increases are unavoidable. Yet when a company demonstrates that discipline and efficiency can protect consumers, it challenges that Scamtology-narrative.

Many firms are under pressure to keep shareholders satisfied. Quarterly earnings calls with analysts from banks that purchase their stock also reward growth and CEO pay packages but lead to a short term focus on immediate profits rather than longer term sustainable growth. Investors expect expanding margins. When inflation hits, it becomes an opportunity not just to recover costs but to increase profit margins.

Consumers, meanwhile, rarely have full transparency from the company. They trust the brand. They assume necessity. And in concentrated retail markets, switching options can be limited.

Examples like AriZona matter because they prove conscientiousness, care and respect from a company is a choice. Operational innovation can offset pressure. Companies can choose loyalty over opportunism. And here’s the irony: firms that protect consumers often benefit most in the long run. Why? Natural laws of integrity always stand up. Trust compounds. Word-of-mouth spreads. People realise when they could have been scammed, but they were not. That leaps out to them. In uncertain times, reliability becomes priceless.

Financial Scamming only Happens Because of Human Scamming

So at Lighthouse, while we often share situations where companies are scamming you, the consumer, we also want to highlight those that show what can be done when the leadership cares about their customers. Remember, being scammed financially on the bottom line is a consequence of someone wanting to scam others at the top line; i.e they see their customer as someone who is just a transaction and they view them through a win paradigm i.e the company only cares about their win and not their customer as a human being. However eventually the customer realises this and goes elsewhere so win becomes lose/lose for both parties. The greatest scams occur on a human level; violating the truth, abusing your trust, crushing your capacity to grow and create value. 

In the world of Scamtopia, where do you stand? Do you want to be a Scamtologist? Will you become one by default because you had a shallow foundation in your character? Are you selling out? Or will you take measured, responsible steps, to develop your character, grow your conscience, find your voice and renounce the cult of Scamtology?  

We would love to hear from you if there are any other companies that you have had a positive experience with or who have extended themselves to be honest with their customers.

References

1. International Monetary Fund (2023), Europe’s Inflation: Corporate Profits and Wages Played a Role ↩︎
2. Which? – Shrinkflation: products getting smaller while prices stay the same ↩︎

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