We swear, they didn't pay us.

我們發誓，他們沒給我們半毛錢。

It's also a bizarre economics aberration.

它也是個經濟失常的例子。

From 1886 to the 1950s — through continued industrialization, several wars involving the U.S., and prohibition — a Coca-Cola cost 5 cents, and frankly, that is really weird.

縱使經歷了工業化、國內多起戰亂及禁酒運動，可口可樂的價格從 1886 年到 1950 年代始終保持 5 分錢，說實在這蠻詭異的。

Ask any economics expert and they'll tell you, "Prices usually change over time."

無論問哪個經濟學專家，他們肯定會說，「價格通常隨時間變化。」

So how did Coke keep their price the same for so long?

所以可樂是如何凍漲那麼久的？

Well, it has to do with two lawyers from Chattanooga.

說來這都和兩個來自查塔努加的律師有關。

In 1899, those lawyers pay a visit to the president of Coca-Cola, a guy named Asa Candler.

在 1899 年，這兩位律師前去拜訪可口可樂的總裁阿薩．坎德勒。

And they tell him, "We're interested in this new thing."

他們和他說，「我們對這新玩意有興趣。」

"Selling drinks in bottles."

「用瓶子賣飲料。」

They want to buy the bottling rights.

他們想買下可樂裝瓶販售權。

The way the story goes is Candler just said, "You're out of your mind, it's not going to work. Coke is a soda fountain business."

接著坎德勒就說，「你瘋啦，那不會成的。可樂是冷飲機產業。」(當時可樂都是從飲料機接出來喝。)

And they said, "Well, look, you know. Give us the rights anyway."

然後他們說，「哎，反正，賣我們瓶裝販售權就是。」

And, so, he said, "Yeah, OK, I'll sell you the syrup at, uhh, 90 cents a gallon."

所以他說，「好吧，我可樂糖漿賣你，呃，一加侖 90 分錢。」(一加侖約 3.7 公升。)

In agreeing to do that, Candler did something that companies never do.

作為協議一部分，坎德勒做了件公司絕不會做的事。

He agreed to sell his product, the syrup, to bottlers for a fixed price forever.

他同意將他的商品，可樂糖漿，以一個永遠固定的價格賣給瓶裝販售業者。

The contract had no end date.

合約無終止日。

Now, this was about to be a problem for the Coca-Cola company because now any increase in price down at the corner store, that doesn't help them.

這對可口可樂公司來說會是個麻煩，因為即使販售價格提升，也不會提升他們的利潤。

The profit goes to the bottlers and the retailers.

利潤都去到瓶裝業者和零售商了。

In fact, if they raise the price, it hurts Coke.

事實上，他們要是提升價格，反倒會傷到可口可樂。

If Coke goes up to a dime, fewer people are going to buy Coke, and Coke sells less syrup.

如果價格提升，就比較少人會買可樂，可樂銷售額就會減少。

So, if you're Coca-Cola, you want somehow to keep the price down at 5 cents.

所以，要是你是可口可樂老闆，你希望能將價格維持在 5 分錢。

What do you do?

你會怎麼做？

Well, one thing you do is you blanket the entire country with ads for 5-cent Coke.

一個辦法是，你用「可樂 5 分錢」的廣告席捲全國。

This was like, so clutch.

這真的是急中生智。

Coca-Cola is taking control of pricing away from the bottlers and the corner stores and anyone selling a bottle of Coke for more than 5 cents was just going to look like a jerk.

可口可樂從瓶裝業者和零售商手中奪回標價權，任何把可樂買高於 5 分錢的人都會看起來像混蛋。

Coca-Cola was finally able to renegotiate their contract with the bottlers in 1921, and they might have changed the price then, but they couldn't.

到了 1921 年，可口可樂終於能夠和瓶裝業者重新協約，看來是可以調整價格的時候了，但並非如此。

They were trapped.

他們被困住了。

Coca-Cola said early on, "A Coke costs a nickel."

可口可樂之前自己就說了，「一瓶可樂 5 分錢。」

It put it on billboards and ads and painted it on buildings, and people got used to it.

他們將這句話放到廣告看板、電視廣告，還漆在建築上，人們都已經習慣這個價格了。

It felt like a promise.

那感覺就像個承諾。

In a way, all prices kind of feel like a promise.

就某方面而言，所有的價格都像是某種承諾。

Once we see a price on something we have this feeling that it's some innate property of the thing.

一旦我們看到某物被標上一個價格，我們就會感覺那是它的固有特質。

That it shouldn't change.

感覺那是不會變的。

And so the ads that Coke had run so prominently ended up trapping them.

所以可樂先前做得洋洋灑灑的那些廣告，到頭來卻成了枷鎖。

The thing that finally undid the nickel Coke was inflation.

最終是通貨膨脹將可樂從 5 分錢魔咒解救出來。

The price of ingredients started to go up.

原料的價格開始提高。

But to this day, people feel very strongly about a fixed price for Coke.

但直到今日，人們對可樂的固定價格有很強烈的既定印象。

Back in 1999, the CEO suggested charging more for vending machine Coke on hot days and was met with widespread outrage.

在 1999 年，可口可樂執行長曾提議販賣機的可樂在大熱天應該賣比較貴，結果引來眾怒。

Whether it's a nickel or a dollar, people have a way of getting used to their prices.

無論是 5 分錢還是 1 塊錢，人們終有辦法習慣可口可樂的價格。