Published: February 04, 2008 10:25 pm      

TONAWANDAS: Stealing energy

Sales and heart rates aren’t all that’s rising when it comes to the energy drink market.

As sales continue to climb, so too does the number of people stealing the beverages from supermarkets and convenience stores.

At around $3 for a 12-ounce can and $8 for a four-pack, Red Bull can be a rather expensive purchase for some, especially teens. And with a market saturated with hundreds of brand options to choose from — Red Bull, Rock Star, Monster and Full Throttle are among the most popular — store shelves are packed with these pick-me-ups.

The amount of caffeine in energy drinks varies, with Red Bull containing 80 milligrams, which is similar to a cup of coffee. Other brands, however, have three times that amount. That has prompted one member of the Kentucky State Legislature to propose a law banning the sale of energy drinks to minors.

While a 12-pack of pop costs a couple bucks, most energy drinks cost twice as much for a four-pack. Jolt Ultra retails for around $6.50 while Mountain Dew’s Amp sells for about $8 for four 16-ounce cans. A four-pack of 8.3 ounce cans of SoBe’s Adrenaline Rush costs about $8.

Supermarkets and convenience stores throughout the Tonawandas are well aware of the premium placed on these beverages. Budwey’s Supermarkets owner Frank Budwey said managers in his stores see people trying to steal energy drinks on a daily basis.

“It’s mostly young kids,” Budwey said.

Many of these drinks come in sleek cans that make them easy to hide, but some people will simply load up their shopping cart and try to exit the store, Budwey said. “They go to sell it to corner stores because they know it’s a hot item.”

In most cases, the thief gets slapped with petit larceny charges. But one of the more unusual incidents came just a few weeks ago, when a Chicago-area man received a 24-year prison sentence for the armed robbery and hijacking of two trucks filled with hundreds of cases of Red Bull.

After enjoying several years of explosive growth, the energy drink market appears to be slowing, although that is a bit misleading. Sales of energy drinks in 2007 were 34 percent higher than the previous year, a marked difference from earlier increases of 54 and even 80 percent, according to Beverage Industry magazine.

Still, the top 10 energy drinks alone raked in $743 million in 2007. Overall, the industry’s sales hover around $3.5 billion. However, such high demand — Americans slugged down 227 million gallons of energy drinks in 2006 — seems to have given wings to people who crave energy drinks but don’t care to pay for them.

City of Tonawanda Police Lt. Fredric Foels said he’s noticed that an increasing number of people are trying to steal energy drinks, with Tops Markets and Wilson Farms stores among recent places that have caught such thieves. Within the past week, an 18-year-old City of Tonawanda man was charged with stealing from Wilson Farms a can of Sparks, an alcoholic energy drink, and a North Tonawanda teen was charged with taking a can of Red Bull from the Tops on Meadow Drive.

“All of a sudden, bam! We’re getting hit with them,” Foels said. “It’s easily concealable. You grab one and slip it in your pocket.”

Energy drinks are a popular pick-me-up for people who work long hours, or have to work early in the morning or late at night. Some people mix the drinks with alcohol to achieve a buzz without getting sleepy.

To combat the theft problem, Budwey said his stores have relocated some of their special energy drink displays, making them less accessible to would-be shoplifters.

Contact reporter David J. Hill at 693-1000, ext. 115.