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Surprisingly Effective Gauge of America's Mood: Ice Sales
Newser • • business
Key Points:
- Texas Monthly senior writer Lauren Larson highlights how sales of Reddy Ice, a Dallas-based bagged-ice giant, reflect American social behaviors and economic moods, with spikes during gatherings and drops during downturns or crises.
- The article chronicles Reddy Ice's evolution from a local icehouse trade into a vast network supporting not only consumer needs but critical infrastructure like highways, hospitals, and disaster zones, relying on surprisingly low-tech methods.
- A significant innovation in the 1990s was the "in-store ice bagger," developed by Jim Stuart's Packaged Ice company, which later acquired Reddy Ice, revolutionizing the bagged ice industry.
- Larson also explores ice safety, noting that while large producers are regulated, many store-made ice cubes lack oversight, with studies finding bacteria in about one-third of such ice samples.
- The story offers insights into why Reddy Ice remains resistant to acquisition by companies like Amazon, underscoring its unique market position and operational model.
