Originally posted by fusion:
The companies like to have the two different sizes (16.9 and 20) to keep multipacks from being broken up and sold as singles (although that does still happen).

When I was working as a courtesy clerk at The Fresh Market, one of the evening jobs we had to do was restock the cold drink case. Well, the new guys (yeah, guys I was the only chick courtesy clerk) if they couldn't find the 20 oz Diet Cokes, they'd rip open the 16.9 six packs and put them on the shelves and they'd end up ringing up at $4.00 for one bottle of soda. And I'd have to end up taking all the 16.9's out of the case, and putting them in the back as "damaged grocery items".

I was told that part of the issue with the Lipton/Trop 12 packs is a bottle shortage.. this is also affecting Aquafina business as well.

Around here, the 12 packs as well as most of the Aquafina is produced in Wytheville VA (code NR).