juice sales continue to slide despite falling retail prices, which normally gives sales a boost. But for the recent four-week sales period ending Nov. 23, total OJ sales declined nearly 8 percent compared to the same period last year despite a 1 percent decline in the average price to $6.17 per gallon, said Matt Salois, director of economic and market research at the Florida Department of Citrus.Some of that decline may stem from the fact the comparable sales period last year included the Thanksgiving holiday while the current survey does not, Salois told the Florida Citrus Commission, the department's governing body, on Wednesday.
Sales fell in all categories with not-from-concentrate OJ, the most popular kind, down 6.6 percent, and reconstituted OJ down 8 percent, he said. For the season that began in October, sales have declined 6.7 percent compared to the same point in the 2012-13 season despite an average 0.6 percent decline in price, Salois reported.
"We tend to think consumers look at more recent price changes," Salois said. "Even though prices are lower than last season, they're still at very high levels."
OJ prices may have reached the breaking point for many consumers, Salois said.
