Interesting to see all these responses. I've always felt this business was...or at least could sometimes be....something of a scam.
Here's a quote from a business associate in the South some years back....the owner of a franchise for one of "the big two" cola companies.
"I couldn't wait to get into the bottled water business. I love it! You don't have to make anything! You get your product from a hole in the ground! Then you sell it for as much or more than the stuff you have to make!"