Los Angeles Energy Drink Journey 2017

Energy Drink Trends in the U.S. in the First Half of 2017

Here are some key highlights for energy drinks in the U.S. in the first half of 2017:

• New summer editions released
• Red Bull Sugar-Free released in two variations
• Monster Energy Ultra Violet released
• Rockstar Hardcore released
• Rockstar Moheat released
• Rockstar ReVolt in two variations released
• Monster Mutant released

Recently, even with new products coming out, they haven’t been heavily promoted in stores, so I was curious about how things were going this year.

In addition to these, there were also Hydro, new Mutants, and new Full Throttle designs popping up here and there across the U.S., so I wanted to see if any of them had made it to LA. I decided to visit quite a few stores to check.

Exploring the Local Beaches

This time, I stayed in an area near the beach cities on the west side of Los Angeles. I got to enjoy the local vibe of a less touristy beach, different from Santa Monica, and it was a relaxing experience (●´ω｀●)

Although there weren’t many stores along the beach, I found a shop near the beach that was a bit overpriced, just because of its convenient location. They had the old NOS 24oz twist-top cans, which I also saw in other stores, but they seem to be slowly disappearing. I thought I should have bought a few, but the sealing is a bit questionable, so packing multiple cans in a suitcase was quite difficult (laughs).

Then, I headed to the inland area for the main hunt... I visited countless stores of all sizes.

I was hoping to see how the new releases were doing, but the summer edition that had just been released was displayed normally without much fanfare. There were no big displays like the old days when new products were released. It felt a bit sad... I just picked up the new products and the necessary Red Bulls and added them to my cart in a calm manner (laughs).

The "God Seven" became even more amazing

By the way, it seems like the "God Seven" introduced a smaller basket, making it much easier to buy them! ((o(´∀｀)o))
It used to be such a hassle to buy 10 or 20 cans separately... but now, shopping should be much easier.

There were lots of set purchase discounts, so I filled my basket with Hardcore, Organic Strawberry, ReVolt varieties, and other Rockstar products. I was able to buy about 20 cans right after arriving. Using discounts like 2 cans for $3 for Rockstar and around $5 for 3 cans of Monster, Kickstart, and NOS, I managed to save quite a bit (๑´ڡ`๑).

The reason I was able to buy so much was because there were many new releases, and all of them were concentrated in one store. Even at other stores, almost all the new products were available, so I could find everything at almost any store. In the end, I was able to buy everything at minimum price from about three stores.

I feel like I got a bit lazy this time (laughs). It was the least challenging hunt I’ve ever had (laughs).

The Most Fun Part Was Definitely AMPM

Among the new releases this season, Rockstar Moheat, available exclusively at AMPM, was the most heavily promoted. They always push limited edition products, so it’s always fun for me to shop there.

Every store had their own dedicated cooler out for these products. AMPM is a must-visit store for energy drink hunting in the U.S., but unfortunately, they don’t accept cards. So, I always walk into the store thinking, “Please don’t let any hidden gems show up that aren’t limited edition…” (laughs).

By the end of the first day, I felt like I had completed the hunt... As of May 2017, in Los Angeles, the Jamaican Coolers were available at all stores, Organic Strawberry was available (even though I hadn’t seen it much online, I thought it was exclusive to stores like AMPM), NOS Rowdy was available everywhere, and Rockstar’s new designs were almost everywhere as well.

Also, I felt that fewer old products were left, and new releases were spreading rapidly.

Exploring Inglewood

On the second day, I went as far as Inglewood. The goal was to hunt for energy drinks and try the famous Randy’s Donuts. However, this area is one that most people are told to avoid. It’s quite a famous story that a Japanese person had an incident at the Yoshinoya in Inglewood. If you're curious, you can Google it.

When I walked around, I noticed that the area has become much safer, but there were still some groups and places that felt unsafe, so it’s best not to walk around in those spots.

There weren’t any old products in the dangerous areas, and in fact, the new releases were evenly spread throughout. Interestingly, I felt like there were more drugstores picking up various new Red Bull products around here (；・∀・).

Considering my previous hunting experiences, I didn’t expect to find any rare items... but as expected, the selection was as I imagined, and I felt relieved that I had confirmed it myself. Going in person often gives me more peace of mind, and the whole experience is fun—not just for energy drinks but for discovering and enjoying other things as well (●´ω｀●).

Finding hard-to-get products still relies on luck (laughs).

Found a Store Like an Energy Drink Specialist

I always make time for solo hunts in areas where there are few people after dark, around sunset. I usually walk super fast—racewalking, basically (laughs).

Although I didn’t find any rare products during this night hunt, I stumbled upon an amazing store when I was about to head home. I couldn’t take any photos, but I had a video, so I cut it out.

The stock of energy drinks in this store was the largest I’ve seen in relation to the store size. In addition to the display right in front of the entrance, there were several refrigerators dedicated to energy drinks.

I spent over 30 minutes carefully searching through the fridges and stacks, but I only found Rockstar’s original Recovery, second-generation Roasted, Ex-Durance, original Rehab Green Tea, and old Muscle Monster, among others. I already had the Drin-kun, so I didn’t buy it this time.

By the way, Red Bull had a huge stack of cases that weren’t in the cooler with the 2-year-old game designs.

They also had a ton of new arrivals, so I wonder if the owner just liked the products or if they were selling fast (laughs). I even found a VENOM can design I hadn’t seen before! However, it was $1.99, double the regular price, so I decided to skip it. I didn’t want to add more stuff to my luggage, and $2 seemed too high (laughs). I’ll probably be able to get it next time.

I couldn’t stop to take a photo, but I managed to grab a shot from a video. As I was walking through the dark, I came across a Chinese-owned store just before closing time, and I decided to go in.

To my surprise, they had the entire collection of Spider drinks! I grabbed all 8 varieties. They were priced at 2 for $2.5, which was pretty cheap. I’m glad I didn’t buy the VENOM earlier (´∀｀*)。I felt like my decision at the time was right (laughs).

And for some reason, I didn’t take a video here Σ(´∀｀；).

On the last day, I went to search for new releases at some chain stores I hadn’t visited yet in LA, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything.

Instead, I was able to buy all of the new designs of Bang, the king of caffeine, in one go! It’s a brand that’s a bit of a hassle to collect all the designs, so I was happy to find them all (laughs).

All in all, a Pretty Enjoyable Local Area Trip

Despite staying for quite a while, it felt like I only ended up buying new products and other energy drinks, and compared to my previous trips, it was a much more relaxed shopping experience without any huge results.

But when I look back, I did get to eat fresh food at a beachside restaurant in a questionable hygiene area, enjoy a meal overlooking the beach at a refined, slightly expensive place, eat Japanese food for the first time in the U.S., and of course, enjoy Randy’s Donuts. It was a rather ordinary trip, but thinking back, I had quite a bit of fun ( ´∀｀)b.

There were many things I couldn’t write about here—things I ate, saw, and experienced. Traveling is always fun, not just for energy drinks (●´ω｀●).

Next time, I’ll be in another country, in about a month!ヽ(=´▽`=)ﾉ