So I had to download and read-to-summarize an annual report for my accounting class, and I figured just for kicks I'd grab Anheuser-Busch's. After all, you know it's got to be a perfect example of a healthy income statement; what better industry to be in?
And although I prefer Rolling Rock, A-B's got to be about at the top of the food chain. Well I was right; in the year 2000 these guys sold over 14 billion dollars worth of beer, and they made about a billion in net income. That wasn't what really interested me though. The real gem of a fact was sales volume. 98.3 million barrels of beer in the U.S., about 120 million worldwide. Now at first you'll think, wow, that's a hell of a lot of beer. But before you chew on that, chew on this: There are over 300 million people in America. Now I know this is bad math, considering that people under the age of five generally don't drink, but let's just average it out: that's less than a third of a barrel per person, per year. Granted, that's only Anheuser-Busch beers, but still, come on! A third of a barrel?! For Christ's sake, here at CFdC we drink about that much on a school night. The only explanation is that someone's been slacking off. I'm not naming any names, but I saw some of you this past weekend, and there were times when you didn't have a cup in your hand. Let's get with the program people! Bring those numbers up!
And although I prefer Rolling Rock, A-B's got to be about at the top of the food chain. Well I was right; in the year 2000 these guys sold over 14 billion dollars worth of beer, and they made about a billion in net income. That wasn't what really interested me though. The real gem of a fact was sales volume. 98.3 million barrels of beer in the U.S., about 120 million worldwide. Now at first you'll think, wow, that's a hell of a lot of beer. But before you chew on that, chew on this: There are over 300 million people in America. Now I know this is bad math, considering that people under the age of five generally don't drink, but let's just average it out: that's less than a third of a barrel per person, per year. Granted, that's only Anheuser-Busch beers, but still, come on! A third of a barrel?! For Christ's sake, here at CFdC we drink about that much on a school night. The only explanation is that someone's been slacking off. I'm not naming any names, but I saw some of you this past weekend, and there were times when you didn't have a cup in your hand. Let's get with the program people! Bring those numbers up!
