Abstract
Two hundred customers were purposively selected from two study areas (market, residence) in Addis Ababa to assess customer's behavior and perception towards packaged water. The sampling and data collection process of the study followed systematic analysis of Theory Planned Behavior. The average monthly income of respondents of this study lay between 5000 ($175) and 10000 ($350) Eth Birr. The primary customer information sources were television and radio. Residence place customers were more concerned about health as compared to market place customers. Market place customers primarily gave emphasis to the price of packaged water. Almost all (97%) customers were not sentient to packaged water standards. However, only few, 86 (43%), customers checked labeled chemical composition, of which 74 (85%) did not understand it. Customer's sex, education level, and health status showed significant relationship with choice of packaged water quality, -1.42 (p < 0.05); price, -2.45 (p < 0.01); and health status, -1.80 (p < 0.05) in market place and residence place, respectively. Customers were not well aware of what they were purchasing and even customer's ability to read was not related to customer's ability to understand what was written in the labels. Customers' choice of packaged drinking water has been challenged by their health status. Customers are becoming more concerned about prices while they are out of their residence place.