New Yorkers across the five boroughs say they’ve been unable to find Diet Coke through their usual grocery delivery services, with complaints piling up against Amazon Fresh, Fresh Direct, Costco and Target.
On the Upper East Side, a resident asked neighbors whether anyone else had struggled to order Diet Coke cans for nearly a month. One neighbor replied that their household had “declared an emergency” over the missing soda.
Similar complaints surfaced in Brooklyn, Harlem, Queens and Long Island. One Amazon Fresh customer in Brooklyn said they hadn’t seen any Coke products in stock since Aug. 5. Another Brooklyn shopper said a local Costco had also run out.
“They can cut off the gas, they can cut off the diesel, but if they cut off the Diet Coke there will finally be revolution,” one commenter wrote.
A search on Fresh Direct and Amazon Fresh does show Diet Coke cans available for purchase, raising questions about how widespread and consistent the shortage actually is.
The reported gaps are notable given how popular the drink remains. Coca-Cola brought in nearly $48 billion in revenue last year, and Diet Coke is counted among its 30 “billion-dollar brands,” though the company doesn’t break out Diet Coke sales on its own. Global volume for Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Light rose 7% in the second quarter of this year, with growth in North America and the Asia Pacific region.
Some customers online have suggested the missing inventory may stem from a business issue rather than an actual product shortage — pointing to possible contract, invoice or account problems between Amazon and Coca-Cola. One commenter, who said they work at an Amazon Fresh facility, claimed the warehouse had been getting Pepsi shipments but not Coke, which fed speculation that the issue could be specific to Amazon rather than a citywide supply problem. These claims have not been independently verified.
The reports come during a year in which Diet Coke supplies have faced real disruption elsewhere. In India, where Diet Coke is sold only in cans, the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict disrupted the aluminum supply chain running through the Strait of Hormuz, leading to shortages this spring. The scarcity got bad enough that restaurants and influencers in New Delhi and Mumbai held “Diet Coke parties” where fans gathered around the increasingly rare cans.
Coca-Cola has acknowledged more broadly that aluminum and ingredient shortages can occasionally affect Diet Coke availability. There is no evidence connecting the overseas disruption to what New Yorkers are currently experiencing.
Coca-Cola, Amazon and Fresh Direct did not respond to requests for comment.
