10 Outrageous Markups You’d Never Guess You Were Paying
Updated: Mar. 16, 2022Sticker shocker: You might not think much about how products are priced, but we did the math to calculate how much you're spending.
1. Text messages: 6,000% markup
Phone users commonly pay 10 cents per text message, but sending the message only costs the carrier a sixth of a cent. If the phone company applied text-message mark-up to a short phone call, you’d pay $120 for the call.
2. Movie theater popcorn: 1,275% markup
Theaters know that viewers will pay more for movie snacks, so they hike the prices up: A bag of popcorn that costs 37 cents to make can easily sell for $5. One man in Michigan found the price so outrageous that he’s suing his local theater.
3. Brand-name drugs: 200 to 3,000% markup
You may feel more comfortable buying brand-name medicines, but know what you’re paying for: A bottle of Advil may run for $10, compared to just $2 for generic painkillers that are just as effective.
4. Coffee on the go: 300% markup.
A $2 cup made by a barista would cost just 50 cents to brew at home. Afford all the lattes you want with the highest-paying jobs in every state.
6. Bottled water: 4000% markup
A $2 water bottle costs the manufacturer only about 5 cents to make.
