After the pandemic turned the world upside‑down, prices surged on everything from gasoline to groceries. Even when supply‑chain drama faded, many companies kept their prices sky‑high while posting record profits. The result? A litany of outrage‑worthy markups that make us wonder why we keep paying so much for things that should be far cheaper. Below are the 10 rage inducing product markups you’ve probably paid for, each illustrated with a stark example.
10 Rage Inducing Mattress Markups Range From 40% To 900%
Retail grocery stores run on razor‑thin margins. Think about the whole journey of a lettuce leaf: growing, harvesting, hauling to the store, and finally sitting on a shelf. All those steps leave barely any room for profit, with grocery margins hovering around a modest 5%.
Contrast that with mattresses, which can carry a markup anywhere between a modest 40% and a jaw‑dropping 900% in extreme cases. The logic is simple: you replace a lettuce every week, but a mattress might last a decade or more. To stay afloat, mattress makers charge a premium, and a single outlet often needs to move only about 20 units a month to break even. Even if sales dip, being part of a larger chain cushions the blow.
9 Funeral Homes Can Markup Caskets As Much As 500%
The average American funeral with burial now tops nearly $8,000. One of the biggest hidden costs is the casket, where funeral homes can tack on markups ranging from 200% to 400% as standard, and in some premium cases, as much as five times the wholesale price. Elaborate models can easily climb past $25,000.
From 1986 to 2016, casket prices surged at more than twice the rate of all other commodities, far outpacing inflation and any genuine cost drivers. The monopoly‑like control funeral homes once held over casket supply still fuels these staggering price hikes.
8 Text Message Markup Is Staggeringly High
Most Americans (about 88% in 2015) enjoy unlimited texting, but carriers still charge $0.20 per text for those without a plan. Since it costs carriers roughly three‑tenths of a cent to deliver a single message, that translates to a massive 6,000% markup.
Even if only 12% of phones lack unlimited texting, that still represents roughly 38.4 million devices out of 320 million U.S. connections. With an average of 32 texts per day per device, carriers could be raking in about $245 million daily for a service that costs them virtually nothing to provide.
7 Printer Ink Has Huge Markups And Sells At Lower Volumes
Home printers are infamous for their temperamental nature, and the real cash cow is the ink. Manufacturers sell the printer hardware at a bargain, then charge premium prices for cartridges—a classic razor‑blade model.
Even when cartridges are physically identical, companies often shrink the ink volume while keeping the price steady, resulting in markups that can soar up to 300%.
6 HDMI Cables Have Massive Markups
On Amazon you’ll find HDMI cables for under $5, yet premium versions can fetch $40‑$80, and a 2018 novelty model even hit the $10,500 mark, touting a “24‑conductor DNA helix design, composilex 2 insulation, and solid silver conductors.”
In reality, a $10 cable can be sold for $100 in upscale stores, representing a 1,000% markup. Most consumers don’t need anything beyond a basic cable for 4K streaming, so the inflated price is pure profit padding.
5 Wedding Dresses Are Dramatically Marked Up Compared To Identical Non‑Wedding Dresses
Wedding retailers have been found to charge almost four times the price of an otherwise identical white dress that isn’t marketed as a bridal gown. The same pattern shows up with bridesmaid dresses, which can be nearly double the cost of a comparable non‑bridesmaid dress.
Some analysis suggests a wedding dress can be produced for as little as $200, yet many retail for $5,000. Stores often hide the manufacturer’s identity, keeping brides in the dark and allowing the industry to thrive on inflated prices.
4 Restaurants Mark Up Little Things By Huge Percentages
Dining out always costs more than cooking at home, but the disparity grows when you examine add‑ons. A side of sour cream might add 50 cents, while a scoop of guacamole can climb to nearly $3.
Specific items illustrate the extremes: a meat pizza can carry a markup of up to 636%, guacamole at Chipotle can be marked up close to 500%, and a hamburger may see a 355% increase. Even a two‑liter bottle of Coke, cheap at $2 wholesale, can be sold for $0.36 in a small cup, representing a near‑500% markup. In casual‑dining spots, some items surpass a 1,000% increase.
3 Glasses Markups Can Get As High As 1000%
Eyewear has become a textbook example of price inflation. Former LensCrafters executives admit that many frames and lenses are marked up as much as 1,000%.
The root cause lies in market concentration: Luxottica controls most of the manufacturing, retail outlets, and even vision‑insurance providers. This vertical integration lets the company set prices high with little competition, inflating the cost of a pair of glasses far beyond the actual production expense.
2 Bottled Water Markups Can Get Astronomical
The bottled‑water market was worth over $283 billion in 2021. Many brands market their product as spring‑sourced, yet a large share is simply municipal tap water. For instance, Dasani is sourced from the same municipal supply used by Coca‑Cola.
San Francisco’s tap water costs about $0.00018 per ounce. A 20‑ounce Dasani bottle sells for roughly $2.12 at Walmart—about $0.106 per ounce—making it 589 times pricier than the local tap water. Certain “designer” waters have been reported with markups soaring to 280,000%.
1 Movie Theater Popcorn Markups Are Over 1,000%
Movie theaters keep ticket revenue low—about 70% goes to studios—so they bank heavily on concessions. A small bag of popcorn that costs roughly $0.10 per ounce to produce can be sold for $5.50, a markup exceeding 1,300%.
In 2010 the average popcorn markup was reported at 1,275%; today it hovers around 1,300%, meaning you’re paying more per ounce for popcorn than you would for a premium steak.