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-ups to a short phone call, you'd pay $120 for the call.
2. Greeting cards: 200% markup
When you buy a greeting card from a drugstore, chances are you're paying at least three times what it cost the company to make. Hello, free e-cards! Or get crafty with the crayons.
3. Wine at a restaurant: 300% markup
Restaurants routinely charge as much as $30 for bottles of wine that retail online for $7 or $8. Check if the restaurant allows BYOB in advance, or opt for a non-alcoholic beverage.
4. Bottled water: 4000% markup
A $2 water bottle costs the manufacturer only about 5 cents to make.
5. Precut produce: 40% markup
Precut fruits and vegetables save you time, but definitely not money: The grocery store charges almost 1.5 times more than for uncut produce.
More shocking markups >>
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