We all know some things are worth every penny, and others are absolutely not. You’ve been there. You’re minding your own business, buying groceries or looking for a new pair of shoes, and then you see it. A price tag that makes your eyes pop out of your head and wonder why anyone in their right mind would pay it. Other times instead, to make us skip a heartbeat or two, it’s a contract, a bill, or a medication receipt. Unfortunately for us ordinary folks, most of these things are essential items, because even those have the audacity to be THAT pricey. And when you find yourself in front of those insane numbers, you may wonder if price gouging is being tolerated a little too much.
More specifically, which things are criminally overpriced? What stuff is so expensive to the point of being ridiculous? That’s the question people were asked to answer on AskReddit. The results are in, and it turns out that these expensive things are far from being luxuries you can simply decide to give up. Sometimes, you really don’t have a choice.
If you’ve got a few minutes to spare, take a look at this list of overpriced products and services and see if you agree with what people have submitted. Some of these are sadly known for their exorbitant costs — healthcare, in the first place — others instead are more unexpected and will probably make you think, “Wait… you’re right!”
#1
"Prescription drugs in The US. It’s absolutely immoral that US politicians don’t do something to keep sick people from getting totally screwed."
Report
90points
#2
"Human pharmaceuticals. My dog needed a chelation medication that my vet specifically said was on the pricy side but recommended a pharmacy that she worked with. I called with a prescription in hand, and they quoted $3,000+ for a month’s supply. Then the rep stated they accidentally read the cost for humans. The dog cost was actually $60. Same dosage, and same pill count, but adding chicken flavor and putting a little dog on the label dropped the price by 98%."
Report
73points
#3
"Adopting babies. $40,000 and people wonder why there are so many kids in orphanages."
Report
69points
#6
"Airport food and drinks. $7 for a granola bar. $6.95 for water. $22 for beer. $17 for a chicken wrap. $9 for trail mix. It’s criminal."
Report
56points
#8
"Inhalers. I have a crappy high-deductible plan and pay $220 a month for something I need to breathe."
Report
52points
#9
"Epi-pens in the U.S. I mean, at least it's not something I need to use regularly, but those things are SO expensive. I'm just trying to not die if I accidentally eat a peanut. Thankfully I found a much cheaper alternative, but they're hiking their prices now too."
Report
50points
#10
"Eyeglasses. Because of a blatant monopoly."
“Luxottica controls 80% of the major brands in the $28 billion global eyeglasses industry….”
“Luxottica controls 80% of the major brands in the $28 billion global eyeglasses industry….”
Report
49points
#16
"Women's beauty products. They are often exactly the same as for men but just a different color, pink for example."
Report
40points
#20
"Diapers. One of the benefits of my old hospital was that employees could purchase diapers at cost from the medical supply company. A case of newborn diapers was $2.70. A case at Walmart is well over $40. The markup is criminal when you consider how many diapers a baby goes through in a day."
Report
38points