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32 Products with the Highest Markup

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Society has been trained not to blink an eye when paying two bucks for a bottle of water, or shelling out ten dollars for a bucket of movie theater popcorn that would cost next to nothing when made at home. However, a bottle of water typically only costs five cents to make, and the wholesale price of popcorn is about 35 cents. When we pay astronomical prices for such products, we are often paying more for convenience, experience, inflation, and societal pressures than we are for actual materials or labor. Products that are rip-offs are aplenty, but with the knowledge offered by this visualization from Swagbucks.com, we can become more savvy and informed consumers:

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32 Products with the Highest Markup

We appreciate the simple and striking data visualization, which is easy to interpret quickly while having a bold emotional impact. The proportional bubbles used to convey percentages do an excellent job in capturing just how monumental these product markups are. Sometimes it makes sense to pay more for the enjoyment and experience (for example, buying a mixed drink at a restaurant), but many of these are infuriating. A funeral casket costing $1,295 often goes for around $325 wholesale. Even in death, it is impossible to escape price-gouging. Also, why is printer ink so expensive? Turns out, many printing companies use an outdated “razor-and-blades model”, where they sell printers cheaply at a loss and attempt to make up for it with ink sales. They also purposely program their printers to prevent the usage of more affordable third-party cartridges by using microchips and firmware updates. Even more reason to be angry when your printer suddenly stops functioning again.

Here are the top 5 products with the biggest markups:

  1. Text messages (without an unlimited plan) – 6,000%
  2. Bottled water – $4,000%
  3. Brand-name prescription drugs – 200-3,300%
  4. High school ring – 1,329%
  5. Movie theater popcorn – 1,275%

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Charts

The Most Profitable Companies by Industry

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If you are reading this on mobile, there is a 55.79% chance that you have an iPhone in your hand right now. So it is now wonder that Apple is the most profitable company in the United States with a mind-blowing profit of $94.68 billion in 2021! It pays to be a tech company in America – Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Intel all reign supreme for profitability in the U.S. However, America is a land of opportunity and innovation, so there are many industries that massively lucrative! The team at Cloud Peak Law Group has provided minimalist but striking visualization of the most profitable companies in every industry, including aerospace and defense, apparel, energy, health care, media, finances, and beyond.

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most-profitable-companies-by-industry-chartistry

The color coding makes it easy to spot trends in the industries that excel in the United States – lots of purples and grays (technology and investing/banking). Pfizer is the first healthcare company to appear on the chart – I wonder how different the rankings would be if COVID-19 never happened? According to The Guardian, Pfizer made nearly $37 billion in sales from its COVID-19 vaccine in 2021, making it one of the most lucrative products in history. The article is titled “Pfizer accused of pandemic profiteering as profits double”, but we desperately needed the vaccine, so can that really be considered predatory? It is certainly a topic of moral ambiguity and debate. I appreciate how quick and easy it is to interpret this chart. Simple can be so effective!

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These Are the Careers You Should Pursue If You Don’t Want Your Job Stolen by Artificial Intelligence

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The debut of ChatGPT has sparked a frenzy of curiosity, excitement, and concern about what artificial intelligence is capable of now and in the near future. Will robots be able to perform surgeries? Will they be able to create artistic masterpieces? Will they be able to perform music that moves the soul? Most alarmingly, will they be able to take jobs away from humanity? While some jobs are definitely at risk of automation, there are many kinds of jobs that artificial intelligence is deemed incapable of performing (for now). The team at U.S. Career Institute has created a fascinating visualization exploring the 65 jobs with the lowest risk of robotic automation. Check it out:

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careers-safe-from-artificial-intelligence

First off, I absolutely LOVE this design, especially the header! How could I not scroll down after seeing that eerily realistic robotic hand touching the globe. Is it trying to penetrate it to take over our jobs? Or is it merely curious? The color scheme, typography choices, and background all come together for an aesthetically pleasing effect. I was surprised to see choreographers as the 2nd occupation with a 0% probability of automation. I imagine artificial intelligence would be capable of scouring countless dance videos online, distinguish patterns, and string together moves that would be appealing and catchy. But perhaps the art of interpreting music and words with movement is purely human. Many of the top occupations involve social skills and emotional intelligence, so that makes a lot of sense. Are you worried about artificial intelligence becoming too embedded in the economy and daily life? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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Food Prices Are Skyrocketing Across the Nation, Here’s Where The Problem is the Worst

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It is no secret that grocery bills have become much more painful in recent months. Post-pandemic consumer demand, ongoing supply chain shortages, unstable weather patterns, geopolitical crises like the war in Ukraine, and overall inflation all contribute to the high price of food. Food prices have increased 13.5% between August 2021 and August 2022, which is double the overall inflation rate! As with most trends, the increase in prices varies across the United States – many cities are experiencing a significantly higher increase in grocery bills. Take Indianapolis, Indiana for example – grocery bills have increased a staggering 50.6%! The team at Nadric & Cohen Accident Injury Lawyers have compiled information from multiple databases to create a fascinating (and terrifying) visualization of how much more seven common foods cost in the 50 most populous cities.

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food-prices-skyrocketing-problem-chartistry

The foods they have included are eggs, bread, whole milk, cheese, potatoes, apples, and chicken. It is getting more and more uncomfortable being an omelet enthusiast! I cannot believe that 16 ounces of cheese cost $10.39 in Oakland, California and 12 eggs cost $5.66 in Las Vegas, Nevada! I will say though that the exorbitant price of food these days has compelled me to become more creative and less wasteful with meals to get the most bang for my buck. How much is your grocery bill on average? Do you have any frugal but delicious meal ideas? I would love to hear about it in the comments!

From a design perspective, this visualization is well-organized and pleasant to read despite the abundance of information. The header is beautiful, although it pains me to imagine how much all of that would cost in real life. Whoever is buying those groceries is living large because they bought not one but TWO dozen eggs!

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