Mark-ups on retail goods

[kahunabean]

Hi. Anyone know for a fact any outrageous sounding mark-ups on retail goods (not trying to get philosophical - I'm a capitalist and all that) - just for some shock value. I read, for instance, that a man's work shirt ex-factory costs �1. The kind that are typically sold in 'savile Row' shops for �55. Anybody got any good factual screwed consumer info like that ?

[nykkieberry]

My mate works in fashion, and it's not that shocking but makes like Firetrap, Boxfresh, Sonnetti and the likes are really cheap to buy trade - talking �2 a t-shirt. And then of course there's the exortinate mark up that there must be on car parts. And Italian restaurants - how much money must they make on a plate of pasta! It's the cheapest thing in the supermarket!!

[gilf]

I have also thought that resturants make a huge mark up. If you think for example how much a food in the super market costs then thats nowhere near what resturants pay for it. For example I go to a chinease supermarket and they have boxes of spring rolls which work out about 10p each in the resturant they are something like �2 for 2. CD's for example I can make a copy of a CD for something like 20p and thats buying them is very limited quantity. One final one i hear that a certain burger chain make their hamburgers for around 4p.

[gilf]

Just a quick additional point, shops and resturants do have huge costs which need to be paid so don't confuse a huge mark up with huge profits. having said that how many resturants have you recommended which gave you small portions.

[answerbok]

spectacle frames; cost price, hardly anything; retail price �100+ and that's not including lenses. .and it's a cartel, look at he price of market bargain reading glasses, �2 including lenses, perfectly functional, alright looking; take a pair of those to your optician and ask for presciption lenses fitted.. they go mad, ooh we can't do that, blah blah.

[Bert]

I'd like to know the mark-up on watch batteries. How can something so small cost so much? I buy cheap watches anyway, so it's usually not worth replacing the battery. I heard that some other countries have laws limiting profit margins - can anybody confirm that? Also, I believe that France has a law prohibiting retailers selling goods for less than they cost - protecting small shops from being forced out of business by larger firms who can afford to stand a loss for a short time. But what happens when there is stuff that just won't sell at even cost price? Canada had some crazy supermarket price wars a while ago. I read that shoppers began to feel insecure because they ended up having no idea what was a fair price to pay for things. And do you remember our own price wars a few years ago when cans of baked beans were sold for 1p?

[rja211077]

actually I read in Eric Schlosser's excellent book 'Fast Food Nation' that the soft drinks sold in fast food joints are one of their highest-margin products. the syrup to make a medium coke costs something stupid like 6p...sells for over a quid.

[Gef]

gilf wrote, " I can make a copy of a CD for something like 20p " Unfortunately the record company had to pay the band, the sound engineers, pay for the studio etc. etc.