Woman walks into Walmart to buy printer ink, exposes how the entire business model is a predatory, high-tech scam designed to bleed you dry

A woman’s viral video is finally shedding light on the absolutely ridiculous price of printer ink, showing that buying a complete set of cartridges now costs significantly more than buying an entire new printer that already includes them. Julie Jensen, who goes by @life.styled.withjulie on TikTok, decided to document her shopping trip at Walmart when she needed a refill for her Canon printer, and the results are honestly infuriating.

Jensen was looking for the exact ink set needed for her machine. She spotted the cartridges on the shelf, and the price tag was a shocking $79. “This is crazy,” Jensen said, noting that the last time she purchased the ink, it cost about $40. She then walked over to the printer aisle and spotted the exact model she owns, the Canon PIXMA TR4722. This machine was selling for just $64, and it came with a complete, brand-new set of the very same cartridges she needed.

This is where the math starts to break down in the worst way

Jensen realized she could save some cash by just buying the whole machine. “Now I’m going to buy a whole printer, just get some ink, and save $8,” she explained. “This makes no sense to me. America is crazy.” She also noted that Walmart’s website listed the exact same ink for $39, but a store employee told her they couldn’t match the online price in person. So, the cheapest way to get the ink was to buy the $64 printer instead of the $79 cartridge box.

The fact that a company would rather you buy and potentially waste a whole piece of hardware than sell you the ink at a reasonable price shows just how broken this system is. The reason this happens is simple, but it’s a scummy business move, just like Walmart allegedly running corporate surveillance. The entire model relies on selling you the ink at a massive markup.

Manufacturers keep the printer hardware prices low, sometimes even selling them at a loss, because they know they will recoup all their research and production costs through those incredibly expensive cartridges. Consumers are the ones who end up footing the bill for the years of development that go into the ink itself. They also employ anti-consumer tactics, often using chips and firmware inside the cartridges that block cheaper, third-party options. This limits competition and keeps prices high.

Jensen isn’t alone in her frustration. When her video went viral, the comment section exploded with people sharing their own tricks for surviving the scam. Many people recommended switching to a different type of hardware entirely, pointing out that ink tank printers are a much better deal. These machines use refillable bottles instead of disposable cartridges, and the refills are usually far cheaper in the long run.

Others suggested the risky route of trying to cut costs with off-brand cartridges. “Go on Amazon and purchase the off-brand refills for cheap,” one woman advised, while another confirmed that they had “moved on to off-brand cartridges because these are so expensive and they just work as well.” Whether you choose a new machine or the library, it’s clear that sticking to the manufacturer’s plan for ink refills is just not the way to go anymore.