https://marco.org/2009/01/26/danielpunkass-office-chair-mats-are
Office chair mats are surprisingly expensive considering they are just a big piece of plastic.
That’s because chair mats are high-profit add-ons for office retailers (Staples, OfficeMax, Office Depot).
The same way they’re pushed to sell $30 gold-plated USB cables and extended warranties with every printer, Staples employees are pushed very hard to sell chair mats and furniture warranties with every chair because they have obscenely high profit margins.