Current Events > Why are prices advertised without tax in America

(+) Yeah! (+)

When I was there it confused the shit out of me

*go to McDonalds, Big Mac meal advertised as $8.50*
"that will be $9.25 sir"

Fucking stupid man. In Australia it's illegal to advertise like that.
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As someone who used to work in retail I hated it too. Something being 99 cents really meant it was actually $1.07 which means I often had to give change and it made life more annoying for both me and the customer.
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Genocet_10-325 posted...

As someone who used to work in retail I hated it too. Something being 99 cents really meant it was actually $1.07 which means I often had to give change and it made life more annoying for both me and the customer.

when the customer sees something as $1 and grabs it

then they just leave it because they can't afford the tax
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Because tax is different from county to county. You could go to one McDonalds then drive 15 mins to a different city and get different tax at that mcdonalds. Corporations tend to not want to print up different signs for each of those counties, so they just have the base price and send them out nationally.
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So which countries list prices with tax included?

It's the same here in Canada.
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It would be a logistical nightmare to keep track of different tags for every state, county, and city
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America so crazy
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TheVipaGTS posted...

Because tax is different from county to county. You could go to one McDonalds then drive 15 mins to a different city and get different tax at that mcdonalds. Corporations tend to not want to print up different signs for each of those counties, so they just have the base price and send them out nationally.

Prices already vary from location to location. That's why there are tag printers and number tiles for signs.
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Ah okay I guess that makes sense.

in Australia, the tax is the same, but the same products have different prices. Tax is 10% for everything in Australia, but you might pay $12 in Melbourne vs $10 in Brisbane for something. But the price advertised is what you pay - that's the law
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It's no secret that the way America handles taxes is beyond shitty
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Part of why I'm glad I live in a state without sales tax
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Sabram posted...

Part of why I'm glad I live in a state without sales tax

this also blows me away how some states literally don't have sales or income tax. how do you pay for roads/hospitals etc
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Because taxes are variable. There is no set amount for taxes for all items, across the entire country. There's a Wal-Mart about one mile from where I live, and another Wal-Mart 5 miles away. The Wal-Mart 5 miles away has cheaper sales tax on groceries because it's in another county.
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Airhammy posted...

So which countries list prices with tax included?

It's the same here in Canada.

Literally any other country lists prices with tax included lol.
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LordRazziel posted...

TheVipaGTS posted...

Because tax is different from county to county. You could go to one McDonalds then drive 15 mins to a different city and get different tax at that mcdonalds. Corporations tend to not want to print up different signs for each of those counties, so they just have the base price and send them out nationally.

Prices already vary from location to location. That's why there are tag printers and number tiles for signs.

But even still, two mcdonalds can be in the same city and have varying prices. its not as common as different tax. i guess they figure the cost and time to do that for the few locations is worth it vs doing it for thousands of counties.
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Genocet_10-325 posted...

As someone who used to work in retail I hated it too. Something being 99 cents really meant it was actually $1.07 which means I often had to give change and it made life more annoying for both me and the customer.

The 1c coin is another reason why it's more annoying to shop in the US compared to other countries <_<
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I remember reading a while back that it all boils down to people with tax exempt status. If the price showed tax included it causes trouble for tax exempt people.

There's more to it than that but that's the basic idea.
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RE_expert44 posted...

I remember reading a while back that it all boils down to people with tax exempt status. If the price showed tax included it causes trouble for tax exempt people.

There's more to it than that but that's the basic idea.

Wouldn't you have to save your receipts for a tax return either way?
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Darmik posted...

The 1c coin is another reason why it's more annoying to shop in the US compared to other countries <_<

I never pay with cash unless I absolutely have to
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TheVipaGTS posted...

LordRazziel posted...

TheVipaGTS posted...

Because tax is different from county to county. You could go to one McDonalds then drive 15 mins to a different city and get different tax at that mcdonalds. Corporations tend to not want to print up different signs for each of those counties, so they just have the base price and send them out nationally.

Prices already vary from location to location. That's why there are tag printers and number tiles for signs.

But even still, two mcdonalds can be in the same city and have varying prices. its not as common as different tax. i guess they figure the cost and time to do that for the few locations is worth it vs doing it for thousands of counties.

Prices at grocery stores vary from shipment to shipment. A few restaurant chains doesn't seem like good enough reason to determine national tax policy.
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