this post was submitted on 08 Nov 2024
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[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Just like groceries don't include tax in the advertised price. the system is designed to screw us over.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Just like groceries don’t include tax in the advertised price.

Nah, that's just in America, because Americans are dumb. Tipping doesn't exist here BTW, because it's idiotic and why would we do that.

(if Americans aren't dumb, why did they vote for Trump twice?)

(I finally found an upside to the Trump presidency!)

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago

Almost 70 million people voted against him, myself included. We’re not a monolith. Also, only 11 states tax groceries.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago

Americans are dumb af. Source: am American

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Tipping doesn’t exist here BTW, because it’s idiotic

Idk where "here" is, but I've seen plenty of foreign countries's restaurants adopting tipping, particularly at higher end establishments, as business owners realize they can just ask for extra and get it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

American culture is still seen as something to emulate in many parts of the world. Hopefully less so after the next four years. We've had the same stupid tipping culture emerge here as well - seems like a sign that taxes aren't high enough at the top end.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

American culture is still seen as something to emulate in many parts of the world. Hopefully less so after the next four years.

We used to export our culture to our satraps in Mexico and Germany and Japan and Korea. But now we tend to import more than we export.

I don't see this as cultural though. It's just a money thing. People ask because they know their customers will say yes. That's all there is to if

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago

It pits the well being of the customer against the well being of the server. It's a pretty evil system. Pay everyone a living wage. Everybody deserves to live.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

To be fair, no products sold (that I'm aware of) include tax on the sticker price, and here in TX groceries (unprepared food) are not subject to state sales tax.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Exactly.

The reason, from my understanding, is that taxes on products can vary from region to region, so it's impractical to expect the store to have the price listed with the sales tax included, especially on advertisements. The sales tax in my state can vary by 1% or so between cities/counties, and advertisements are frequently at the state level, if not national level. My next door city has a 0.10% lower sales tax rate vs my city, and the resort area in the county has 1.5% higher sales tax than the rest of the county.

Food is taxed at a different rate, and the tax is split about 50/50 between state and local. Our state has been discussing ending the tax on food, but that would only end the state portion (1.75%), so the local tax (1.25% pretty much everywhere) would remain.

AFAIK, Europe includes it because it's imposed at the government level (I think EU?), not the local level.

I still think it's dumb, and it should at least be on the price stickers in the store so I can have a chance at estimating the final bill before I get to the register.