thoughts-of-an-x-factor:

anothermiserableperson:

thoughts-of-an-x-factor:

greekedtext:

2-face:

madamebomb:

cephalotodd:

we should make fun of americans more. why dont their shops include tax in the price tag. like how much does this item cost? its a surprise 🙂

Honestly, tea. I’ve lived here my whole life and I have never once known what my total is gonna be at the register. Total fucking mystery.

im an ex-american living in new zealand for the past two years and it still never fails to blow my mind that i can take a $2 coin, walk up to a counter with two $1 items, and perform the expected transaction

this callout is completely deserved

It must get even more confusing for americans who go interstate sometimes.

Like, I understand that sales tax varies by state, so you could spend your life mentally calculating “Well, this is going to cost 7% more than what it says on the shelf”, then go to a state with a 10% sales tax and see your mental calculations go out the window even more than usual.

Not only do we have sales tax but Philadelphia also has a tax on drinks with sugar in them, excluding fruit juices. Some stores include the tax on the price tag some don’t. It’s 1.5 cents for every ounce. So fuck all that math.

See, in Australia, most items have a 10% GST, and there’s been some discussions over the years of taxes like that on sugary drinks and such… and there’s extra tax on things like cigarettes and fuel… but all of the prices that are listed on the shelf are the price including tax.

I’m crap at maths, particularly when I’m anxious about being out in public surrounded by people, so I struggle to mentally calculate what my total will be when I do groceries already, so I can imagine how much worse it would be if I had to try to figure out tax separately. 

I’m no expert, but it kind of sounds like the US system is designed almost to mock lower income people by making them think they can afford stuff, only to spring an extra 10% on them at the end.