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Does the average american, when naming a price of any given item, takes into account taxes or disregards it? (sopuli.xyz)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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Watching a documentary, there was aremark from the journalist on how, due to how wildly taxation on goods may vary, from area to area, in the US, most retailers do not put the full prices on the shelves and instead just tally it at checkout.

This made no sense to me, a european, as when I go to any regular shop, prices already include all taxes applicable to the product.

There are specialty stores where VAT and other taxes may not be applied on the price on the shelf but those are usually wholesellers, selling for professionals, that already know what additional taxes will be added and at which rates, at checkout.

Not having the full price you'll be paying, on display, seems very underhanded and a bad practice. The client should know how much they are going to pay from the moment they pick an item.

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[โ€“] [S] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 child)

Tip is of no concern here. It's a gratuity that may be given, outside the check, to the server.

The tax rates have to be declared on the product label. VAT is 23%, 13% or 6%, depending on the nature of the product. Basic food items and basic necessities, like baby diapers, are 6%. 13% is usually reserved fro restaurants and everything else goes into the higher rate.

Fuels, tobacco and so called luxury items have other taxes added to it, which are declared in the receipt.

It isn't an opaque practice.

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    Those items you mentioned are taxes at the state or federal level so there are only 51 different tax rates to keep track of. Sales tax can vary from city to city as some municipalities have an additional sales tax.

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  • [โ€“] [S] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    I risk computers can deal with the brunt of the work, if will to do so exists.

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    That work is already done by computers (the cash registers at the local store). For what you're are suggesting, the added workload would very much be manual human work to physically change the price tags on every item whenever the local, county, or state tax rates change.

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  • [โ€“] [S] 1 point 1 year ago

    Electronic, e-ink, price tags.

    Centrally linked to a shop back office workstation. You can turn the entire shop upside down twice a week and the actual work to change the tags would be negligible.

    And for what it matters, lets assume a very large nation wide chain, like Target. The stock leaves their supply wharehouses unmarked, as it should. The cargo is then delivered to the stores, the tags printed (waste of paper), with full price, and the shelves restocked. Each store has to deal with their local taxation or absence of it.

    It is not a very complex endeavour.

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