Attempted Tax Evaders

[penguingeekgod]

Last week in Arby's, I had to explain tax code to 2 cheap SCs. The first one only ordered a soft drink and the other ordered a combo. Ohio has a 6.5% sales tax on eating in store and on soft drinks (exceptions being coffee, brewed tea, and dairy products) and there is no grocery tax. The one was about 60 and was distraught about the 7 cents of tax. I explain the tax code in brief, and she grumbles off.

This took a little bit, so someone else manned the other register.

THE NEXT ONE also argued because her order was 31 cents above the listed price. She was about 50. I explained to her the tax, and she argues that too much tax was charged (even though the computers figure it automatically). Now, I explained in DETAIL what the tax code is and took my sweet time doing so. She grumbles off and my manager is just standing in shock on what I told her.

Me: You know, the sad thing is that I was aware of these rules since I was 14.
GM: *shakes head* You are off registers, start packing orders.

[ColonelInTheKitchen]

I have only had one person complain about the tax on pre-prepared food. There's a .06 tax on our food and they old guy was upset that he was charged about .30 cents for tax. I just said, "That's the tax for prepared food" and he grumbles and pays.

Why would your manager freak out on you like that? Geez. Tax is tax, it's all government-regulated and unchangeable. You wanna fight the government? Go ahead.

[Bright_Star]

I'm missing something here....How is it that you were pulled off the register simply for explaining the tax thingy? You were doing what you were supposed to,right?

[MiloMorai]

Sounds like it was because penguingeekgod was so detailed in the tax info imparted, instead of a simple "It's the law. Pay or or go."

[Becks]

Sounds like it was because penguingeekgod was so detailed in the tax info imparted, instead of a simple "It's the law. Pay or or go."

Probably. Can't talk to customers like they're stupid, you know.

[OfficeSlug]

Probably. Can't talk to customers like they're stupid, you know.

We can't?

Oh, so that's been my problem!!

[penguingeekgod]

He was amused. He pulled me off because he realized I was switching into smartass mode, and HIS boss was present. She would not have been amused and would have been mad because I had a belittling tone. My manager is actually kinda cool.

[EmiOfBrie]

I bet it was just because the customer left unsatisfied. Nothing more, nothing less. What she said to the customer was immaterial. -.-

[blas]

These people should stick to the dollar menu at McDonalds...

oh wait....shit...tax on that too.

Well fark.

[Becks]

We can't?

Oh, so that's been my problem!!

Same here. :sigh:

[SpyOne]

Me: You know, the sad thing is that I was aware of these rules since I was 14.

I have worked in the food business in 2 different states, and in each dealt with a tax code that could baffle the casual observer:
In Connecticut in the late 1980s, the Sales Tax was 8.5%, and applied to just about everything. One of the exceptions was "prepared food under $1."
So, that $0.99 soda came to $0.99, but 2 of them would cost $2.15. (0.99*2=1.98+8.5%)
In Virginia, the Sales Tax was 4.5% in the 90s, reduced to 4% a few years ago. But the city of Virginia Beach also has a tax on prepared food, which went from 4.5% in the 90s to 5% now. So the tax on prepared food is 9% if you buy it here, which is a harsh surprise to both the out-of-state tourists and the locals who happen to live in another city.

Still, it sounds as if these customers were suffering from deteriorating mental faculties that both made them less able to understand the charges and more paranoid that their failings would be used to overcharge them.
Which isn't impossable: back in the days before laser UPC scanners everywhere, a friend who worked a convenience store explained to me what he called "***hole tax": ringing non-taxable items up under taxable departments if he didn't like the customer. The beauty was that the money went to the government, so greed wasn't really a factor.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I'm very curious to know if these people had this same conversation every single time they purchased something?

[drunkenwildmage]

For the Ohio Tax code. When I worked at McD's one of the most common ploys was people that would place and "Order to go" then go into a isolated section of the resteraunt and eat in, which wouldn't have bothered us much, but they would also routinely trash the place in the store.

[Imogene]

"It's the law. Pay or or go."

Fairly related, at the store I worked at (up until today, in fact) whenever we got trade items in, we needed a laundry list of info from the customer doing the trading. The first person to ask me why we needed all that, I told, "It's in the system as needing that info."
Manager was NOT happy with that, no. I was supposed to say, "It's Texas Pawn laws, and thus, required by the company."
Which is entirely different from what I said... and, not my fault, as it was the first time anyone had asked me why we needed that info.

[Anakah]

I get the same thing at the casinos. They try to pocket their winnings, give it to their wives/husbands, hold back black (hundred dollar) chips that they won and cash them out later. Sadly though they are sadly mistaken as to that we don't notice all of this.

But 6.5? That's it? It's way higher here. That's lucky. And .31? Gimmie a break. That's nothing. People are so cheap.