"False Advertising"

[SongsOfDragons]

I find a lot of Americans are surprised that you have to pay to get into casinos and occasionally arcades in Europe.

[phillippbo]

As far as I'm concerned, there are a few very good reasons for tax to not be included automatically with the advertised price:

1. As mentioned before, tax varies from state to state, county to county, and sometimes city to city. It would be nearly impossible for any national retailer to keep track of all of that for signage, advertising, etc.

2. In the States, the tax is sales tax added at the point of sale, therefore the tax does not affect the cost of the item. (Yes, the customer has to pay the tax, thus affecting what they have to pay, but not what they actually pay for the item itself.) In the UK (from what I remember, correct me if I'm wrong), the tax is a VAT or Value Added Tax meaning that every level of production is taxed. In that instance, the actual cost of the item is affected, so the advertised cost should take that into account and include it.

3. Adding the tax in does make the cost of the item appear higher, possibly detering some sales.

4. It's a really, REALLY good thing to constantly be reminded how much a person is paying in taxes, though this certainly is not a concern of the retailer themselves (for the most part). We all know how easy it is to forget exactly how much tax we're paying when it's not totaled for us at the bottom of the reciept. (For example, in my state of North Carolina, every gallon of gas is taxed a total of 45 cents - 26.6 cents to the state and 18.4 cents to the federal government. If most people realized this they would probably be outraged, but since they aren't constantly reminded of it they forget or don't care. As a bonus, making sure every gallon of gas is xxx.9 cents per gallon leads people to the erroneous conclusion that the 0.9 cents is tax, when it is not.) The best defense against a repressive government is an informed populace, so we should rejoice that it's done this way. Besides, think about this: Imagine what you might go through the next time the state or the county hikes the sales tax with customer complaints, etc. Now, picture that same situation if the reciept doesn't actually show the tax...

[staticradio]

what some see as false advertising...most see as comprehending what the sign states

most people at my store will try to do anything to get the brand they want, even if it was the other noted brand at the reduced price.

me: price check extrodinare
IC: idiot customer

IC: "well, there were 3 signs stating that this was 2 for $11"
me: "this brand of paper towel?"
(call up grocery dept. finds out other brand was at reduced price.)

I swear, no matter what...in either English, Spanish, French, et al. (whereever you might reside)...people will probably not take the time to fully comprehend what product the sign is advertising. just grab and go!

[Becks]

Reminds me of an episode of The Simpsons...

At the mall in Springfield, there's a store called Stoner's Pot Palace that sells all manners of cookware.

Otto walks out saying, "Man, that is flagrant false advertising!", being the implied pot smoker that he is.

:snickering:

[UncleImpy]

Different counties, hell, even different cities have different sales tax rates. As advertisements tend to cover wide areas, a radio or newspaper ad that runs in Dallas, Texas will tend to reach all of the smaller cities around it, as well as neighboring Fort Worth. Dallas has a 8 3/4 percent tax rate. Fort Worth has a 7 percent rate. Arlington (in between the two) has a 7 3/4 percent. So its most likely advertising before tax to quash confusion. In their defense, the ads usually have in small print next to the price 'Plus tax'

[greensinestro]

Does the phrase "Read the fine print" mean anything here? Most places I got to, like for an oil change, will show something like "$19.95 plus tax" with the "plus tax" part in smaller writing than the price. Most people do not see this when they pull into the local Jiffy Lube, but it's always a way for the mechanic to cover his ass when the customer throws this argument at him.

Besides, why is this lady griping about 19 cents tax anyhow? Is she going to use this money to buy a stick of gum?

[sarahj]

2. In the States, the tax is sales tax added at the point of sale, therefore the tax does not affect the cost of the item. (Yes, the customer has to pay the tax, thus affecting what they have to pay, but not what they actually pay for the item itself.) In the UK (from what I remember, correct me if I'm wrong), the tax is a VAT or Value Added Tax meaning that every level of production is taxed. In that instance, the actual cost of the item is affected, so the advertised cost should take that into account and include it.

Here in Australia it's similar. We have different rates of tax for different things. 'Luxury items' is the only specific group I know, but I'm sure that food, confectionery and movie tickets are all on different rates also. Advertising includes the tax, so on our receipt for, say, a $2 pen, it'll say that the total is $2, including $.xx tax. So we know we've paid tax, but it wasn't 'extra,' kind of like when there's free shipping (say, on a couch) but really the prices are higher to include it.

[SuperB]

On occasion I've had to explain "tax" to people confused about the total and it's really annoying to have to explain why certain items are taxed and some aren't.

But I'll never forget one woman who, after questioning the total and hearing "tax", thought that because she was from Oregon that she didn't have to pay it. Sorry sweetheart, it goes by where you buy not where you're from.