Please people, remember to add in tax!

[BowserKoopa1]

People with coupons are driving me insane! We have these 2 coupons in particular. 1 is spend $50 and get $10 off, and the other is spend $250 and get $25 off. About half the time, I get customers questioning their total and looking at me like I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Here's the best SC I can remember....
Me: Ok, your total is $245.
SC: Is that with the coupon off?
Me: Yes, the total is correct.
SC: That doesn't seem right. Can you check it?
and checks the total.
Me: Yup, with the coupon taking $25 off, your total is about $225, plus $20 in taxes.
SC: That's not right. Something doesn't seem right.
Me: I'm sorry, but the total is correct.
SC: How can that be right?
Me: You had $20 in taxes that brought your total back up around $250. The taxes are what did it.
SC: That's not fair! This isn't right!
Me: Well unfortunately, Uncle Sam wants his share, so there's nothing I can do about the taxes.
SC: This is a ripoff! Isn't there anything you can do?
Me: Nope, sorry about that.
The customer gives me a look like its my fault. Yeah, its my fault that the government wants you to pay taxes on things you buy. Dumbasses.

[Soulstealer]

People with coupons are driving me insane! We have these 2 coupons in particular. 1 is spend $50 and get $10 off, and the other is spend $250 and get $25 off.

Hmm, incidently the first coupon is a better deal since you're saving up to 20% so long as you're under $100 while the second one only saves 10% and goes down from there.

I spend too much time playing with fractions and percentages.

[malmalthekiller]

It's a pain, especially because where I live in PA is close to Delaware, and people from Delaware don't pay taxes on their purchases, so they forget all the time and bitch about it.

[Kiwi]

SC: This is a ripoff! Isn't there anything you can do?

Well they could technically run for office

but I doubt anyone who can't grasp the concept of sales tax would be successful.....

on second thought....

[Crab]

Hmm, incidently the first coupon is a better deal since you're saving up to 20% so long as you're under $100 while the second one only saves 10% and goes down from there.

I spend too much time playing with fractions and percentages.

Yeah, but on a large order the latter is still a better deal.

[tinamarble88]

I'm not blaming you or the SC, but that's a stupid deal going on because she only saved $5. I would've questioned the same as well. I would however understand the tax anyway.

[code-monkey]

Coming from the other side of the pond I have a question about the tax you have in the US.

Do the shelf edge labels not have the VAT included in the price?? Is it some kind of scheme to make people think they are getting batter value for money than they actually are. Here in the UK a ticket for a pack of doughnuts would say 99p, and when you get to the till, you pay 99p.

From what I'v herd on these forums it seems like a ticket says 99c, but when you get to the till you pay $1.15 (I don't know how much tax is there).

So whats the deal?

[Sarlon]

your price tickets have the gst (or what ever you call it) added in already (what we would consider sales tax). The sales tax is added at the register since SOME states here have different taxes on different things.

An example:
In nowhereville (city where I live), we have a tobacco tax, gas tax, food tax, luxery tax. Each tax is different from each other. There is a considerably higher tax for cigerrettes over just regular food that you buy in the store.

The Gas Tax is partial to the state and partial to the government.

The food tax is on mostly normal groceries.

the luxery tax is on just about everything else. And now I hear rumors that they are gonna tax regular soda's and not tax diet sodas.

Hope that helped explain.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

your price tickets have the gst (or what ever you call it) added in already (what we would consider sales tax). The sales tax is added at the register since SOME states here have different taxes on different things.

An example:
In nowhereville (city where I live), we have a tobacco tax, gas tax, food tax, luxery tax. Each tax is different from each other. There is a considerably higher tax for cigerrettes over just regular food that you buy in the store.

The Gas Tax is partial to the state and partial to the government.

The food tax is on mostly normal groceries.

the luxery tax is on just about everything else. And now I hear rumors that they are gonna tax regular soda's and not tax diet sodas.

Hope that helped explain.

Additionally, there may be local sales taxes on top of the state sales taxes.

For example, in Wisconsin there is a 0.1% sales tax imposed only in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha and Racine counties--this was to construct and finance the Milwaukee Brewers' stadium.

I think there is a similar tax in place around Green Bay to fund the renovations of Lambeau Field.

[wagegoth]

The taxes in my county are higher than other counties because of BART, but the taxes in San Francisco are even higher.

[Auto]

Hmm, incidently the first coupon is a better deal since you're saving up to 20% so long as you're under $100 while the second one only saves 10% and goes down from there.

I spend too much time playing with fractions and percentages.

I had the same thought.

Break a $250 transaction into five $50 transactions and you save $50, instead of $25.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Me: Ok, your total is $245.
Me: Yup, with the coupon taking $25 off, your total is about $225, plus $20 in taxes.

I'm not blaming you or the SC, but that's a stupid deal going on because she only saved $5. I would've questioned the same as well. I would however understand the tax anyway.

Math Lesson:

The item cost $250. Apparently the sales tax is 8%, which is $20. The total without the coupon is $270. The discount coupon is $25. So 250 + 20 - 25 = 245. She saved $25 (270 - 245 = 25)

State laws determine whether the coupon is applied before or after the tax is caluclated.

[Velfarre2001]

Up here it is a blanket tax that covers everything. The advertised prices are before tax as well.

[Mark Healey]

Do the shelf edge labels not have the VAT included in the price?

Generally, no. I think one of the "M" states on the great lakes does.

This is one of the downsides of a federal system. States that have a sales tax have the state rate. The counties then add on some followed by the cities and is some cases special districts which overlap cities and counties (the last might just apply to CA. I don't know).

These rates also change pretty frequently.

All this makes it impractical to have it already in the marked price.

[Racket_Man]

Additionally, there may be local sales taxes on top of the state sales taxes.

For example, in Wisconsin there is a 0.1% sales tax imposed only in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha and Racine counties--this was to construct and finance the Milwaukee Brewers' stadium.

I think there is a similar tax in place around Green Bay to fund the renovations of Lambeau Field.

yup there is the Packer "Welfare" tax up here in all of Brown County. I think the rate is 0.5%