Observations on America - Part 1
Now that I’m in Canada, I think it’s safe to put together what will hopefully be just the first post in a series on the U.S. I’ve been loving my trip around the States. I have caught up with old friends and have been enjoying experiencing every American stereotype in its homeland. Still, there are some things which drive me a little crazy.
When I first came to find myself wandering the streets of Manhattan looking for a good coffee and a blueberry muffin, I did what any traveller touring North America should do these days - I consulted Yelp. I found a few places that sounded good and hunted one down. I went inside and took a seat (mistake #1) and before not too long had a lovely girl come up with a menu and pour me some water. I studied the menu, thinking well these prices seem pretty reasonable (mistake #2) and so I went ahead and ordered a latte and the spinach and lentil soup that was on special.
In not too long, my coffee and food arrived and well, it was pretty good. It was so good, I decided to order another coffee and sit for a bit longer and do some writing. After what ended up being quite a long time, I asked for the cheque (people don’t seem to ask for the bill) and when it came, I was surprised to see it was almost 10% more than what I thought. There didn’t seem to be a service charge…oh no, there it was in big letters - three letters everyone hates: TAX. Ok I can deal with that I thought, it’s a surprise but I’m new in town and I’ll take it on the chin. Then I remembered I had to tip.
Shit I thought…well she was really nice and she only earns minimum wage so I’d feel guilty if I just gave her a couple of coins, but then I’m not earning anything and I could really do with all the dollars I can keep my hands on. In the end, I gave her close to a 20% tip and left without looking back, angry at myself for being so foolish.
I’m sure there’s great reasons behind it, reasons which I can’t be stuffed researching, but it really frustrates me that sales tax is not included in quoted prices. It’s especially difficult for a traveller because the tax rates change so much everywhere you go, even per county, so you never know what you might end up paying. Having said this, it was a welcome relief to visit Portland as Oregon does not have sales tax. It was amazing how comforting it was to look at the price on the board above the register and know that I was indeed paying exactly $1.95 for my coffee, instead of something silly like $2.13. It also makes it easy to have the exact money ready so I don’t just end up hurriedly handing over a $5 bill and end up with a handful of change. I mean pennies, really?
This kind of stuff does make me appreciate Australia a bit more though, with our 10% GST across the country and the great implementation of rounding. Rest assured, these days I do my best to visit places that don’t have table service and I just stick to coffee and blueberry muffins.
