# Non-US Dopers: What Do You Wish You'd Been Warned About Before You Came Here? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 20, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302 "2014-01-20T20:20:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/61 "2014-01-22T15:34:15Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > From the NZ Government website: Thanks! (I actually have a question, but don’t want to derail the thread about this oft-discussed subject. Sorry for the digression.) ---
**Author:** ![Virgil\_Tibbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@Virgil\_Tibbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Virgil_Tibbs)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/62 "2014-01-22T15:46:06Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I, _as a taxpayer_ want this information. What’s so difficult about this concept? > > Do note that with the fragmented governments of the US who set sales tax rates, a 5 minute drive could save you hundreds of dollars on a large purchase. Again… why _wouldn’t_ I want to know this? Why not just display final prices and put up a sign at the counter stating ‘Tax is applied to non-food items at x%’, or whatever the rule is? All the information you could want, and no nasty surprises at the checkout. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/63 "2014-01-22T15:55:00Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > If it makes you feel better, this U.S. citizen was similarly treated in the 1980’s. It’s just a tiny minority, but some Americans (whether policing officials or not) have a sense of entitlement different from elsewhere. > > 😕 😕 I’m curious: Do you like being reminded how much the E.G. is stealing? 😕 I don’t understand. To which US citizen are you referring? Are you referring to yourself? It’s very difficult for me to answer your question because: 1. I do not know to whom you are referring when you say, “some Americans have a sense of entitlement different from elsewhere”. If you don’t explain how that American was treated or if you don’t post a link to the example to which you refer, then I don’t know how to answer you. 2. I don’t understand what you mean when you refer to the “E.G.” If you mean “exempli gratia”, then I don’t understand how to make sense of that. Do you mean by “sense of entitlement” that the Customs Agents felt they had a right to steal pages out of my diary? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/64 "2014-01-22T16:03:07Z")
> [@Virgil\_Tibbs](#): > > Why not just display final prices and put up a sign at the counter stating ‘Tax is applied to non-food items at x%’, or whatever the rule is? All the information you could want, and no nasty surprises at the checkout. For a person who grew up here (like most of the 330 million Americans), there are no “nasty surprises at the checkout” as it’s assumed that the price doesn’t include sales tax. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/65 "2014-01-22T16:13:07Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > I would rephrase that as “standards about what’s considered good service are very different”. Many of us see the friendliness as fake and the attentiveness as obstrusive (why are you asking whether everything was fine? My plate is clean, it wouldn’t be clean if things hadn’t been fine!). > > I’m now wondering why the reason the girl inside google’s GPS sounds like a damned aerobics teacher: “iiiin! one kilo-meteeeer! take the… riiiight! exiiit!” She’s been told to sound “perky” because that’s what Americans expect and associate with good service. My point is that super-friendly and attentive service is a noticable thing in America. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing depends on the observer, of course. ---
**Author:** ![runningdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@runningdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runningdude)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/66 "2014-01-22T16:34:47Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > … > The fact Americans were not only OK with, but actively defended, this practice was also baffling. It sort of makes sense because technically the consumer is responsible for paying the sales tax to the state, even if the merchant doesn’t collect it. Also, some items, such as groceries, have no sale tax. Itemizing the tax on the receipt proves that the consumer paid the taxes, and only the taxes due. Then it becomes the merchant’s problem passing the money along to the state, saving the consumer some effort. I suppose that it could still be built into the price on display, and still itemized afterwards, but I guess we’re used to it being done this way, and it would be confusing to switch > [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > You’d love the new grocery store in my town. It uses what it calls “cost plus” pricing. … > (In case you don’t believe me, and I didn’t believe it when I saw it, [here’s an article](http://www.troymessenger.com/2011/08/02/local-piggly-wiggly-stores-to-offer-new-savings/) about a store somewhere changing to this system.) That is strange, and you have only the market’s word that the price displayed is the actual wholesale price they paid for it. I wonder how they handle vender-stocked items such as sodas. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/67 "2014-01-22T16:50:41Z")
That the Americans not only don’t know know how to queue, they don’t know how to _organise_ a queue. A two-hour wait at the NY Museum of Natural History in a queue that seemingly folded space was a harrowing experience for my British sensibilities. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/68 "2014-01-22T17:08:58Z")
> [@Malden\_Capell](#): > > That the Americans not only don’t know know how to queue, they don’t know how to _organise_ a queue. That’s because we don’t have queues here. We stand in lines. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/69 "2014-01-22T17:20:56Z")
> [@Virgil\_Tibbs](#): > > Why not just display final prices and put up a sign at the counter stating ‘Tax is applied to non-food items at x%’, or whatever the rule is? All the information you could want, and no nasty surprises at the checkout. It’s actually rather difficult. Let’s say you’re S-Mart. You want to sell a set of towels for $15.99, and you have 3 locations in the area. Each location has a different local sales tax, which means you need to print 3 different price tags, and have 3 different sets of flyers to be mailed out, each of which may mis-inform your customer as they may choose to go to a different location than you expect. Under the current methodology, you can set prices regionally, or even nationally, and have no issues with local sales tax, other than needing to collect the money and pass along the correct amount. Our sales tax structure is a hilarious hodge-podge of different state and local requirements, which makes inclusive pricing very difficult for anyone but a local mom & pop, who will avoid doing it, since it makes their prices look higher. ---
**Author:** ![codgerone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c37758/32.png) [@codgerone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codgerone)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/70 "2014-01-22T17:39:13Z")
That it’s customary to leave a buck or two each day for the room service people when you’re staying for a few days in a hotel/motel. Honestly I didn’t know that. I hate to think of the number of room service people who cleaned my room and thought "fuckin’ Limey cheapskate. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/71 "2014-01-22T17:40:21Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > This was it for me. Visiting from New Zealand, where the penalties for not displaying the full, everything-inclusive price were significant and heavily enforced, the practice of not including tax in the price and then just expecting people to accept the (different to the advertised) magic number the retailer named instead came across then (and does even now) as some form of underhanded chicanery. > > The fact Americans were not only OK with, but actively defended, this practice was also baffling. It’s not only “OK” but in many cases it’s the law, and it’s a Good law. The issue is rounding. If the tax is 7%, and you have multiple items under $1USD, and they round up on each one, the retailer can make a bundle. Not to mention the fact that sales taxes differ by _county_, as Cheesesteak sez. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/72 "2014-01-22T17:59:32Z")
> [@codgerone](#): > > That it’s customary to leave a buck or two each day for the room service people when you’re staying for a few days in a hotel/motel. > > Honestly I didn’t know that. I hate to think of the number of room service people who cleaned my room and thought "fuckin’ Limey cheapskate. > :smack: Yeah, this “fuckin’ Canuck cheapskate” didn’t know that until a few years ago either, when I read it on here. The first time I tried leaving a five dollar note housekeeping didn’t take it. From what I understand now, I should have left a note with it, or perhaps placed it on the pillow or something. Regarding sales tax: items are usually centrally distributed to end stores with the price tag already attached. The distributor doesn’t know where the goods will ultimately end up, and therefore has no idea what the tax implications will be. Besides, why would it be the retailer’s responsibility to inform you how much extra money the various levels of government will be charging on an item? If there was only one level of taxation, and all retailers agreed or were mandated to show the price accordingly there wouldn’t be an issue, but as mentioned there can be many different levels of taxation, depending upon where the item is ultimately sold. Tagging items at a central distribution hub is impossible. As an informed consumer you eventually figure all this out. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/73 "2014-01-22T18:00:52Z")
> [@codgerone](#): > > That it’s customary to leave a buck or two each day for the room service people when you’re staying for a few days in a hotel/motel. > > Honestly I didn’t know that. I hate to think of the number of room service people who cleaned my room and thought "fuckin’ Limey cheapskate. > :smack: I had no idea this was a custom in the US and I travel all the time. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/74 "2014-01-22T18:14:10Z")
I didn’t know it until this thread and I’m FROM the US. Not that it matters, since I am a fuckin’ cheapskate. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/75 "2014-01-22T18:16:33Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > That’s because we don’t have queues here. We stand in lines. 😉 In NY, it’s “on line”. (God I hate that expression) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/76 "2014-01-22T18:18:55Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > You’d love the new grocery store in my town. It uses what it calls “cost plus” pricing. They put a number they claim is their cost on the price tag, and you pay 10% more at the register. This is explained on a notice at the front door, and I think it’s in fine print on their ads, but when you’re browsing the store or looking at the giant numbers in the ad, all you see is the (claimed) “cost” that’s actually 10% higher when you pay. (Most stuff in the store is tax-free food, but anything taxable will then have sales taxes added on to the 110% figure.) > > I think it’s the only store of its type in this part of the country, but I’ve heard it’s more prevalent in the south. (In case you don’t believe me, and I didn’t believe it when I saw it, [here’s an article](http://www.troymessenger.com/2011/08/02/local-piggly-wiggly-stores-to-offer-new-savings/) about a store somewhere changing to this system.) That would drive me crazy. I’m used to paying tax at the till, but the prices on the shelves not being the pre-tax price? Too confusing. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/77 "2014-01-22T18:33:21Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > For a person who grew up here (like most of the 330 million Americans), there are no “nasty surprises at the checkout” as it’s assumed that the price doesn’t include sales tax. With the notable exception of buying gas. For some reason, gas prices are always listed with the taxes included in. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/78 "2014-01-22T18:41:58Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Yes, it’s regional. I spent most of my childhood in the South, then was in the Midwest for quite a few years, and moved back to a smallish college town in the South for a job. When we get new hires from other parts of the country I try to give them a few “What to expect” tips based on the things that made me go “Oh right, the South” when I moved back here. The “What church do you go to?” question is usually the first thing I mention, because I think it could easily be mistaken for a veiled “You’re not a decent Christian, ARE YOU, SINNER?” But in my experience, people who ask this really do just want to know what church you go to. In a small town the answer to this question could give them a fairly good idea of where you live and what mutual acquaintances you might have. On the other hand, when I’ve visited down South, I find that no one asks, “What do you do?” (I.e., where do you work?) Here in Washington, DC, by contrast, that’s basically how we say “good morning” to a stranger. > [@pravnik](#): > > To be fair, you must remember that he’s coming from a different frame of reference here; as an international visitor, he’s most likely only been exposed to the International House of Pancakes, and IHOP is quite good if that’s all you’ve had. As a U.S. citizen or resident alien, though, you’ve most likely been privy to (and spoiled by) the far superior National House of Pancakes. As good as IHOP is, NHOP will always surpass it due to the higher level prestige which attracts the most talented culinary talent, as well as the general quality of federal pancake subsidies. Plus there are the fifty different State Houses of Pancakes. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/79 "2014-01-22T18:55:37Z")
On the Walt Disney World message board I frequent, I’ve seen some foreign travelers being caught off-guard by Florida’s seemingly Byzantine child-safety-restraint regulations and the zeal with which local law enforcement enforces them. Also on the child-rearing subject, I’ve read that it’s not uncommon in some European cities to see dozens of strollers (tots still in them) parked outside of an establishment while their parent(s) are inside eating/drinking. American Dopers can only imagine how well that would go over here! ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302/80 "2014-01-22T19:14:42Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Plus there are the fifty different State Houses of Pancakes. Only 49. People always forget that Delaware does everything DIFFERENTLY. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-what-do-you-wish-youd-been-warned-about-before-you-came-here/679302.md?page=5)