Has anyone else noticed, at least in the restaurant business, a push to get rid of the $x.99 and either round to an even amount (after taxes) or the total including taxes?
A few restaurants in my area have gone with a flat rate scheme that I really enjoy. No longer is a burger and fries $6.99 + $2.99. I’m just seeing it as 10.00, and that's how it shows up on your bill. Similarly, my local Taco Bell franchise has done away with a lot of the .99 and just gives the total + tax. The delicious #11 meal of two bean burritos and 2 tacos with a medium fountain soda is now listed at $5.26 on the menu.
I’m sure that others may have already experienced this where they live. It’s a smaller town where I live so there aren’t as many competing services. I wonder if it’s for the convenience of the customer, or they are sick of people not having enough coin.
I’ve noticed this in Toronto as well. It seems to be among the more upscale places. The menu just says “10” instead of “$10.00”. You still add the 13% tax afterwards, so it can’t be to get to an even amount. I think it’s just more artistic or discreet or something.
It’s everywhere now–just another trendy way to attempt a “cutting edge” appearance for those upscale places. Especially now when there’s less discretionary cash flowing for most people, they have to justify the higher prices one way or another, and by eliminating the “.00” they are hoping people will buy into the ideology that “this food is so good that price doesn’t matter.”
It’s mostly upscale places around Fort Worth, too. In fact, if I go someplace that advertises “breakfast and lunch like your mother and grandmother made”, the prices will end in .99, and I’ll probably be able to pay for my lunch with a tenner and get change back. Depending on the meal, a ten dollar bill might cover both lunch AND the tip.
If the restaurant lists prices with just the dollar amount, though, I’ll be lucky to get a dinner for less than thirty five bucks a person…and that’s without any alcoholic drinks on the bill.
In some places, restaurants charge different tax rates depending on circumstances. For example, in Ohio, a restaurant charges about 7% sales tax if you eat the food at the restaurant, but 0% sales tax for take-away. So if a restaurant put $9.35 on the menu because that would be $10 even with sales tax, it would still be an odd amount for customers buying that as take-out.