Keep the customer satisfied

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


It's only been a short while that we have had the sales tax.

Really ?

I'm sure I recall paying any number of additional taxes on top of the advertised prices when I was in Canada- and that's more than ten years ago now.

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi

It's only been a short while that we have had the sales tax.

Snort

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi And many of the things that I buy have had the tax included in the price.

Gottaforinstance

[Wezil]

Originally posted by molly bloom
Don't know many Scots, then do you ? Otherwise you'd know even they joke about the legendary pecuniary parsimonious of the Scotsman.

And given the history of anti-semitism in Christian Europe and its relationship to one of the few roles a Jew was allowed to fill in Christian society, you're way off base in your absurd comparison.

I live in Canada, hence I know plenty of Scots.

Guess what? They aren't all cheap.

Face it Molly, you tossed out a stereotype that would be offensive if used against others. Be a big man and admit it.

edit: corrected the quote

[KrazyHorse]

Even Canadian Tire has that Scottish dude on its money to represent frugality...

[Garth Vader]

Originally posted by notyoueither


There are people who do not have to pay GST. Treaty Indians where the goods are delivered to the reserve are exempt.

It doesn't come up for hamburgers, but it does come up in transactions for large amounts of money.

They also don't pay PST on any purchases on or off reserve.

[rah]

Hmmm, one person uses someone elses negative bias to say it's ok and another person claims it's ok since they use it among themselves.

Neither excuse is legitimate. It's a negative stereotype that is not PC these days.

A lot of black call each other ******s, but I don't expect to be doing the same even if it must be ok.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Wezil


I live in Canada, hence I know plenty of Scots.

Guess what? They aren't all cheap.

Face it Molly, you tossed out a stereotype that would be offensive if used against others. Be a big man and admit it.

Did I say all Scots were 'cheap' ?

No, I didn't.

Why not quote exactly what I said, rather than make things up, or make ludicrous comparisons with anti-semitism ?

Still, I suppose Scots people must be really- oh what's that ghastly phrase ? 'Self-oppressive'- to boast about their thriftiness or parsimony, eh ?

It was respect of the brutal nature of life that led Scots to an unfrivolous approach to life, reflected in parsimony as a virtue.

http://www.scotlandmag.com/issue/4/from_the_editor/104

...my Scottish parsimony took over...

http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/agriculture/entomology/beekeeping/bee-l/log9408.txt

In their daily life the common people, especially in the countryside, still retain much of the old parsimony.

Blaeu Atlas of Scotland, 1654

William McKaig
Chief Technician, Geology Department

Billy McKaig was born in Scotland and, although he lived in Belfast for most of his life, he still valued his Scottish roots...

For the conservation of the Department's funds, he always practised stern parsimony with regard to the acquisition and use of laboratory equipment, chemicals etc - a trait which, he often joked, was ingrained by his Scottish upbringing. If a student or colleague required to have purchased say three particualr items, Billy's response would be 'two would be enough'!

http://www.qub.ac.uk/home/Alumni/AlumniServices/Publications/AlumniMagazine/Obituaries/

From Hansard :

Mr. Martin O'Neill (Ochil): People talk of Calton hill's associations, but we should recognise that most Scots before 1978-79 associated it with the parsimony, the lack of public-spiritedness and the civic duty of a certain section of the Scottish people. I was brought up as a youngster in Edinburgh to believe that it was Scotland's disgrace, not a place of national celebration.

http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo980112/debtext/80112-16.htm

Wha's like us ?

...my Scottish parsimony always led me to buy cars about two years old as I wouldn't cough up for the first year's depreciation.

Being a frugal Scot I like to try to sort out any obvious faults beforehand, the most obvious check being the brake pads.

http://porsche968uk.co.uk/968-articles/boyhood-dream.htm

Legendary Scottish aristos:

...his nickname of ‘Lord Skinflint’ was well earned. His rental system of 19-year leases was both oppressive and shortsighted. While it yielded quick returns, it stifled improvement of the land…failure to pay dues to the last farthing meant eviction.

George’s romantic involvements were as legendary as his parsimony, earning him a second nickname: ‘The Wicked Earl’.

from that well-known anti-Scots rag:

The Magazine for North-east Scotland

http://www.leopardmag.co.uk/feats/33/haddo-the-house-with-the-outstretched-arms

Still I only grew up with Scots neighbours and schoolmates, listening to Scots joking about other Scots and the cultural traits of Scots, so what would I know ?

Or indeed, what would those Scots know about themselves ?

Neither excuse is legitimate.

Who says it's an excuse ?

I suppose then if Scots boast about their frugality, they're engaging in what ? 'Racist' stereotyping of themselves ?

One person's frugality is another person's parsimony.

[SpencerH]

Mmmmm, parsimony's are good eats!

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by SpencerH
Mmmmm, parsimony's are good eats!

But fine words butter no parsnips.

On the other hand, variety is the spice of life.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

Federally, this should be mandated. It has everything to do with honesty, if we all know 7% is being added to the price of items, it should be on the damn price tag.

Oh please! When you are advertising something across the US, it isn't feasible to include the price for every state based on each state's sales tax. So you show the base price. State taxes get added on depending on the state. Hell, cities down here have their own seperate sales taxes. That would make it even more messy!

That, and paying extra for tax shows you, obviously, EXACTLY where your money is being taken from (which is why the payroll tax sucks. Most people don't realize how much is taken in taxes.

I would have thought, regardless of tax, a nationally set base price for any given product would be less than optimum. The cost of living and average income varies from state to state, no?

Also, much of the national advertising I see here does not state the price of the product in the advert or campaign anyway. So explicitly stating price is not a pre-requisite for a campaign.

[Boris Godunov]

Specials sales often do state the price in advertisements here, however. It's part of the draw.

[Dauphin]

People are being drawn to a stated price, but that is not the price paid. That advertising strikes me as wrong in itself (even in light of the complete acceptance that the price paid is going to be greater than the stated price)

[Boris Godunov]

People here generally understand that any stated price won't include tax. It's an automatic assumption for any item--better calculate the tax to get the actual price.

Now that I live in a state with no sales tax, I find myself having to remember not to allow for tax. For instance, when I got to a restaurant, I would habitually calculate what my meal would be including tax and then tip. But when I get the bill here, there's no tax, so I have to recalculate what I should pay...

[Gibsie]

Wow, such a long thread over something so minor. I agree, tis silly to display the pre-tax price. Plus it sucks having small feet.

But retailers often do things that make no sense. I recall one time where I went out to buy a memory card for my PS2, there were no official ones in stock so I got a cheap third-party one. It did not work, at all. After wasting all that time of mine to go to town twice and test the blasted thing, I took it back and was told that they'd had lots of problems with them and they just don't work. The guy at the counter happily refunded me my money, and I noticed he was standing in front of a large display of the items. So I asked him, if he KNOWS that none of them don't work, why don't they remove the display he's standing in front of. You'd think I'd asked him why he doesn't stick his head in a bee hive from his reaction. "computer says no"

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Actually, I was very kind and cooperative with the salespeople even when they couldn't find the first shoes that I picked.

Everyone always thinks that about themselves. From what you wrote in your OP, though, even I could tell you were being difficult.