this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2023
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It's not the figure that's the problem, but the fact that Americans have been forced to accept this sort of casual deception in how the price of a standard good is advertised. Why is it okay that getting gas for "$3.50" per gallon (to quote the most visible price, which everyone will mention in conversation and mentally reference for comparison) is actually very slightly less than $3.51 per gallon? Just post the correct bloody price, in a clear and unambiguous manner, without faffing around with extra decimals that everyone mentally filters out anyway. It's stupid.
Same deal with American businesses consistently citing pre-tax (and where relevant, pre-tup) prices. Just tell people what the fuck they are actually going to pay, instead of agreeing that literally everyone has to make their pricing an exercise in consumer deception or be beaten out by everyone else's smaller-looking-but-actually-identical prices.
This whole thing is just another tiny window into why unregulated markets suck.
It's scummy but not a scam
Personally, I like the pre-tax amounts displayed. I should know that I am paying 10 dollars for a shirt and that the government is taking an extra dollar. Rather than just being told, the shirt costs 11 dollars. Price tag saying 10+1 would be fine, but tax should always be displayed. Taxes shouldn't be hidden.