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Stephen Sprunk

On 22-Jan-12 16:14, wrote:
On 22/01/2012 21:52, Stephen Sprunk wrote:
There's also the time it takes to count the customer's money and, if
applicable, make change. This is particularly bad in the US since taxes
are not included in the price, so the total due is rarely known before
the order is rung up.

Why is that, I wonder?

I have many theories, but I suspect it probably comes down to some
obscure quirk of law that no politician is interested in fixing.

Regardless of cause, the simple matter is that the vast majority of
customers do not know the amount due until the cashier rings up their
entire order. Then, either the cashier has to wait while the customer
counts out the exact amount, or the customer has to wait while the
cashier counts out the change. Either way, all the _other_ customers in
line must wait. This is a non-trivial problem for retailers.

For instance, four items are priced $1.99, $2.99, $3.99 and $4.99. Most
people can, with a little difficult, figure out the subtotal is $13.96.
Without assistance, though, few people can multiply that by a tax rate
of 8.25%* to calculate the tax due of $1.15, for a total of $15.11.
Worse, some** items are tax-exempt, so the total could be any of $13.96,
$14.12, $14.21, $14.29, $14.37, $14.45, $14.54, $14.62, $14.70, $14.78,
$14.87, $14.95 or $15.11. Yikes!

Contrast this with using a payment card: the customer simply swipes
their card, signs a slip or enters their PIN (if above the merchant's
floor), and departs with their purchases.

(* What it happens to be where I live; it varies widely by location.
** What items are tax-exempt may not be obvious and varies by location.)

Here in many (if not all) parts of Europe, the price that you pay for
something already has relevant taxes figured in.

That way seems more logical. It's certainly more efficient.

S

--
Stephen Sprunk "God does not play dice." --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723 "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking