Indeed, but this is completely baffling to anyone in Europe. Simple example:
In the US, if I have $5 in my pocket, I can't go to a store and buy a thing that's listed as costing $5.00, because at the cash register some more money has magically appeared on the bill.
In Europe on the other hand, you pay at the register the exact amount that is on the price sticker.
And yes, I know the difference is due to taxes not being included in the sticker price, but why oh god why is it up to me to do weird math to figure out if I actually have enough $$$ to pay for what I'd like to have.
> why is it up to me to do weird math to figure out if I actually have enough $$$ to pay for what I'd like to have.
Well, one reason is: to make you aware of the tax burden (and judge if that % is kept at a reasonable level), rather than hiding it in the total price.
It also seems to have nasty incentives, I've never heard of people talking about taxes so much before moving to the US. Here everybody is afraid of taxes going up, and people who support Sanders' ideas are not voting for him because "he is going to raise the taxes".
But in my opinion it's backward, instead of being up-front about costs, they are HIDING costs. I can still see how much taxes is taken when I get a receipt in France for example, it's just not hidden from you at the beginning of the transaction.
And yes, I know the difference is due to taxes not being included in the sticker price, but why oh god why is it up to me to do weird math to figure out if I actually have enough $$$ to pay for what I'd like to have.