Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Taxman!

[billroper]

shsilver left tonight's Cubs game after the seventh inning stretch. Absent his conversation, I only made it to the end of the inning before heading home. I didn't miss much.

daisy_knotwise had asked me to pick up some Tilex on the way home, so I ran by the Jewel. I also picked up a few containers of yogurt and some rice pudding that was on sale. And since soda was still on sale and the sales tax rate goes from the food rate to the general merchandise rate tomorrow, I decided it was an opportune time to fill 'er up.

I went to the self-checkout. The woman next to the register suggested that I should use the other self-checkout lane with the belt, because it would be "easier". I pointed out that it would not be easier, because I intended to scan one carton of soda five times, rather than removing each of the identical cartons from the cart and replacing them. She said, "But then I have to press a button."

I said, "Yes, that's correct," and proceeded to use the self-checkout lane that I'd intended to use in the way that I'd intended to use it. And she did press the button in reasonably good time.

Easier for who, I wonder. Well, no, I don't actually.

Anyway, I carefully studied the receipt and the amount of sales tax on it was way too large for what I'd just bought. So off I went to the Service Desk, where I mentioned to the nice lady there that the amount of tax was clearly wrong, because the sales tax rate doesn't go up until tomorrow, She agreed that was true and we spent five minutes futzing around with it before she finally decided to just scan a pack of soda and see what came up for tax.

It was clearly ten percent, which was clearly wrong. Apparently someone had decided to enter the new rate and go home.

They finally ended up giving me all of the tax on the purchase back.

Which was nice of them. I would have settled for what I didn't owe the State of Illinois.

Comments

[madfilkentist]

I'd say it was nice of them to make up for the aggravation they put you through by waiving the sales tax. But I get the feeling that it was more because they were terrified of calculating the difference than out of any desire to put things right.

[docstrange.livejournal.com]

Which was nice of them. I would have settled for what I didn't owe the State of Illinois.


You owe the State of Illinois all of it - they're just nice enough to only take 10%. >-)

Soon we get to see whether economists are right that avoidance of a 10% tax is about the "go" point for the formation of black market economies. It's good the UofC crew has a front row seat for this one - we're sure to get better quality papers.

[phillip2637.livejournal.com]

"But then I have to press a button."

This sounds disturbingly like a Futurama episode come true, or maybe all of them.

[samwinolj.livejournal.com]

Indiana and Wisconsin grocery stores, especially the ones near the border, are about to get a nice little boost in their customer base--liquor stores even more so.

[carolf.livejournal.com]

Ten percent on FOOD? How ... regressive.

What's going on in Illinois these days? Or do I not want to know?

[billroper]

It's only ten percent on evil food. That includes soda (whether sweetened with sugar or the fake stuff, because apparently flavored no-calorie water is evil), candy (unless it contains flour, in which case your Twix bar is apparently a "cookie"), and anything else that the legislature thought they could get away with.

Of course, God forbid you should eat in a restaurant. Then the tax is frequently higher than ten percent.

[birder2.livejournal.com]

You don't want to know.