Article

2020-05-28 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

COVID-19 'surcharges' take customers by surprise

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Posted by Besoeker 2020-05-28 07:52|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 Some prices go up, some go down. Gasoline is, or was down. Auto and truck prices are down. Air travel costs are down.

I paid nearly $9.00 per gallon for exterior cleaning bleach last week at a small hardware store. Suppliers to small hardware stores are forced to raise prices. The supplier's money is found in large volume, box store sales contracts. Just another marketing strategy the box stores use to push Mom & Pop operations out of business.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-05-28 08:06|| 2020-05-28 08:06|| Front Page Top

#2 I don't know Besoeker. From what I've observed - CV19 was a real blessing for the small stores around here.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2020-05-28 08:09|| 2020-05-28 08:09|| Front Page Top

#3 @#1- Agree, B. Impose burdensome rules on small businesses that don't have the legal & financial muscle to fight. And, so often, those fees get passed on to the angry consumer.

But I have heard about the PPE surcharge in other places as well. What can one say?

This country is "fee'd" to death.

Posted by Clem 2020-05-28 08:35|| 2020-05-28 08:35|| Front Page Top

#4 I had a friend who went to work in a lawn mower factory after college. The front office was delighted when they landed their first Walmart production contract. The annual Walmart sales increased year after year until Walmart became their largest customer. I suspect you can imagine what happened next.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-05-28 08:40|| 2020-05-28 08:40|| Front Page Top

#5 I don't see a compelling reason to put a separate freakin' Covid-19 'surcharge' on a sales receipt; just raise the price like a normal business would and be done with it.

Posted by Raj 2020-05-28 08:41|| 2020-05-28 08:41|| Front Page Top

#6 "I don’t feel that I’m required to pay that," she told a local news station in Jacksonville, Florida.

I feel your pain.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2020-05-28 09:21|| 2020-05-28 09:21|| Front Page Top

#7 Perhaps they are itemizing receipts as sales taxes are.

Or, they are making a point (doubtful, but...) about the whole COVID-19 response by gum'ment.

Posted by Clem 2020-05-28 09:24|| 2020-05-28 09:24|| Front Page Top

#8 She should of course get the money from the state as they imposed the extra costs.

I think regulators should pay the first 5 years of any regulatory costs.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2020-05-28 09:24|| 2020-05-28 09:24|| Front Page Top

#9 And people think the economy will roar back...sheer folly.

Posted by Clem 2020-05-28 09:26|| 2020-05-28 09:26|| Front Page Top

#10 Among other tragedies, the financial tragedy; American taxpayers are still paying the wages of intelligence organizations and members charged with monitoring (years in the making) events such as those in Wuhan. Yes, 9/11 redux and epic fail.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-05-28 09:31|| 2020-05-28 09:31|| Front Page Top

#11 I don't see a compelling reason to put a separate freakin' Covid-19 'surcharge' on a sales receipt

The point-of-sale (POS) system will have made that charge available. Until 'the tax' is ruled eligible or not, it ups the AR book for the business. Coded separately for extraction later.

Posted by Skidmark 2020-05-28 11:05|| 2020-05-28 11:05|| Front Page Top

#12 Skid is right.
Most states allow a business to add a surcharge for accepting credit card payments. Also known as 'pay with cash discount'.

Also, you know when you are on one of those price comparison sites, and the price listing all are similar except the one at the top is $20 less.

What a deal!

Well, except for those who dig a bit deeper and see +$30 S&H.

Me personally, I like to see how much of the cost of my tank of gas goes where.

Posted by swksvolFF 2020-05-28 12:04|| 2020-05-28 12:04|| Front Page Top

#13 I'm so desperate for a haircut that I wouldn't mind paying.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2020-05-28 13:24|| 2020-05-28 13:24|| Front Page Top

#14 86% of respondents from an American Express

That's rich. Would the Discover users like to weigh in as well?

My state doesn't allow such things; I ask if and where these charges must be displayed - 1st chance to learn about the surcharge is with the receipt is a bit shady.

Posted by swksvolFF 2020-05-28 13:53|| 2020-05-28 13:53|| Front Page Top

#15 Wait until people see the government surcharges. Think that state, local and federal governments will gracefully accept reduced budgets? Already seeing more cops out writing more tickets ... for safety of course.

Posted by Iblis 2020-05-28 14:24|| 2020-05-28 14:24|| Front Page Top

#16 Of course, Cali is attempting to repeal Prop 13, with Chinavirus adding to the repeal's "urgency".

Meanwhile, Colorado is talking about repealing the Gallagher Amendment, which is its equivalent of Prop 13 (but as a state constitution amendment of course).

Never let a crisis go to waste.

Posted by charger 2020-05-28 16:02|| 2020-05-28 16:02|| Front Page Top

#17 I’d be surprised if my dentist doesn’t add one. He upgraded his filtration system and all staff now have N-95 masks and heavier covering.

That stuff isn’t cheap.

Posted by Klem Kadiddlehopper 2020-05-28 16:16|| 2020-05-28 16:16|| Front Page Top

#18 I had a friend who went to work in a lawn mower factory after college. The front office was delighted when they landed their first Walmart production contract. The annual Walmart sales increased year after year until Walmart became their largest customer. I suspect you can imagine what happened next.

If they turned away any customers or did capital improvements because of increased business from Walmart, they screwed up. Because Walmart likely asked for price reductions that brought revenues below their operating costs, thereby driving them out of business.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2020-05-28 20:48|| 2020-05-28 20:48|| Front Page Top

#19 Me personally, I like to see how much of the cost of my tank of gas goes where.

That information is readily available. Just turn to your favorite search engine and search for it.

Posted by Graviter Gurly-Brown5390 2020-05-28 21:01|| 2020-05-28 21:01|| Front Page Top

#20 What can I say, I'm a bean counter.
On my receipt, I want to see Federal, State, County, Municipal, and Commerce Region charges, as well as Compliance Charges and Special Build Charges.

If I'm in a rural area and see a x% tax for schools, ok then. If I'm in an urban area and see a x% charge for a new water fountain, well then...

It may make a difference whether I return to a service industry, a safety surcharge (in this case, it is government mandated or else they get their license pulled - an excellent lesson in regulations being passed onto the consumer). With a major purchase like appliance or vehicle, that lower priced urban ticket may end up being more than a higher priced rural ticket without the additional charges.

Posted by swksvolFF 2020-05-28 21:40|| 2020-05-28 21:40|| Front Page Top

#21 Could also mean, f'it a couple more dollars there and I know where they spend their money compared to Big Box misers.

Posted by swksvolFF 2020-05-28 21:43|| 2020-05-28 21:43|| Front Page Top

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