Shopping Places in the United States
Shopping in USA is a great pleasure - if you have money for it. Otherwise, window shopping is a lot of fun. America is the birthplace of the shopping mall, and suburbs in particular have miles and miles of strip malls
Major retail
America is the birthplace of the shopping mall, and suburbs in particular have miles and miles of strip malls, or long rows of small shops with shared parking lots, usually built along a high-capacity road (the "strip"). Large cities still maintain central shopping districts that can be navigated on public transport, but pedestrian-friendly shopping streets are uncommon and usually small.
Garage Sales
On weekends, it is not uncommon to find families selling no longer needed household items in their driveway, garage, or yard. If you see a driveway full of stuff on a Saturday, it's likely a garage sale. Check it out; one person's trash may just be your treasure. Bargaining is expected and encouraged.
Flea Markets
Flea markets (called "swap meets" in Western states) have dozens if not hundreds of vendors selling all kinds of usually inexpensive merchandise. Some flea markets are highly specialized and aimed at collectors of a particular sort; others just sell all types of items. Again, bargaining is expected.
Auctions
Americans did not invent the auction but may well have perfected it. The fast paced, sing-song cadence of a country auctioneer, selling anything from farm animals to estate furniture, is a special experience, even if you have no intention of buying. In big cities head to the auction chambers of Christie's or Sotheby's auctioneers, and watch paintings, antiques and works of art be sold in a matter of minutes at prices that go into the millions.
Sales tax in the United States
There is no nation-wide sales tax (such as VAT or GST), the only exception being gasoline. As a result, state/local taxes on major purchases cannot be refunded by customs agents upon leaving the United States.
However, most states have a sales tax, ranging from 2.9% to nearly 10% of the retail price; 4-6% is typical. Sales tax is almost never included in posted prices (except for gasoline, and in most states, alcoholic beverages consumed on-premises), but instead will be calculated and added to the total when you pay. Groceries and a variety of other "necessities" are usually exempt, but almost any other retail transaction – including restaurant meals – will have sales tax added to the total. Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no sales tax; Alaska has no state sales tax, but allows local governments to collect sales taxes. Regional price variations, indirect hotel and business taxes, etc. will usually have more impact on a traveler's wallet than the savings of seeking out a low-sales-tax or no-sales-tax destination. Many cities also impose sales taxes, and certain cities have tax zones near airports and business districts that are designed to exploit travelers. Thus, sales taxes can vary up to 2% in a matter of a few miles.
Cost of Living in the United States
Unless you live in Europe or Japan, the United States is generally expensive, but there are ways to limit the damage. Many Europeans come to the United States for shopping (especially electronics). While prices in the United States are lower than in many European countries, keep in mind that you will be charged taxes/tariffs on goods purchased abroad. As such, the savings you may find shopping in the United States may be negated upon your return. A barebones budget for camping, hostels, and cooking your food could be $30-50/day, and you can double that if you stay at motels and eat at cheap cafes. Add on a rental car and hotel accommodation and you'll be looking at $150/day and up. There are regional variations too: large cities like New York and Los Angeles are expensive, while prices go down in the countryside.
If you intend to visit any of the National Parks Service sites, such as the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Park, it is worth considering the purchase of a National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. This costs $80 and gives access to almost all of the federally administered parks and recreation areas for one year. Considering the price of admission to many parks is at least $20 each, if you visit more than a few of them, the pass will be the cheaper solution.
Many hotels and motels offer discounts for members of certain organizations which anyone can join, such as AAA (formerly the American Automobile Association). If you're a member, or are a member of a club affiliated with AAA (such as the Canadian Automobile Association, The Automobile Association in the UK, or ADAC in Germany), it's worth asking at check-in.
Tipping
Tipping in America is widely used and expected. While Americans themselves often debate correct levels and exactly who deserves to be tipped, generally accepted standard rates are:
Full-service restaurants: 15-20%
Taxi drivers, hairdressers, other personal services: 10-15%
Bartenders: $1 per drink if inexpensive or 15% of total
Bellhops: $1-2 per bag ($3-5 minimum regardless)
Hotel doorman: $1 per bag (if they assist), $1 for calling a cab
Shuttle bus drivers: $2-5 (optional)
Private car & limousine drivers: 15-20%
Housekeeping in hotels: $1-2 per day for long stays or $5 minimum for very short stays (optional)
Food delivery (pizza, etc.): $2-5, possibly more for very large orders
bicycle messengers: $3-5
The important one here is restaurants. Theoretically, tipping waiters is optional, but in practice you should always leave a tip. In almost every state the minimum wage for waiters and waitresses is significantly lower than that for other jobs (maybe $3/hr rather than the standard $6.80/hr) and thus tips are the majority of a waiter's income. The rest of the service staff may also depend on their share of the tip as well. If you receive exceptionally poor service and the manager does not correct the problem when you bring it to their attention, a deliberately small tip (one or two coins) will express your displeasure more clearly than leaving no tip at all.
Tips are normally left as cash at the table when you leave (there is no need to hand it over personally or wait until it's collected), but if paying by credit card you can sometimes add it directly to the charge slip when you sign it. For larger parties (sometimes over 6, almost always over 10) it is common for "gratuity" of 18% or so to be added to the bill and included in the total. In this case, an extra tip is not necessary. This will be stated somewhere on the menu, but you should also review the bill carefully before paying to determine whether or not the tip is already included.
Tipping is not expected at restaurants (such as fast-food chains) where patrons stand at a counter to place their order and receive their food. Some such restaurants may have a "tip jar" by the cash register, which may be used at the customer's discretion in appreciation of good service. Some tipping at a cafeteria or buffet is expected since the wait staff often clears the table for you and provides refills of drinks and such.
Unlike in other countries, certain individuals are not customarily tipped. Doctors and dentists, for example, do not accept tips. Additionally, one should NEVER try to offer any kind of tip to a government employee of any kind, especially police officers; this could be construed as attempted bribery (a felony offense) and might cause serious legal problems.
Information on this page may be printed out for your use when you visit USA.
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