Payment methods in the US

[Pwolf]

huh, looks like min wage has gone up a bit since I was last making it around 3 years ago

Its been going up every year... It'll be $7.25 next August.


Pwolf

[8bit_samurai]

huh, looks like min wage has gone up a bit since I was last making it around 3 years ago

Its been going up every year... It'll be $7.25 next August.


Pwolf

The minimum wage in Alaska is $7.15 if I remember correctly. Although the town where I live you'll start off at least $11.00 per hour at the place I work, no matter the position.

Whenever I go into the big cities I take my check/debit card and take out at least $50.00 at an airport ATM and try to have that much, though not more that $100.00 on me at all times. So far it has worked for me, but then again I never been out of Alaska yet :/

[Mithroch]

huh, looks like min wage has gone up a bit since I was last making it around 3 years ago

Its been going up every year... It'll be $7.25 next August.


Pwolf

Well... the last two years at least. It hadn't gone up in like 10 years before that. Old guys like me remember when it was $3.35/hr. *shakes cane menacingly at all the youngsters... especially Koop

I'm not sure if this is still the practice (perhaps part of the earlier mentioned law suit changed it)... but it used to be that employers could pay half wages to those that earned tips so long as the wage + tips >= minimum wage. The idea was that it would help restaurants keep their costs down as well as provide servers with extra incentive to do their jobs well.

[Nessephanie]

Yeah, here it canada it differs as well for different provinces, but the minimum wage is between $7.75 and $8.75 per hour.

Orwell: I ment they get paid a lower minimum wage then here in Canada, so they have to rely more on their tips. :3

[godix]

Here's some things any tourist visiting America should know:

Yes, we Americans love our guns, but even so when we say 'shoot' we're just using slang. It means 'speak'. You can quit ducking and looking around for a gunman in panic. Rest assured that if we really want to shoot you then we won't give any warning. You'll be blissful in your ignorance of danger right up to the point when your brains get splattered all over the wall.

Speaking of getting shot, make sure you have all your medical needs taken care of before entering the US cause god knows you won't get your medical needs taken care while you're here. Unless your 'medical needs' are ativan or other controlled substances. In that case you can get your needs taken care of at almost any street corner in the country without even needed a prescription.

Don't talk to Americans about politics. We don't care and might think you're one of those worthless fancy ass college educated intellectual bastards. The only reason we know there are other countries besides the US is that all our products are stamped 'Made in (some shithole of a country here)'. So don't even try mentioning the UN, Darfur, Israel, Iran, Georgia, etc; we just don't give a damn. As for US politics, well, there's a reason less than 50% of us bother to vote.

A fag is not a cigarette. Don't ask anyone to lend you one. There's a slim but very disturbing chance someone might actually lend you a fag to use.

It's pronounced 'zee' not 'zed'. On a similar note, when writing just delete about half the of the letter Us in your words. It doesn't matter which U's you delete, even if you don't end up with the right spelling for American English you'll still probably be closer to correct than American high school students get.

If you aren't in New York City then don't ask about public transit. It doesn't exist. Sure, we pretend there's some elsewhere but trust me, it doesn't fucking exist.

Despite what our media shows, 'What's up nigger' is not a proper greeting unless you yourself happen to be a nigger.

The Dukes of Hazard lies, our police are nothing like that. Go rewatch the Rodney King beating if you want an accurate representation of our police.

Remember that this nation was founded by Puritans. You should be very careful about where you have oral sex, sodomy or other perversions that most Americans couldn't name but know when they see it.

Bring your own beer, ours taste like piss. Especially if you only tip 10%. Then there is a decent chance that half your beer really is waiter piss.



And to answer your actual questions:

Cash is perfectly fine for anything below several hundred dollars, at least for the types of items a tourist would be buying.

There is tax on almost everything and it isn't covered in the listed price but will be rung up at the register (cigarettes and gas are the two exceptions, both of those cover taxes in the listed price). Tax varies from area to area but make it easy for yourself, just mentally add 10% to the price. That's usually in the right ballpark.

Some small mom and pop places add a few percent surcharge for credit cards but there will be a sign saying so because most stores do not. I have yet to see a national chain store that does this.

Food is also taxed, in fact you'll find that generally restaurants are taxed higher than products are. One cheap bastard idea that can help save money is to find the local walmart and pick up semi-healthy snack foods. That way you aren't paying restaurant prices for every single meal. To avoid plane hassles you might want to consider leaving deodorant/shampoo/toothbrush/etc at home and picking those sort of things up at the walmart while grabbing some snacks.

If you sit down and someone comes to your table to serve you then leave a tip of 15% or 20% rounded up to the nearest dollar. If you're with a group of 8 or more you can assume the tip is included in the bill. Other than that do not leave a tip. There are some other times that tips are accepted (bartender or coffee shop for example) but those places give you a subtle hint via a bowl with the word 'TIPS' written on it in a 50 point font and it's far less a social convention that you automatically tip at those places anyway.

[BasharOfTheAges]

A few things that never got mentioned:

It's a breach of contract between the credit card company and a vendor to charge you more to use a card (this comes up at just about every con i've been to). It's also illegal for a store to charge a credit card processing fee in many states even though the merchant has to pay one - giving a "discount to cash-paying customers" is the same thing as charging a credit card fee and is just as illegal (where it is illegal) and can end a merchant's ability to accept credit cards when they're been exposed.

Certain things like car rental, hotel stays, and airfare require a credit card in many cities. If these establishments have invested significant capital in their rental property, they want to be sure they have a recourse if you ruin it (i.e. being able to ruin you financially). It's usually a function of city/state law and "how nice it is" for hotels.

[guy07]

Hahaha, godix i never knew you could be funny. Good stuff.

[Koopiskeva]

Well... the last two years at least. It hadn't gone up in like 10 years before that. Old guys like me remember when it was $3.35/hr. *shakes cane menacingly at all the youngsters... especially Koop

Why are you shaking your cane at me? I never once said how much I made as a Server, nor did I say when either. |:

[Mithroch]

Well... the last two years at least. It hadn't gone up in like 10 years before that. Old guys like me remember when it was $3.35/hr. *shakes cane menacingly at all the youngsters... especially Koop

Why are you shaking your cane at me? I never once said how much I made as a Server, nor did I say when either. |:

Random target in the throng... and perhaps senility...
Who R U?

[guy07]

My advice in the end: IOU's