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Moving to another country can be really challenging because of language and cultural barriers. However, migrating to another place is a pretty common thing nowadays, especially when we have all the means to prepare for it: learn the language, learn more about the place, ask for recommendations or find people who can help us through our journey. The possibilities of finding out more about a certain country are endless. However, people cannot be prepared for everything, and that’s where the fun begins. Getting lost and experiencing culture shock is how people learn to adapt to a new place.

Living in another country means that you find something new every day and it is exciting to share your findings with others. Having this in mind, American TikTok user @kayywuerf started sharing videos of what differences she has experienced since she moved to Australia.

More Info: TikTok

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Francis
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i once asked (on BP?) why you put on a price without taxes and someone told me, so you can compare prices without the changing taxes in the differnt states.. but if a product costs 5$ with taxes and 6$ with taxes in a different state, i don't gaf that the taxes are different? it is just more expensive in state b? wth?

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Devil's Advocate
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whatever the reason, whatever way you spin it, I'M IN THIS STORE, I WANT TO KNOW THE PRICE IN IN THIS STORE. Changing the price later is stupid and again, only in America.

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Donny Cromwell
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One of the reasons why I think some people hate taxes so much in America is because it's constantly being rubbed in your face how much you pay in taxes. I think it's done on purpose

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2BX
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Never did she ever say please give me x plus tax no one ever says that

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tiari
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I never understood why they don't put BOTH prices on the labels. That's what wholesales do in Germany.

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Lisa Christina
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in America.... there is no tax on food. Unless it's already cooked or prepared. No tax on PB for sure .I DO wish all advertised prices included taxes and fees though. Especially phone, cable and cars!

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Jo Davies
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This was introduced in South Africa 20 odd years ago. Before that we had add 13% in our heads before we got to the till. And not everything was taxed, ie white bread was while brown wasn't. Shopping was a guessing game.

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Chris Simons
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2 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some states don't charge tax on groceries. Some states are poorer than others so they don't charge as much taxes. The difference between 5% and 6% is not 1% it's 1- 5/6 = 16.7 % which is a huge amount of money.

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Michael Donaghy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How is it as a British person I've gone 34 years of life not knowing the US did this? Wow, what a crazy world we live in. My reality is changed in an instant xD

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Michael Donaghy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

how is it I've gone 34 years of life not knowing the US did this? (British, never travelled to US)

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Andreas Deml
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why does she need to ask her husband for money? I thought we aren't living in 19th century anymore.

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Myriam Ickx
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Guess what? I live in Belgium, and here, not only does the price include tax, but ON TOP they also indicate the price per kilo (yes, we use the metric system, cool) for most food products, so you can easily compare two brands, for instance. Isn't life simple and beautiful outside of America?

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Talie Bocci
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We don't have sales tax in Oregon -- the price on the product is the price you pay. And it IS easier.

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Mike Flodin
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's like that with everything you buy, except food and medicine, and cars are taxed whether it's new or used, from a dealer or private. If you buy a car for $39 995 that's an additional $3 000 sales tax on top of that, where I live. Then there is sales tax applied, on the sale price, every time it's sold. Lot of taxes on a car before it dies.

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Lisa Chambers
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Taxes change from county to county here. I have lived in Europe where something is the exact price you see. This doesnt bother me.

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Michael S
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Too dumb to understand that in the US, product prices and tax rates vary from city, county, and state regions, so it isn't practical to include the taxes."

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Jennifer Braun
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Taxes aren't just different by state either - they can differ within the state depending what county or city you're purchasing in, just to make it more confusing! LOL.

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Jamie Edwards
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's actually because sales tax isn't technically paid by the customer. It is paid by the seller.

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K. Anderson
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Food in the US isn’t taxed unless is prepared when you buy it- restaurants. If you bought peanut butter at the store & the price said $3.99 that’s is exactly what you would pay!!

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CCLoos
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It depends on where you buy it. Unprepared food like peanut butter is taxed in Georgia, not taxed in Pennsylvania. Soft drinks or juices with less than 25% natural fruit juice are taxed in PA. So the laws are all over the place.

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More Thinking Needed
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The sale price of goods and services includes a 10% tax in Australia. Tax rate in US is between 2.5% and 7.5% in US depending on the state, county, or city.

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Erik Granqvist
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Sweden stores has to clearly mark if the price is without tax - and they can only do it if they mainly sell to companies. On the usual supermarket/mall it is the price on the shelf that stands. You can report them - and the store would be shewed out by the authorities if they tried to put on tax at the checkout.

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Donna Leske
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm in WA state, no tax on food except for a few excluded items. Same in California.

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Maryanna Baldridge
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in Oregon and there is no sales tax. It is one of my favorite things about living here instead of California.

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Kaymie Wuerfel is a 23-year-old American who has moved to Australia. She moved to Sydney from Florida in 2020 after she got married to an Australian. On her TikTok, she shares funny and short videos where most of the time, she recreates everyday situations. For example, one of her video series is called “Things I Had To Learn Working At An Aussie School”. Since she’s a school teacher, Kaymie shared how she first struggled with understanding certain things kids say.

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Robert T
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not just Australia. True of pretty much everywhere EXCEPT America.

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Jo Choto
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep, still pretty common, even in places where the weather is not great, like the UK, because the cost of running a tumble dryer is excessive.

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In her video series “Culture shocks: moving to Australia from America”, Kaymie shares her reactions to things that are considered normal in Australia and are handled differently in the United States. Besides learning some new meanings of words, she also had to adjust to the fact that refills are not free and grocery bags and sauce at a fast-food restaurant cost something, too.

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Foxxy (The Original)
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She is probably talking about soft drinks aka soda coz tap water refills are free in Australia.

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Jo Choto
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still can't believe that I cannot make direct transfers to anyone's US bank account from my US bank account, but it's true.

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Robert T
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Been the same in the UK for many years now. Bring your own bags or pay for them, your choice.

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Through her journey of getting to know her new home, the woman shared some positive things she learned throughout time. Kaymie was pleasantly surprised to find out that in case a person needs medical help, their bills are covered by Medicare—a national health insurance program. In the United States, there is no one health care program as it consists of private and public health coverage. In one of her videos, she also revealed that she didn’t know Australians don’t leave tips for waiters as they get a proper salary.

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Jo Choto
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They have cameras. They'll catch you. I wish I pay at the pump but here in UK, my local gas station requires me to fill up and then go in and pay. Never seen anybody do a runner.

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Caro Caro
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Health food section HA HA HA, doesn't have as much sugar as in the USA.

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These TikTok videos became viral as people were very interested in the differences between Australia and the United States. It is also a great way to see things from a different perspective and learn something new in an entertaining way. Which one of these “shocks” is your favorite? Leave your thoughts in the comments down below!

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Foxxy (The Original)
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a no. The yeah is to say we heard what your saying and the nah is to disagree with what you said. I am terrible with this and say it all the time. But also for another reason, indecisiveness lol.

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Foxxy (The Original)
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Many people don't realise that US Target has absolutely no affiliation with Australian Target in any way.

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Robert T
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Had to Google it! "It's Australia's Secret Umami Bomb. That's right. It's salt—made out of chicken."

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John Urbanski
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just like in Pennsylvania. Only recently is beer available in some supermarkets. Not in 7 eleven, CVS or gas stations.

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Foxxy (The Original)
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Business at the front, party in the back. I personally think mullets look bloody awful. But each to their own.

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Robert T
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You're likely to get your face rearranged if you try that anywhere other than Australia ;-)

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