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.
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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?
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.
Load More Replies...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
I never understood why they don't put BOTH prices on the labels. That's what wholesales do in Germany.
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!
I've lived in the states and they do tax food in a lot of states
Load More Replies...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.
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
how is it I've gone 34 years of life not knowing the US did this? (British, never travelled to US)
Why does she need to ask her husband for money? I thought we aren't living in 19th century anymore.
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?
We don't have sales tax in Oregon -- the price on the product is the price you pay. And it IS easier.
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.
Taxes change from county to county here. I have lived in Europe where something is the exact price you see. This doesnt bother me.
That's how it is in many other countries, in México, for example.
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.
It's actually because sales tax isn't technically paid by the customer. It is paid by the seller.
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!!
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.
Load More Replies...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.
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.
I'm in WA state, no tax on food except for a few excluded items. Same in California.
Also in Pennsylvania, no tax on food, clothing, prescriptions.
Load More Replies...I live in Oregon and there is no sales tax. It is one of my favorite things about living here instead of California.
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.
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.
She is probably talking about soft drinks aka soda coz tap water refills are free in Australia.
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.
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!
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.
This is the only Australian reference i know! (They’re flip flops ;) )
Many people don't realise that US Target has absolutely no affiliation with Australian Target in any way.
Just like in Pennsylvania. Only recently is beer available in some supermarkets. Not in 7 eleven, CVS or gas stations.
Business at the front, party in the back. I personally think mullets look bloody awful. But each to their own.
Culture shock is real. I remember going from Zimbabwe (when it was the land of pretty much nothing) to the United States (land of too much of everything) and just standing like a deer in headlights every time I went into an American store. The choice was just overwhelming.
I'm from Australia and felt like that in an American supermarket. So. Much. Everything.
Load More Replies...Australia is a wonderful country, most of the folks are really friendly and it's just a chill atmosphere, 10/10 would recommend
There’s a lot of overlap with New Zealand too, unsurprisingly.
Load More Replies...This was quite funny, the f word is a noun, consonant and vowel in this country 😂 ( yes I know what I said)
did this woman actually do any research before she moved countries? like the fact with the health care? i would research things like that before moving?!
I always like reading these articles until the comments get all LoL aMeRiKa BaD LoLllLoL like it's the height of hilarity. Trust us we *know* universal healthcare would be amazing, but politicians do basically whatever they want to line their pockets so it's really hard to make changes even when votes go the way they should
The phrase "3rd world country" has absolutely NOTHING to do with wealth or citizen health. It is simply the term given to all the countries which did not take a side during the cold war. It has now become a derogatory term for lower-income and less-developed countries.
Load More Replies...She didn't have to pay for plastic bags in the US? In California, we have for a long time...maybe her state never passed it. Honestly, all of these do not sound very shocking. Like maybe everyone yelling c*nt all the time, but other than that, did she not already know that most other countries don't do added tax or tips? Seems like it's just taking normal stuff and making posts about it just for the likes and follows, not because it's actually shocking.
This reminds me of the movie 'Heaven and Earth" that was a beautiful yet tragic movie...just the recipe for a good ole culture shock
I would love to go but based on someone else's experience even the magpies want to kill you. This dude wasnt even provoking them! They're just mean!
I want to move to New Zealand. I would be happy to be in a beautiful place where nothing happens except for looking at the beauty.
Load More Replies...Oh don't start these again BP. Oh look different countries have different practices, woohoo.
My mum came from England to the States when she was a teenager. She says there was a lot of culture shock, but pizza made up for a fair amount of it!
We have pizza and a lot of it, in the UK! It's a very popular meal/ take away...
Load More Replies...Culture shock is real. I remember going from Zimbabwe (when it was the land of pretty much nothing) to the United States (land of too much of everything) and just standing like a deer in headlights every time I went into an American store. The choice was just overwhelming.
I'm from Australia and felt like that in an American supermarket. So. Much. Everything.
Load More Replies...Australia is a wonderful country, most of the folks are really friendly and it's just a chill atmosphere, 10/10 would recommend
There’s a lot of overlap with New Zealand too, unsurprisingly.
Load More Replies...This was quite funny, the f word is a noun, consonant and vowel in this country 😂 ( yes I know what I said)
did this woman actually do any research before she moved countries? like the fact with the health care? i would research things like that before moving?!
I always like reading these articles until the comments get all LoL aMeRiKa BaD LoLllLoL like it's the height of hilarity. Trust us we *know* universal healthcare would be amazing, but politicians do basically whatever they want to line their pockets so it's really hard to make changes even when votes go the way they should
The phrase "3rd world country" has absolutely NOTHING to do with wealth or citizen health. It is simply the term given to all the countries which did not take a side during the cold war. It has now become a derogatory term for lower-income and less-developed countries.
Load More Replies...She didn't have to pay for plastic bags in the US? In California, we have for a long time...maybe her state never passed it. Honestly, all of these do not sound very shocking. Like maybe everyone yelling c*nt all the time, but other than that, did she not already know that most other countries don't do added tax or tips? Seems like it's just taking normal stuff and making posts about it just for the likes and follows, not because it's actually shocking.
This reminds me of the movie 'Heaven and Earth" that was a beautiful yet tragic movie...just the recipe for a good ole culture shock
I would love to go but based on someone else's experience even the magpies want to kill you. This dude wasnt even provoking them! They're just mean!
I want to move to New Zealand. I would be happy to be in a beautiful place where nothing happens except for looking at the beauty.
Load More Replies...Oh don't start these again BP. Oh look different countries have different practices, woohoo.
My mum came from England to the States when she was a teenager. She says there was a lot of culture shock, but pizza made up for a fair amount of it!
We have pizza and a lot of it, in the UK! It's a very popular meal/ take away...
Load More Replies...