The Least Useful Guide to Fukuoka

There have been some sly (clever) business practices under the name of “preparation for tax hike”. As you know, from 1^st April, our consumption tax  jump up to 8% from current 5%. Foods and everyday necessaries are not exception.

Basically, most of our daily shopping has been done on a tax-including basis (probably the government told the shops to do so). So price tags tell you exactly what you pay at the till. But recently, for the past few weeks, some supermarkets started using an excluding-tax method without noticing shoppers in advance. So, at such stores, things are  at a glance look attractive (lower priced than other stores), but you may well get shocked at the exact amount you have to pay at the till.

Let me talk about my experience. I am not blaming them, but, Sunny,a notably crafty clever merchant in the Walmart empire, is always crying  how low-priced their products are. And I believed what they said until yesterday—when I first noticed a poster saying “ズバリ! 外税”, or “YES ! tax-excluded”. It was put up at the till. No way and time to return the things in the basket, and I paid more than I expected. Maybe the difference might be negligible  if I  bought the same items at Marukyo (which is still adopting the good old tax-including system). But it is also true I felt very much swindled.They could have put the poster at the entrance or conspicuous spots so that shoppers can be prepared for the tax added at the till.

You should check the price tags to see whether tax is included.  For a while, at least until business practices related to the new tax rate have rooted down.