Posted on 05/22/2007 5:43:46 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Yup, York’s is still there. They used to be down on the corner years ago, then they moved to almost directly across from the movie theater. Same guy still works there. He said last August that I looked familiar and I told him I’d been coming to Maine every summer of my life and hitting his bookstore every summer since I was about 9. I always get a few new books there to read out on the wharf.
I’ve been to Woodstock a few times, none real recently though. We used to go to a carnival there if it coincided with our vacation. My mom’s family has a camp on a lake not too far from Houlton.
You would have to peg the value of a bag of magic beans to the dollar and then convert, just as the value of the peso is pegged to the dollar.
"Ripping off" is a stronger term than I would use. He's in the pizza business, not the currency exchange business, and he has better things to do than constantly recalculate the exchange rate. Consider it a convenience fee, because if you're spendng 5-10% more pesos than you could get if you exchange money at the bank, it's worth it not to hassle with going to the bank.
Not to mention that if you exchange currencies at the places along the border, or at a check-cashing store, they *will* rip you off. Currency exchange is a profit center for them.
I've dealt with this in many countries. Almost everyone will accept the dollar or euro. You just have to be willing to surrender it on their terms which are usually worse than you would get at a bank.
Best advice I've ever gotten -- unless you're going someplace really remote, just use an ATM or a credit card cash advance when you arrive. The airport money changers will give you the least advantageous rates, and your bank -- which is already holding your money -- will give you the most advantageous rates to keep you happy. I just strolled up to the first ATM I saw in Bangkok with English instructions, and got about 44 baht/dollar, when the rate in the paper was 42 and the airport stands were paying about 38.
So if you buy a $10 pizza, you'll pay the equivalent of $11. Waiting in line at the bank takes more than $1 of my time. And I don't know if banks give their best rates to folks who aren't account-holders, or even if they do the exchanges at all for folks who aren't their customers.
I wonder what the law is on this?
For what it’s worth, my state (CA) explicitly provides for sales tax on foreign currencies, as I’d wager do other states:
“Tax is measured in United States dollars based on the conversion rate of the foreign currency as of the date of the contract for the sale.” (Source, State Board of Equalization)
And if you aren’t careful, you will be slipped Canadian money (worth 75% of US coinage) by clerks who don’t want to be short at the end of THEIR shift.
You may be right but I doubt it. I've done a lot of international work and a lot of it has been along international borders. I've seen the difference between those businesses that honestly aren't prepared to deal with currency exchange and those that welcome it. The latter aren't out to help you but to rob you. They know the game. As for your other suggestions I'll just consider them a public service announcement. I know the game too.
So if a pizza chain accepted payment in magic beans, presumably they'd have to kick in for the sales tax themselves, as magic beans aren't a convertabl medium of exchange. And presumably, they'd build that cost into the magic bean conversion calculation.
There is no legal requirement that a retailer add sales tax to the price. They are required to collect the tax. If you’re at a ball park or an amusement park, and you order a $4 beer, you can hand them four one-dollar bills and walk away with your beer. Or give ‘em a fin and walk a way with a beer and a buck.
That’s most common in environments when speed is key, and the prices have already been padded plenty.
It is not this guys fault. He is just capitolizing on the situation.
They're out to sell you. If I went to a Canadian restaurant and was charged more in $US than in $CDN, I would smell a rat. And then I'd decide if it was worth the conversion hassle.
I assume that most folks who cross the border as a matter of routine carry both $US and $CDN, and maybe Mexican pesos, if they range that far.
As for your other suggestions I'll just consider them a public service announcement. I know the game too.
I didn't mean to imply otherwise., Yes, it was largely a PSA for the lurkers. If you're flying from LA to Tokyo, don't buy yen in LA -- just go to the ATM at Narita.
Then you're as dumb as the day is long. Blackbird.
Yep, I think that the amnesty bill has awakened a sleeping giant.
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