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Regardless, it still only accounts for about 7% of sales.
I'm still thinking that would put revenue well north of $18 million. Georgia's total sales tax take was $10 billion last year, roughly half of which was distributed to local governments. 7% of that would be $70 million.
I would think the state would gain perhaps $50 million from an 8% tax on online shopping (it already covers a few retailers, and probably wouldn't be able to cover all).
^They aren't counting Amazon b/c the lack of a nexus in the state for now until next year when the next part of the bill goes in effect which is why those estimates are low.
UT estimate from online shopping (AJC article below):
Quote:
In Georgia alone, a 2009 University of Tennessee estimate projected the state would lose as much as $455.5 million in uncollected sales tax from online purchases in 2012.
This likely includes all online shopping including smaller online stores w/o a great way to remit sales tax.
Personally, I spend a lot online shopping. My Amazon bill alone is at least 4-5k since I buy several computers/tablets/electronics yr and even do my clothing shopping online as much as possible.
Online sales tax
Some companies that collect it in Georgia
Home Depot, Macy’s, Best Buy — because they also have physical stores in the state
Companies that do not collect it in Georgia
Amazon.com — because it has no “physical presence,” stores in buildings, here
Overstock.com — is ending click-through ads on Georgia-based business websites to avoid sales tax
Good, taxes are what pay for police, fire, schools, hospitals, water systems, etc. Don't like paying taxes, move to a non-developed country. I make sure to always buy local so I support local stores, economies, and taxes.
Good, taxes are what pay for police, fire, schools, hospitals, water systems, etc. Don't like paying taxes, move to a non-developed country. I make sure to always buy local so I support local stores, economies, and taxes.
I prefer to shop local as well. Unfortunately, local retailers act as though they have no interest in getting (or keeping) my business.
I have ran into that as well. Its like customer service is a thing of the past.
It's true, but it's also possible to choose where you shop based on customer service.
For example, Publix has a very good reputation for customer service. As does Costco. I largeley base my dining choices on where I receive good service.
The biggest problem with customer service I have found is that it isn't institutionalized anymore. A lot of times if you get good service, it's because the establishment just got lucky and hired one or two really good employees. Some times, I've gotten superb service at Home Depot when I talked to an associate who really knew what he was talking about. Unfortunately, this isn't institutionalized enough and you will sometimes go and get ignored or receive bad advice.
However, service at Publix is almost uniformly good, it's a pretty ingrained part of the culture there. Same with Trader Joes and Whole Foods. Some places just excel at service, and it's nice to be able to support them. Trouble is, they are usually slightly higher in price and a lot of people will just go to the cheapest place and put up with surly service. I'm kind of the middle, I won't generally pay Whole Foods prices just to get better service, but I don't mind paying a few pennies extra at Publix where I know I'm not going to have to wait in a long line at checkout or get attitude at the deli department.
It's true, but it's also possible to choose where you shop based on customer service.
For example, Publix has a very good reputation for customer service. As does Costco. I largeley base my dining choices on where I receive good service.
The biggest problem with customer service I have found is that it isn't institutionalized anymore. A lot of times if you get good service, it's because the establishment just got lucky and hired one or two really good employees. Some times, I've gotten superb service at Home Depot when I talked to an associate who really knew what he was talking about. Unfortunately, this isn't institutionalized enough and you will sometimes go and get ignored or receive bad advice.
However, service at Publix is almost uniformly good, it's a pretty ingrained part of the culture there. Same with Trader Joes and Whole Foods. Some places just excel at service, and it's nice to be able to support them. Trouble is, they are usually slightly higher in price and a lot of people will just go to the cheapest place and put up with surly service. I'm kind of the middle, I won't generally pay Whole Foods prices just to get better service, but I don't mind paying a few pennies extra at Publix where I know I'm not going to have to wait in a long line at checkout or get attitude at the deli department.
Exactly right. I'll pay extra for good service. Not Whole Foods extra, but certainly Publix's. Belk drives me crazy in this regard. I like the Izod school uniforms. For whatever reason, they never have them in my son's size in the store. Now we're talking about basic khaki pants and a polo shirt. Last time I shopped for them I was told they had them at Phipps. So after fighting traffic and parking, you guessed it, no uniforms. I was furious. Had they offered to order them and have them shipped for free, I probably would have been okay. They offered to ship them alright--for $10 on a pair of $15 pants. I'll never shop there again.
However, service at Publix is almost uniformly good, it's a pretty ingrained part of the culture there. Same with Trader Joes and Whole Foods. Some places just excel at service, and it's nice to be able to support them. Trouble is, they are usually slightly higher in price and a lot of people will just go to the cheapest place and put up with surly service. I'm kind of the middle, I won't generally pay Whole Foods prices just to get better service, but I don't mind paying a few pennies extra at Publix where I know I'm not going to have to wait in a long line at checkout or get attitude at the deli department.
Publix pays its employees better and offers them better benefits. Most people stick with Publix and move up the ladder. Publix gives stock to full time employees, I own several shares, health benefits, and bonuses. Part-timers get dental and vision. I refuse to shop at Publix after working there though. The products are no better than Kroger store brand and more expensive.
Publix has better Rotisserie chicken than Kroger's. Kroger's Rotisserie chicken tends to be soggy & lacking in decent spices from my experience.
Also I love Publix's sandwich counter because the bread is fresher to me. I especially love the multigrain breads.
Finally, Publix's pastry/bakery section is a treat. Not too many places in my area make a decent cannoli, if at all; and I can find cannoli at Publix. I also like the Shicaccia bread at Publix. Kroger doesn't have that.
That's my take on the whole Publix vs. Kroger experience.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cqholt
Publix pays its employees better and offers them better benefits. Most people stick with Publix and move up the ladder. Publix gives stock to full time employees, I own several shares, health benefits, and bonuses. Part-timers get dental and vision. I refuse to shop at Publix after working there though. The products are no better than Kroger store brand and more expensive.
That's exactly one of the huge problems. Had you gotten a knowledgable sales associate, you probably could have gotten that, or insisted on seeing a manager, but who wants to be "that" kind of customer?
I don't usually shop at anchor department stores, but I recently needed something from Macy's. I went to the Gwinnett Place store and the sevice was deplorable. Not only that, the store was a complete mess. I have family in retail management, so I know that if a district or regional manager ever saw what I saw, the store manager would have been fired on the spot. It was so horrible that I left in disgust, but I still needed something that was exclusive to Macy's.....so I drove up the road to the Mall of Georgia location and it couldn't have been any more opposite. The store was beautiful, everything was where it should have been, and when I told the sales associate about my problem at Gwinnett Place anecdotally, she just took an additional 25% off my bill. How can the staffs at the same store 10 miles away from each other be so different? Macy's has obviously failed at making service part of its culture, I just happened to go to a well run location with a great staff.
I'm actually pretty surprised to hear about bad service at Belk in Phipps. It may not be true all the time, but I have noticed that lower volume stores in lower income areas tend to have crummier service. The service at Phipps should be top notch. Of course, then you get into the whole snooty business of being at Phipps, so maybe you got some of that. Probably the best experiences are going to be at successful stores in high income areas. Even though Phipps has snoot appeal, the Belk there may actually not be a super high volume store, and they usually like to put their best people in the best performing stores. In that regard, I would suggest future shopping at Perimeter. For a very long time it has been Atlanta's most successful mall and Sandy Springs is wealthy enough to demand good service without being snooty enough to scoff at people who aren't big spenders. I also have very good luck at Northpoint and Mall of Georgia.
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