Stopped at a little bakery in Austin and noticed something weird about their pricing

I grabbed a coffee and a pastry and saw they charged $4.50 for the same muffin that was $3.00 two blocks away... turns out they added a 'local surcharge' on the bill. How do you guys handle pricing tricks like this without blowing your budget?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan_ellis4d ago

Yeah and I always ask before ordering. That way I can just leave if the price changes.

jessicac284d ago

Wait, you said they added a 'local surcharge' to the bill, but that's not exactly the same as the price being higher on the menu. If the muffin was listed at $4.50 on the board, that's just their price, not really a trick. But if they rang it up at $3.00 and then tacked on a $1.50 fee after you ordered, that's shady and I'd call that deceptive pricing. For me, I just ask upfront if there are any extra fees before I order, like I'll point to the pastry and say "is this really $3.00 or is there something extra added later." That way I don't get surprised at the register and can just walk out if they're being weird about it. Also, Austin's gotten expensive lately so I'm not shocked a bakery near a tourist spot would milk it, but a surcharge feels sneaky.