"Sales tax? What's that?"

On my second day here in Australia, me and my new roomie, Michelle, headed out to Hornsby to do a little shopping. Me, for some toiletries and furnishings and she, for a new belt and a gift for a friend. (Hornsby is located two train stops from where I live in Wahroonga so it's a pretty short distance.) I was very excited; first, because I was venturing out into Sydney with someone who actually knew where she was going and so there was no chance of getting lost and second, because it would be my first time experiencing commercial Sydney. Aside from the billboard advertising a Target I saw on the drive in from the airport, I had no idea what the Australian shopping experience would entail.
While purchasing my ticket from the automated vending machine at the train station, Michelle asked me what I thought of Australian money. For those of you who have never seen Australian currency, it is very colorful. All of the bills are different sizes (they get bigger as the amount increases) and each one has a plastic see through emblem in the corner for security purposes. It doesn't really feel like paper either. It's very smooth, almost like wrapping paper. I had an American twenty in my wallet that I hadn't yet exchanged and she commented on how boring American money looked and how it felt like paper, like nothing at all. And she thought it was silly that we have a bill for $1 which is such a tiny amount. (They don't even bother making 1 cent coins.) The bills in Australia start at $5 and go up from there. Any smaller amounts ($1, $2) come in the form of coins. It's so eye-opening to hear what other people think about things we don't bother to think about at all.
The first thing I spotted before hopping off the train at Hornsby was a massive red sign advertising a Westfield shopping centre.  Yes, Westfield shopping centers have made their way across the globe to Australia. Or perhaps they were here first? It's certainly possible as Michelle said you can find them all over and they're all massive. Regardless, the three story monstrosity looming in front of us would have made any American consumer proud. There is no doubt in my mind that if Michelle hadn't been around I would have found myself aimlessly wandering yet again. I think even she got turned around a bit and she shops there  often.
The three floors of stores (connected by an indoor walkway to another three floors) offered a range of products, services, and shopping experiences. There were ritzy high-end stores, exclusive boutiques, general stores like Target, and a little store called The Reject Shop (fantastic, right?). After popping into Kmart (I'm not sure if it's the same one from the states) for a few items (I was pleasantly surprised to see that they carry most of the same brands and products as in the states), my next stop was, of coruse, The Reject Shop. Despite its name, the store is actually a bargain shop (like Ollie's, Big Lots, Family Dollar) and not a store full of discarded or poorly made items. Perfect for a grad student on a limited budget.
It actually wasn't until I had finished purchasing my items at The Reject Shop that I realized the price listed on the items was the price I paid for them. There was no sales tax! I wanted to make sure I hadn't just walked away with items I didn't completely pay for so I double-checked with Michelle. She immediately responded, "A sales tax? What's that?" I explained how our greedy American government just can't get its hands on enough of our hard-earned money and so adds a little extra to our bill every time we purchase something. Naturally, she was horrified. She assured me that the Australian government would never do such a thing.* Good to know, as now I can shop guilt-free knowing that not only will I only pay the price posted, but also that the exchange rate is in my favor (for the time being).

*Okay so maybe I exaggerated slightly. There is a sales tax in Australia. It's just that it is already factored into the price of the product you are buying. So the $3 you see on a package of biscuits (cookies) is exactly what you will pay because the government has kindly added the tax in beforehand.