America is a great country. Like all other things in the world, it has its own set of pros and cons. In this article, I list down my observations of what I like about the USA and what I don’t.
Disclaimer: This is my personal opinion and so it’s subjective – YMMV!
What I like
- Driving rules & road manners – Everyone seems to strictly follow the driving rules like speed limits, lanes, parking, etc. No one honks unless necessary. No one is in a rush and road rage seems rare. This is especially noticeable if you come from a developing country where driving is a chaotic business and road manners don’t exist.
- Honor system – People trust each other more here. They seem to have faith in good values like honesty, kindness, dignity of labor, etc. There’s a general perception in developing countries that American people are easy to scam. That is the case not because they’re fools but because they believe in the honor system. It’s a cultural thing to trust other people which can be easily exploited.
- Return policy – Most retail stores have a great return policy of anything between 30-60 days. Almost every time, no question is asked at the time of return unless of course the products are used or damaged.
- Beautiful natural landscape – The country is blessed with beautiful scenic landscapes. The national parks are breathtaking and there’s no shortage of man-made monuments too.
What I don’t like
- No standard pricing – In a country like India, almost everything that is sold in packages has a maximum retail price (MRP) mentioned on the box. No retailer can sell you something for more than the specified MRP. In USA on the other hand, there’s no standard price mentioned on anything that is sold. Rarely do boxes have something called “MSRP” or manufacturer suggested retail price printed on them. This means, there’s no standard pricing for basic products like milk, eggs, bread, etc. Retailers are allowed to sell at whatever price they may deem fit. Prices are determined solely by demand and supply forces.
- Retail prices are mentioned before taxes – Expanding on the first point above, in rare cases where prices are mentioned on products, they are always before tax. The taxes are added at the time of checkout. So when you see $5 mentioned on a cereal box, it is actually $5+tax at the time of checkout. Taxes are usually between 8-10% of the price and that can surprise you at the time of checkout.
- Tip culture – Go out to a good restaurant to eat and you’ll be given a free guilt trip when you get the bill. It is almost mandatory to tip the waiter with 20% of the bill amount and it can go up to as high as 50%. The restaurant takes it a step further by printing the “recommended” tip amounts on the bill and it usually starts at 20% and above. While you can always tip less or choose not to tip at all, the waiter stands there staring at you while you choose the tip amount. Now this is borderline gaslighting as no one would want to feel bad about being rude by tipping less than the recommended amounts. Some restaurants go a step further and also include a “service surcharge” in addition to the tip that you’re recommended to pay.
- Healthcare system – Everything related to healthcare in the US is essentially run by insurance companies. When you visit a hospital (getting a doctor’s appointment in itself is a big challenge) you may be charged exorbitantly. The hospital might charge you upwards of $1,500 for a simple consulting visit but it’s the insurance companies that have the final say in the billing. Hospitals may charge any amount they like but insurance companies usually approve only 25-30% of the billed amount and somehow everyone is okay with this.
- Food portion sizes – They’re huge. When you order something to eat, the quantity of food will blow your mind. There’s no such thing as a small or regular portion size. Even the regular portion is large enough for a single person to finish it.