Some friends from Germany recently visited the U.S. for the first time. We were happy that their first stop was Chicago. It was good to see them and it provided an opportunity to show off the city. They were impressed with Lake Michigan’s beautiful shoreline, restaurants, the museums and the architecture.

The one negative comment they expressed was, when purchasing something, the price was more at check out than what was posted or tagged. Also, they were surprised that extra charges for their hotel were not included in the original reservation.

“Sales and hotel tax,” I said. I also explained taxes varied by city and state, and by certain items like food, drinks and medicine. “Americans are just used to it. We call it being ‘nickeled and dimed’.”