A San Diego-based woman went viral after revealing how a routine trip to PetSmart ended up costing her over $11 more than expected, all thanks to taxes.
Melissa (@itsmelitime619) said she recently spent nearly $128 on pet supplies, but her total at checkout was almost $140. In a TikTok video, she showed her receipt and broke down the added charges: a 6% state tax ($7.56), a 1% city tax ($1.26), two “special taxes” of 0.5% and 1% ($0.63 and $1.26), and a 0.25% county tax ($0.32).
All told, she paid $11.03 in “extra” costs.
“Check this out,” Melissa said in her video. “I paid $11 in taxes on my stuff today. This is ridiculous.”
The clip has garnered more than 64,000 views, with plenty of commenters chiming in about the mounting cost of everyday purchases in California.
Californians lament “extra” costs
Melissa isn’t the first Californian to complain about unexpected fees tacked onto their bill. But the culprit might be more innocent than it seems.
In the r/SanDiego subreddit, another PetSmart shopper flagged the same five taxes and took particular issue with the so-called “special” ones.
“Anyone know what the special tax is?” they asked.
The answer? It’s just California being very specific.
The state’s base sales tax rate is 7.25%, which includes a 6% state rate and a mandatory 1.25% local rate. Depending on where you are, local jurisdictions can tack on their own increases, pushing the total as high as 10.25%.
San Diego County’s rate is 7.75%, right in line with what Melissa was charged. It was just itemized confusingly.
Still, this issue has become political fodder. In March, a pro-Trump Facebook page shared screenshots from Melissa’s video and pinned the blame on Democrats.
“[An] American that lives in San Diego just went to PetSmart,” the post read. “She looks at her bill, and you won’t believe the amount of different taxes Democrats have added in California.”
It added, “Seriously, look at this bill. Look how many lines of different taxes there are just to purchase products.”
For the record, some items are exempt from California sales tax—including basic grocery staples, prescription medications, certain medical devices, and purchases made with EBT benefits.
@itsmelitime619 #tax #extracharges💵 #sandiego #ca #fyp ♬ original sound – Melissa N
Others similarly complain about exorbitant taxes
Though California has the highest state-level sales tax at 7.25%, other Americans aren’t off the hook either. According to taxfoundation.org, four states—Indiana, Mississippi, Rhode Island, and Tennessee—tie for the second-highest rate at 7%. And folks in those states are just as tired of paying extra fees.
“Pheonix is 8.6%,” one TikToker claimed.
“LA County is 10%,” another said.
“Cries in 10.25% Bay Area Sales tax,” a third woman quipped.
“Try Washington…our state sales tax is 10.6%,” a fourth commenter wrote. (This is true only in some parts of the state.)
Others, meanwhile, appreciated the clear breakdown of what customers are actually being charged.
“That sounds pretty good, actually,” one commenter said. “Nice that [they] broke out the tax sources for you.”
“They’re breaking it down for you… is transparency,” another wrote. “Sounds about average for a sales tax,” a third viewer wrote. “They just break it down into each piece.”
“It’s better like that because it gives you the breakdown,” a fourth TikToker added.
The Daily Dot has contacted Melissa via TikTok comment.
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