Things that are Totally Normal in the UK, but Weird in the AMERICA!

[@DJWebster95]

Just to clear one thing up: here in the US, paid vacation time is not mandated by the government. It depends on your employer.

[@chatterbox11]

While vacation time is not mandated, some states do mandate some paid sick leave or family medical leave, at least for employers over a certain size.

[@jdanon203]

But that's their point. In the U.K. health care and paid vacation time is guaranteed by law. In the U.S. if every employer decided not to provide health insurance or paid time off, well that's that then.

@@jdanon203 that's excessive goverment control in a private busness .

[@JoeKaye959]

Americans have no pension, no paid holidays, no public health. It's a horrible place to be a worker

[@fordhouse8b]

@ No more than minimum wage laws.

[@SolRUs1]

Every job I’ve ever had we had paid holidays. You start out with so many and accumulate them the longer you work there.

[@evildoerd9674]

The biggest confusion here is that in the US "holiday" is the actual date of the traditional event (Christmas, New Year's, Thanksgiving) and not simply time off. We use the term vacation while Brits would say holiday (I'm going on vacation versus I'm going on holiday). Most jobs in the US have paid time off (PTO) of varying amounts. Typically it's only 2 weeks, but plenty of places can have 4-6 weeks. Federal and State Holidays are dates that employers are supposed to either give as paid time off, a bonus day off if worked, or "time and a half" (1.5x pay). But yes, most Americans do have some form of paid time off but not nearly as much as Europeans and there can be some jobs that do not provide any or very little. Americans also rarely take their time off in large chunks. So unlike Europe all going on "holiday" for the entire summer, Americans often will take the 1 day off on a Friday to make a long weekend.

[@pat2562]

Great point about language differences, but I know of no legal obligation to give federal holidays off with pay or time and half or at all. Gov employees get every obscure holiday there is.

[@LarryHatch]

I've worked for 45 years from public to private organizations and always had at least 3 weeks off (now 8 weeks). Unless one is a part-time burger flipper at McDonalds you get some time off. I get 40 days off and I work for a major corporation and have friends who get even more.

[@queenofspades85]

I think it does vary by state, and company, but most Americans do get paid time off to some degree. I my field you get paid time and a half for working holidays and a shift and weekend differential aswell.

[@mareencope8421]

It is 'dangerous' to take your PTO in a lump. You will not have time off for emergencies and your employer will find that someone else can do you job when you are away so why keep you?

[@Twittler1]

@@mareencope8421 You can’t be fired from your job in the UK that easily. We have unfair and unlawful dismissal laws. Your employer has to have a lawful (i.e. reasonable) process and follow it. It can prove very expensive for them if they get it wrong. And even if you are successfully fired, unless it’s for ‘gross misconduct’ you are entitled to whatever period of notice is in your contract. That’s usually based on how frequently you’re paid, weekly, monthly, or four-weekly. Even if they want you to physically leave immediately, they have to still pay you for your notice period, plus any accumulated ‘PTO’ you haven’t yet taken. Gross misconduct means anything that could or will get you arrested, theft from the employer or other employees, assault on another employee, colleague or customer, fraud against the company, bringing the company into public disrepute, receiving a custodial sentence on conviction in a court, etc, etc. For these, summary (immediate) dismissal is lawful, and you’re only entitled to be paid up to the time you were fired. No holiday pay, notice or anything else. It is up to your employer to prove without a doubt that you absolutely did do whatever it was, no question, cast-iron proof, or they could be in for a world of legal pain. If you’re laid off (made redundant) as no longer needed, you can’t be (legally) replaced for a legally reasonable period of time (e.g. until business picks up), as from a legal point of view it’s the job that’s disappeared. And they have to try and redeploy you somewhere else in the company in a broadly equivalent role (offering an account manager a job as a cleaner doesn’t cut it) before laying you off. If you’ve worked for them for at least two years, you’re entitled to your period of notice, plus a minimum of one week’s pay for each year.

[@hazcatsophia]

One way to make your car theft-proof. Have a stick shift. 😂

[@aspenrebel]

You use to beable to just take the rotor out.

[@heatherjones1423]

I am salaried...I receive 27 days of time off which includes vacation or sick days. We also have 10 federal holidays/bank holidays. I know that is lucky in the 🇺🇸! Over 5 weeks. 😄

[@Christophersanchez1326]

🤔 agree.. depending what job you have. You will or won't get holiday pay.. 🎃

[@Shay2theT]

That's quite good for the US. 👍

[@KTZed]

I agree! I get 28 paid days off plus federal holidays and the week in-between Christmas and New year, all paid! 🇺🇲

[@KTZed]

Even when I was in college and worked at Walmart I got paid time off and paid holiday time. And if you worked on the holiday you got paid double!!!

[@fordhouse8b]

It shouldn’t depend on luck, it should be legally mandated for all workers.

[@JJM-uf9eh]

US hospital tip: if you go to the the hospital for any reason, when they bring you your bill, ask them for an itemized bill, that way you will only have to pay for what was used for you, and you can see the list of things you’re being charged for, also some hospitals have financial aid services so you can ask for that as well

[@aspenrebel]

You mean that $20 aspirin?

[@BluEyesWhiteDragon2002]

We get paid time off here. Depending on your employer

[@abbys3694]

It’s called PTO (Paid Time Off)

[@lhzook]

But we don’t get anywhere near the amount of time they get in the UK

[@TxManNSA]

Part time employees usually don’t get paid vacations. Hourly and salaried full time employees usually are given a specific number of paid vacation days depending on position or time in service.

[@AngelA-qi1br]

We do get paid vacation, but it is not a legal requirement, it's at the discretion of the employer. So everyone gets a different amount of weeks vacation, usually depending how long you worked at a company. After 20 years I got five paid weeks, but that was the maximum at my company no many how long I continued to work there. We also usually get insurance paid by our employer. I'm not sure how exactly maternity leave is decided. I got four weeks paid leave before my son's birth and eight weeks afterwards paid maternity leave. But I went back to work eight weeks to the day after he was born.

[@Randipetey]

We get paid days off, but not nearly as much.

[@caseyflorida]

I'm an American and I get 4 weeks of paid vacation (I've been with the company over 20 years) and 10 paid holidays.

[@mr.balloffur]

I think the UK makes a lot of assumptions that aren't true. I get 5 weeks of vacation plus holidays plus 40 hours of sick time. I also get one month sabbatical for every 10 years I work.

[@mr.balloffur]

@notformebeaky People around the world make a lot of assumptions about Americans that are simply untrue because they themselves are uneducated..... 😉

[@mr.balloffur]

@notformebeaky You making too many assumptions... Speaking from experience? Based on what you see in TV maybe. No one who ever lived here would ever say such things as a blanket statement.

[@blueoval250]

@notformebeaky I don’t want anyone being forced to pay me for doing nothing. I have no desire for a politician to help me steal from my employer.

[@carolmichonne5788]

Yeah, these 2 probably say misleading half-truths just to get views and comments.

[@mrdeleted]

We have paid vacation. Just depends on the employers.

[@jefflewis4]

They use the term Holiday for what Americans call vacation, that's the confusion.

[@mrdeleted]

@@jefflewis4 I'm aware, but we had paid time off when I worked a blue collar job in a factory making toys. I can't do that type of work these days because I pulled a muscle in my stomach but I do have my MBA now so hopefully I can do something better. Also salary sacrifice would be called pay cut here.

[@lennyo5165]

@@mrdeleted No a salary sacrifice would be time off without pay.

[@bonnieroberts6082]

@@mrdeleted Currently, paid vacation is rare.

[@b1k2q34]

My last job I was at for 15 years and I got 4 weeks of paid vacation.

[@vwestlife]

People in the UK and Europe normally have smaller, less powerful cars, drive on narrower, more winding roads, and care more about fuel economy since petrol/gas is more expensive than in the U.S., all of which are more ideally suited to a manual transmission (although automatics keep improving over time). In the U.S., gas is cheap and the roads are wider and straighter, so people prefer larger, more powerful cars and trucks, many of which aren't available with a manual transmission anymore. And a lot of kids in the U.S. aren't taught how to drive a stick-shift car when they're learning how to drive -- it's not required to pass the driving test here.

[@hugh2hoob668]

Cheap!? In 2008 gas was expensive as hell depends were you live

[@RavenclawStudent123]

What's a stick shift car? A manual? I learnt to drive in an automatic and one foot doesn't need to do anything. So good as I can concentrate on indicating and doing other things

[@harriantoncornell5405]

Thats true and correct and that's why me and my family moved to Perth WA Australia to live

[@scitizenkane1]

Hugh Tahoob, what year is it now? Even during the crisis in 08, that didn't depend on where you lived, that was global.

[@RuksanaAhmed]

We have both options available when we learn to drive in the U.K. If you choose to take the manual driving test you can drive either a manual or an automatic car however if you choose to take the automatic then you are limited to only ever being able to drive automatic cars which as mentioned are more expensive and not as available. I’m not old but I do love driving a manual, it just becomes second nature.

[@Beth92800]

We do have paid vacation time it depends on the job and company you choose. The employer gets to choose the benefit they offer their employees. The government does not mandate time. An employer usually does not provide paid time off if they work only part-time, less than 32 hours a week

[@fordhouse8b]

Yes, I believe that s the point. Just like employers don’t get to choose the minimum wage to pay their workers, they should not get to choose the minimum amount of paid time off the offer.

[@Beth92800]

@@fordhouse8b Yes, I get that. I’ve been at my employer 20 years. I get ample time off. I wasn’t complaining I was just explaining since they were not sure. 😊

[@fordhouse8b]

@@Beth92800 Much as I enjoy their channel, the are often unsure of, or even dead wrong, about things that would take a couple of minutes of googling to learn about. And they either don’t bother to learn about their mistakes from the numerous comments pointing them out, or they just don’t bother to follow up and ever say that they misstated something in a past video.

[@Beth92800]

@@fordhouse8b ehh it doesn’t bother me in the least. We (Americans) do the same to the British and others. We hear it or have heard it and assume it’s the truth after hearing it so much and couldn’t bother with researching it. Let’s face it even if we do Google or they do who is to say the info is really true we read?

[@fordhouse8b]

@@Beth92800 Willful ignorance and unwarranted assumptions bothers me no matter the nationality. You don’t just google something and look at the first result that pops up, you investigate the sources, or use sources known too be generally reliable. You compare different sources. You look at original sources, like actual legal codes, and court precedents. You never rely on anecdotal data. We can bother with researching it. Don’t be lazy.

[@crystalbell1598]

The person is called the "Cashier" and the till is called the Cash Register in USA.

[@Myraisins1]

Except for NYC where you can walk almost everywhere. In fact it is preferred.

[@mayitbe6606]

Why people don’t walk

[@anndeecosita3586]

I think there is a terminology issue. For us a “holiday” is like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Martin Luther King, Veterans Day”. Where I live we get off for Fat Tuesday. What you are calling holiday we call vacation. Not all jobs are set up the same. For example I used to work under contract which means I did work on behalf of the company but wasn’t their employee. I didn’t get paid vacation and the job doesn’t deduct taxes. A lot of people who do this are freelance and have other income. I have worked as a private company employee where I had paid vacation with benefits. I got a W2. Now I work for the government so I get days off that I didn’t when I worked for a private company. Cashiers operate the cash resister.

[@mirandabee2323]

Do you live in a place with a lot and a lot of Catholics? I live in a more mixed area ethnically and religiously--there are a lot of Catholics and other Christians, yes, but also plenty of non-Christians of different kinds. We don't get off for Fat Tuesday, I don't think. I've never heard of that before. However, in my county, the school system has spring break fall near Easter, winter break start near Christmas, a school day off on Rosh Hashanah, and a school day off for Yom Kippur.

[@deegeef]

Yes "vacation" in the USA tends to be "holiday(s)" in the UK. In Canada, we use the two interchangeably.

[@rjdavid3]

Yes, those people at the check-out counter are called "Cashiers." As to sales tax, not all states have sales tax so a price advertised, say on tv, may be different in a state with tax.

[@eksortso]

Yeah, it gets even more complicated than that. In Pennsylvania, sales tax is different between counties and it is not applied to unprepared foods. In California, the tax varies from town to town, or that's my informed impression from having to work on an order entry system.

[@marilynfernandez3279]

We do have paid vacation time, it depends where you work and how it is accrued! I have 3 weeks vacation time plus paid holidays and sick days and can also buy a week of flex time. In banking all my life and have had paid vacation since I started working. First year it was a weeks pay then 2 weeks and after 5 years 3 weeks.

[@yolievaldivia-nungaray3765]

@@eksortso CA here and yes, each county has their sales tax but each city can vote to raise their taxes for various reasons: schools, improvements, etc

[@LurkerSmurf]

@@eksortso And there's also the difference in every state considering different things "essential" items that should not be taxed. Pennsylvania doesn't tax clothes, but California does. Milk isn't taxed, but soda is (California). Stuff like that.

[@fordhouse8b]

@@marilynfernandez3279 I don’t know about Britain, but in Sweden, after one year, you have by law accrued 5 weeks paid vacation, and after two years, again 5 weeks, and so on. And obviously in certain jobs, and after a certain amount of time, some employees get even more than 5 weeks. Where I work, in the US, I also have 3 weeks paid vacation, and just like at your job, it took 5 years to accrue the full 3 weeks. Other employees, who got hired after a certain date, never accrue more than 2 weeks. None of us get paid holidays, and in fact, my job being in the hospitality industry, I have never had a major holiday off in a quarter century. Twenty-some years ago, I did get a St. Patrick's Day off, but I wouldn’t consider that a major holiday. Paid time off, just like the minimum wage, should be legally mandated for all workers.

[@SliWolfette]

Many of us DO get paid "holiday" time (outside of traditional holidays like Christmas) - we just call it PTO (paid time off) or vacation time. Although the time allowed is generally more generous in the UK :)

[@crinkle2649]

When I lived in Berlin my friend was already on paid maternity leave when I got there. After she had her son her paid 1 year to take care of the baby started. By the time that was up her 2nd paid maternity leave started. Then her 2nd paid 1 year off to take care of the baby started. She worked at a music store in the mall. There is no way women in the states would ever get that.

[@calme-dx2dp]

OK...congress (Repub) even trying to remove the pregnancy benefit from employer paid insurance. Remember, one of them stood up and said neither he nor his wife were going to have any more children, therefore he should not have to pay for that part of the insurance. They don't even understand how insurance works. That's equivalent to saying, I've never had an accident, I don't want to pay for that part of the insurance. They don't understand the reason you pay for what you don't need or use is so that the insurance company will be able to pay for those who will need and use it.

[@andr_w]

😭

[@blueoval250]

That’s basically theft. Why would anyone hire a woman in Germany???

[@Schnabelhund]

@@blueoval250 Gender doesn't matter because fathers get parental leave too.

[@hydraelectricblue]

I work in the US and I get 6 weeks off paid. I work for a major company. I also work remotely. Some large companies are actually listening to the news and doing the right thing. It has significantly reduced my stress and I'm much happier. After all we are on earth to live, nothing more nothing less.

[@christopherdieudonne]

But the US *does* have paid vacation, it just depends on how it works at your company.

[@vickibankhead5878]

Yes..We get paid vacations from our jobs. My husband gets 4 weeks paid.

[@janaynmelis5250]

Hey Joel & Lia. Full time workers in the USA do get paid holiday. It's usually people who work hourly jobs, less than 40 hours a week, or a job with no paid vacation that have to take vacation with 'no pay'. Even people that have paid vacation sometimes don't take their full 10 + days due to not wanting to come back to a huge pile of work, workaholic culture in the US, or they are building up their vacation time to use around November/December during the Thanksgiving and winter holidays.

[@heidithaw1072]

Many people get paid holidays. They have been misinformed.

[@tinamariechartrand1410]

I've never had a job in my entire life that didn't give paid vacation. It's totally a thing here! In addition we get government holidays off as well. Usually another 10 days give or take.

[@cassandra6315]

yeah they always find weird generalizations about the US. lol its their schtick. they dont do research they just do buzzfeed quizzes

[@tinamariechartrand1410]

@@jenniferlindsay103 really? I don't know anyone that works a full time job that doesn't get a paid vacation. That really sucks for you!

[@tinamariechartrand1410]

@@cassandra6315 I agree with that. Do some research right?

[@theresat4782]

I was over 30 before I had a job with any paid time off, even from full time jobs.

[@newsguy5241]

But its NOT mandated!!!!! THAT is the key difference.

[@janaynmelis5250]

We call people that work at the till a 'cashier' :)

[@sdinthevalley]

My husband grew up on a small farm here in Illinois and they had a vegetable stand. They'd call it a till and I never understood why. I grew up in the city and thought it was odd.

[@grahamsmith9541]

@@sdinthevalley Till has two origins. From the Anglo Norman word Tylle meaning compartment. Also from Middle English. Tillen. Meaning draw. Originally Till was a draw under a counter to hold cash.

[@tiffprendergast]

If they do work there

[@alexisbaumann1631]

My husband gets 6 weeks paid vacation, plus all days from december 23- jan 3 every year paid in full. It depends on the company you work for guys, someone told you wrongly. sorry

[@janetarteaga4191]

Most employers give us vacation pay. The longer you work for a company, the more days you get, in most cases.

[@kenbrown2808]

no, most employers in the US do NOT give vacation pay. most employers in the US would prefer not to give vacation at all. it is only when you get up to the level of "good" jobs that the employer will give anything more than the minimum they can get away with.

[@chrisfortin4251]

I get 5 weeks paid vacation, 2 weeks continuing education with a stipend, and healthcare through my job, but everyone's situation is different here. A great movie about the healthcare dilemma is Michael Moore's "Sicko". I've seen so many GoFundMe sites dedicated to helping families pay for surgeries. It is quite the debate in the U.S. unfortunately. Oh, and I love driving stick, but not in rush hour traffic, lol! Great video! 😀👍🏻

[@gaildilbeck6399]

A 15 year old has to have a licensed driver with them at all times .

[@mikekiefer6462]

Depends on state. Iowa has a farmer’s license. Can drive on back roads without another person with you.

[@kenomoto619]

It's depends on states but my state it's 15 can get a driver permit & a official license at 16 or older

[@jordans.7002]

@@mikekiefer6462 I never heard of that, interesting

[@mikekiefer6462]

@@jordans.7002 I should have said they used too. It might not exist anymore. But I think most of the grain belt states have something like that.

[@jenellegast8547]

I live in the US I have worked at my job for 5 years I have 30 sick days, 28 vacation days, plus 10 personal days! All paid!! I also got 6 weeks of leave when I had my kids then I used sick and vacation days to get more time. I know that not how every job is but this article seems crazy I don’t know anyone who does not get both.

[@HughLlewellyn]

Holy crap! I wanna work where you work! I worked 13 years at my job and was capped at 21 days off per year. Plus 5 paid days off for the major holidays, Memorial Day and Labor Day. So 26 total.

[@ivylasangrienta6093]

Whereas in most European countries you get a year for maternity leave...

[@aaronhamlett]

I work at a pretty large corporation now and we get 10 sick days, 20 vacation days and 11 holiday days. I have worked at some small businesses that had paid 6 sick days, zero vacation days and 5 holiday days, so 11 paid days off out of 280.

[@selx13]

They are making fun of us. They know full well most of what they say is not true. Who would work for a company like that for long? Moreover, How would that company stay in business?

[@texastmblwd69]

Okay, first, it’s not true that people have to take unpaid time off in order to take a vacation. Most Americans have some sort of paid vacation time built into their work contracts.

[@neitan6891]

Exactly. Definitely nowhere near 22 -28 days

[@BelowMinimums]

At my job in the US I get 3 weeks of paid time off "holiday pay" for the first 3 years of employment, 4 weeks for 3-15 years, and 5 weeks after 15 years

[@kerrywoboe]

True about walking. I was a member of the United States Army field band and we didn’t have a car when we went to different parts of the country. We have had people hit by cars on two occasions, and it was the most dangerous thing about touring with the organization.

[@margeoconnor166]

Depending on a Reddit thread for facts is like depending on a hair dresser to do heart surgery.

[@lilyryan3526]

Omg!!! Thanks for that great laugh!! 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@lemonz1769]

Barbers were the first people able to do surgery in the US

[@michaelmullard4292]

Although I can drive a manual transmission perfectly well, I much prefer an automatic because I’m basically lazy! And driving a manual transmission in LA traffic is awful!!

[@caseyflorida]

I had a manual transmission when I moved from New Hampshire to Washington, DC. Suddenly the traffic jams made me hate the manual transmission! Clutch up, clutch down, clutch up, clutch down!

[@SherriLyle80s]

Yeah I had a manual Mustang I had to drive in DC traffic. I had calf cramps from pressing the clutch so much because it's very stiff.

[@SherriLyle80s]

@@caseyflorida omg I was born and raised in Norther VA. I moved when i was 27 to Florida. Small world. Glad I'm not the only one that suffered the asinine traffic of DC.

[@verncarmon7868]

Actually the reason many Europeans drive standard shift cars is before the optimization of the newer automatic transmissions the standard shift cars was more economical to drive both in cost and fuel efficiency. Plus even to this day many smaller European cars had (or have) very whimpy engines and can't handle an automatic. Power throughput to the drive wheels with today's automatic transmissions is better. One has to ask, if a manual (standard) transmission is better why does F1 cars have an "automatic" transmission? Now having said that, I prefer a manual transmission.

[@ronphillips3339]

With a manual gearbox I am in control of the car especially when driving around our English twisting and turning hilly country roads.....that is when our small two seater sports and GTI cars come into there own.......That’s why we have the best racing drivers in the world.🇬🇧

[@amyciecka8095]

We get paid for taking time off. At my employer, I earn about 10 + hours every two weeks to use for whatever reason.

[@noahremnek3615]

I think they confuse no government mandated paid holiday and paid leave with no paid holiday and paid leave. Most employers offer those things even low wage jobs like McDonalds, CVS, and Chipotle.

[@truthinahandbasket]

There was a study done here that determined that a higher drinking age saves lives on the highways.

[@kristoferhammerstone7023]

Only because we dont teach our kids responsibility!!!

[@calme-dx2dp]

....but, perhaps letting them drink at a younger age and in certain settings (such as at dinner only) just knowing when you can drink is probably why places like France and Italy have less alcoholism than the US. I know we are talking about the UK though

[@jwb52z9]

That's true. Before the age limit was raised to 21, there were a lot of teenagers dying in car accidents or by getting hit by cars.

[@marcusfox2443]

In Australia the drinking age was dropped from 21 to 18 during the Vietnam war ,the argument being that if you were old enough to be conscripted and go to war and die for your country you were old enough to drink alcohol.

[@rebeccasimantov5476]

@@calme-dx2dp Good point...

[@delananicholson3444]

We do have paid days off, we have Holidays, PTO, and sick days.

[@patrickchambers5999]

You guys are right about alcohol and people of legal drinking age (parents) giving to underage drinkers (young children) getting arrested. This can happen in many states if the parents are observed by law officers. They call it serving alcohol to minors (funny calling a 20 year old a minor). This is especially idiotic because you can enlist in the military at 18, can be sent overseas and stand the chance of getting shot/killed but can't legally drink alcohol until you are 21.

[@elultimo102]

Now if you put a few drops of beer in a glass for a three yr old, they call the child welfare patrol on you!

[@katannep7798]

When you say “NHS” I automatically think of National Honors Society, which is what kids in the US are invited to (as teens) when they do well in school. It’s kind of silly...just something to put on your college application

[@Nishan18]

EXACTLY, same!!!!!!

[@mittendemon4493]

@@C.E.C.I. its only if you get a 3.5 or better for all of your highschool years

[@C.E.C.I.]

@@mittendemon4493 yeah, kind of wish they could just stop sending me emails tho. Its annoying 🤦‍♀️

[@mariafrias2500]

Volunteer to be your camera person next US trip! Everyone would love more candid moments!

[@melissamacdonald3281]

Ditto if you come to the West Coast!

[@stephlsh3215]

I've never had a job as an adult where I didn't get at least 20 paid days off per year.

[@pjschmid2251]

You guys should tap a fan and do some kind of a zoom call or something when you do these lists. You get so many of the things wrong and it would be really great to have someone from the United States on the line they could tell you no no no no that’s not true.

[@beccareichard6669]

it’s not that they get these things wrong, it’s just based upon their source. and depending on where the experiences and laws from wherever the source comes from, that’s what they are going to think all of america must be like. I think this is a great idea but to just do one fan would be the same as what they’re already doing. I think it would be super interesting for them to get multiple fans from different states so they can see the differences between each state because a lot of us do live in a completely different way than others within the same country. not only would that be a good learning experience for them, but for us americans as well just to see how our laws and culture, etc. differs from the other.

[@catgirl6803]

I thought about that too. They either get it wrong or they are judgmental and have done no research to find out why things are the way they are.

[@beccareichard6669]

@@catgirl6803 I don’t think they’re judgmental at all. I think it’s hard to wrap your head around things you don’t understand. which is how i’m sure many americans feel about the british as well. and again, it depends on their source. I think it would be hard for them to comprehend that all of america does not have the same laws and regulations. and same for employers as well. every single state is different. their sources are very generalized but depending on where you live in america, it’s more than likely different so of course we’re going to view it as “wrong.” even when it’s not because somewhere in the US, what they’re reading is right. it’s hard to generalize america when every state is different. you have to have an open mind about it, especially when it comes to them because they’re not fully aware that each place here is different. if I wasn’t american, or if you weren’t american, we’d probably think the same way you know?

[@catgirl6803]

@@beccareichard6669 I don’t think they’re judgmental in this video but they are in other videos. There’s videos where they make fun of our accents, criticize words we use, another where they basically mocked us for celebrating fall foliage and that we call it fall instead of autumn.

[@GypsyFairy85]

But if they did that they couldn't make false claims over the same things that they already had as topics before.

[@JS-mw7zq]

In my experience, most employers offer some combination of time off for holidays and vacations. But you generally have to work there for 6 months or a year before some of it kicks in. I would say the higher paid the job, the more and sooner you have paid time off. More and more companies are moving to "earn as you go" pto instead of the traditional once a year awarding of weeks or days.

[@jenessarehberg1646]

"in the America" 😂 I'm sorry, that's funny!

[@anthonylovavto3228]

Laugh all you want until you need help!

[@CustomComfyCrochetByDawnMarie]

Out of all you said, the walking situation here in the US drives me absolutely crazy.

[@PockASqueeno]

Most companies in the US let employees off on major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some even have paid holidays on minor holidays like Memorial Day and Labor Day, but it varies from employer to employer. Government jobs are required to give paid holiday on *all* national holidays. Paid time off (PTO)-some employers call it “paid vacation” or “vacation leave”-is a totally different thing. You can use that on any day of the year, and the amount you get also varies based on the employer. Holiday pay, on the other hand, must be used on actual holidays.

[@catgirl6803]

They're talking about vacation time. What we call PTO.

[@lovelyerica9054]

Usually when you go to a store, it's called the check out, the person working is called a cashier. A lot of places have a self checkout, where you ring up all your stuff (usually it's much faster than waiting in line for some one who works there to do it.

[@mr.balloffur]

I want to know how much I'm paying for the item I'm buying, the money that goes to the government whether it's federal state or local, is irrelevant.

[@raycrowley4514]

True we don’t have universal health care / college but we play way less taxes or majority of our items because of that

[@jwb52z9]

We'll reach a day when Americans will finally stop being brainwashed to to think "taxes are evil and theft" eventually. It might be sooner than most backward Conservatives think.

[@jwb52z9]

We'll reach a day when Americans will finally stop being brainwashed to to think "taxes are evil and theft" eventually. It might be sooner than most backward Conservatives think.

[@grahamsmith9541]

How much extra do you pay when you add on. Cost of medical insurance, co-pay and deductibles. How much more your company could pay you if they were not contributing to the cost of all there employees medical insurance.

[@queenofspades85]

We in fact do get paid holidays here. It's called earned time you accrue hours every week then you can take those hours. A lot of jobs get paid major 6 holidays plus 2 weeks of vacation time paid. Also if you're out sick you get paid for sick days too as long as you have the earned time most do.

[@tracyfultz5595]

Depending on how long you work at a place you can get even more paid leave. I have three weeks paid vacation.

[@jrooksable]

That depends on the company & State!...

[@queenofspades85]

@@jrooksable that's true, but to be clear, this is my experience for the majority of my working life, and those that I know. But it surely does vary by company and state.

[@maryweeks9474]

Even as a nanny in the past I received 2 weeks paid vacation and all holidays paid. Health care makes a big difference on when you receive your bill, my health care covered most of my bill and didn't see the bill until 2 months later.

[@alexshkoditch4593]

I've always had paid holiday in every job i've ever had in the U.S., but it is not a law and is at the employers discretion. Most big companies offer paid leave.

[@taylorfranklin616]

Yes another! I adore you both! This is so important to watch especially around americas election in 2 weeks! 💙

[@rosebud100623]

For the sales tax, I just round up to the next dollar when I'm shopping to estimate it.

[@kenbrown2808]

in london, many cashiers would tell us we could submit our receipts to get the VAT refunded, and my usual response was "I'd rather pay it to yours than ours."

[@SuprousOxide]

I used to try to estimate when I was in PA with 6% tax. But in New York it changes based on what city you're in, and can be down to 1/8% sometimes. Just not worth it. Besides I pay mostly with credit card these days, so don't need to figure out how many bills to pull out.

[@kenbrown2808]

@@SuprousOxide adding taxes at the register is just obnoxious. All taxes should be part of the listed price.

[@mayitbe6606]

Canada copies everything from America!!

[@maliamailangi5159]

That’s incorrect we have paid time off plus 7 days of paid holiday... depends on the company .

[@jasonmcfarland4644]

We have paid vacation time in the U.S. most my jobs gave between 3-6 weeks yearly. Usually it grows with more time with a company or as your experience has grown. Plus we have paid sick days. The cashier works where you check out.

[@firebreathingmoonbeam3961]

No, pto and sick time is the same in most companies, here in the US.

[@jasonmcfarland4644]

@@firebreathingmoonbeam3961 perhaps for some, not personally though

[@debbieguray8114]

My husband was in the hospital for 7 days and his bill was almost 80000.00! Thank God for insurance. We still paid a good chunk but 80000.00.

[@millennialbrice6330]

Me listening to this as an American... when Joel says “ Americans need rights too. “ I just LOL. The saddest thing is we continue to fight about the bureaucracies in our own country and half the population thinks that we are the freest nation in the world! Constantly stuck going back-and-forth On the same issues for the last 230 years.... can we please make some progress!

[@KTZed]

Do you really think we've made no progress in the last 200 years. Now that is laughable!

[@simonpowell2559]

@@KTZed no!

[@mintyrich2814]

Joel was on the right track with "tellier"....we call them cashiers or tellers

[@DreamersBall1113]

Low -pay jobs don’t typically have paid time off, but the majority of professional jobs have 2 weeks or accrued paid vacation time.

[@Kim-427]

Low paying jobs as you call them has nothing to do with rather you get benefits or not.Many ot them do get paid vacation.You may have to work a number of hours to acquire the pto days as oppose to a set number of days being given as one of many bebefits offered on other jobs.And as with most jobs the lowest paying ones too you acquire more vacation days the longer you are employee with said company.If I'm not mistaken they may not get sick days.Not all jobs offer sick days.

[@Steeleperfect]

How is that enough?

[@mutleymutley7474]

To be clear, in America, we don't go on holiday. We go to a holiday party (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, 4th of July, etc.). However, we go on vacation when we take a lengthy time off from work.

[@heidil4008]

You guys need better sources, seriously.

[@markoldgeezer167]

Hi, Joel and Lia. I definitely want another one like this!

[@slewis4275]

I've worked my whole adult life (and I'm really old) in both private business and for the State of California. I've NEVER known any full-time employee who was not offered paid vacation hours, though the offer of paid vacation is not legally required. (Paid sick leave IS mandated by law, though.) Small businesses offer minimum vacation and sick leave but, usually, only for full-time employees. I believe that Canadian laws are very similar. I've traveled in Europe, Asia and the U.K. for my employer. I am always struck by the more relaxed views toward working hours and amount of vacation time in Europe and parts of Asia versus California. My French cousins think we work entirely too many hours and we don't know how to enjoy our vacations when we finally take them. They may be right. (By the way, every state has different labor laws. I can only tell you what my experience has been in California.). End of essay. Love you two. Thanks for YOUR hard work.

[@aspenrebel]

Oh please! The French can take their entire lives off.

[@tragictrust]

As a salaried employee, I have so much PTO that I am forced to take leave since I have a cap of 250 hrs of vacation leave and 400 hrs of sick leave.

[@cr8zystar282]

No government mandates for holiday time off with pay! However a lot of employers provide it

[@waynebennett745]

Unless you're a temp employee, you DO get paid vacations & holidays when the office closes in recognition.

[@PinkZiab2]

Of course we have paid vacation time in the USA. It just varies by employer, and there is no government minimum. My last full time job I had 25 days vacation time, plus sick time, plus 5 flexible personal days.

[@cvanfossen368]

It's actually pretty normal for companies in America to offer paid time off, and depending on how long you work for a company that will determine the amount time off you're allowed. It varies from company to company

[@LynnMTHA]

Actually, paid vacation is a thing in the America. I'm so sorry to burst your bubble... But it'll be like 3 weeks. Longer you work there, the more you get. Like every 5 years they'll add a week.

[@MohammedAli-hl4mr]

your not "bursting their bubble" just like how "you pay for it with your taxes" is not a rebuttal to the healthcare issue

[@IsitMe65]

I just had to have my knee replacement redone. I was in the hospital for 3 days. The total bill WITHOUT physical therapy was $147.986.91. Thank goodness I have health insurance and had met my deductibles and out of pocket charges. So from now on I'm 100% until January 1, 2021.

[@shawna620]

In the US Joel, you'd never hear a cashier say "that's 7 pound forty." It's 7 dollars & 40 cents. 😆

[@kenbrown2808]

but only in the UK can you literally pay a ton of money for something.

[@johnp139]

@@kenbrown2808 a metric tonne of course

[@simonpowell2559]

@@johnp139 I think it's funny that Americans think England is metric. We mix it up. We still use miles gallons and of course pints. A ton is slang for 100. As in "ton up boys" riding your motorcycle over 100 miles per hour or costing a ton £100.

[@nonasings]

i'm actually taking paid time off from my job next week - we call it "vacation," and it's given by my employer. The government doesn't mandate any paid vacation time.

[@Steeleperfect]

That's the point. In the UK, it is an automatic right.

[@robclark3095]

NHS and going to hospital and not worrying about a giant bill. That's something in the UK that's weird to most Americans.

[@ryanb561]

We get either Paid Time Off (PTO) which is accrued or Vacation days which refresh each year at either 2-6 weeks out of the year. We get paid maternity and paternity leave.

[@reader2012]

“THE America” lol. Might want to adjust the title slightly, haha

[@Endoptic]

Eh, Argentinians and occasionally Venezuelans get bitchy about "America" as a country. Explaining continents gets stupid...either ways. Eurasia is one really, but North/South America aren't even touching geologically. Ecology (flora/fauna) shows the same lack of the former Eurasian separation and significant multi-layered gaps of separation of the latter "Americas".

[@joannebaker4925]

Joel and Lia, you guys bring such joy and laughter. This video was very enjoyable and funny.

[@rjdavid3]

Yes, keep doing more of these comparison videos. Also, we can eliminate some of your misconceptions about America.

[@lavenderoh]

You can't really cuz they don't bother learning from the comments. That's why after years of watching you notice they bring up the same nonsense once a month that has already been explained. Like vacation days for example.

[@pipertarin68]

Hi Joel and Lia, We get paid "Time off" ( I e. Holiday/Vacation/Sick Leave/Holiday pay) like a previous person commented it just depends on "The Company, you Work for!" We, don't get as much as The U.K. or other, Countries "Our time off is usually based on how many years you have at a Company.) Blessings and lots of love from a longtime Sub/Viewer of ALL your Channels, Piper P.S. They're called Cashiers. Servers/ Waitress at Restaurants bring Food to Table.

[@Kim-427]

I'm really starting to think that Lia says outlandish things to trigger a response.lol She was so sure of herself🤣 Who or what would've stated such a lie that Americans dont get vacation pay?! She could not have gotten that from Reddit they would've known better.

[@rebeccasimantov5476]

True...they need to check their sources more thoroughly...

[@jlelliotton]

Americans don’t get paid vacation by federal law, while they do in most countries. In the USA it is up to your employer.

[@MrRawMonkey]

Add to that 8 public holidays. New Year’s Day (1st Jan), Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May Bank Holiday, Spring Bank holiday, Summer Bank holiday, Christmas Day (25 Dec) and Boxing Day.

[@JDoors]

Sales Tax: We want to know how much we're paying in taxes. It varies by location, by a lot, some places and some products have none, so … we. want. to. know. You don't care, I guess? Must be nice.

[@marmaladet4927]

UK has VAT (value added tax), the rate of which is (I think 20%, or was last time I was in the UK) and Australia has GST (Goods & Services Tax) which is 10%. VAT and GST are included in the price of goods/services. EG If I buy something in Target for $20, the 10% GST is included in that $20. If we go to a restaurant, the GST is included in the price and no need to tip (in fact, we don't tip much because our rates of pay are livable). Sales taxes were removed when the GST legislation came in and many items went down in price (sales tax on soft drinks for example was around 30% but the GST is only 10%). Luckily our system is country wide (Federally mandated) so no matter where we are in Oz, we know what the GST rate is.

[@Steeleperfect]

We do know. It's a standard amount for us. We know the percentage and we do maths at school, so we can work it out. At the actual shop, though, we want to know immediately what we actually have to pay in money. Must be nice to be so rich you can just pay whatever figure they throw at you at the till.

[@JDoors]

@@Steeleperfect "We do know [how much taxes are applied to each product we buy]." Statements made by others appear to show that knowledge is not universal. It's printed right on our receipts, no ambiguity.

[@grahvis]

@@JDoors . The tax is immaterial since you can't do anything to affect it, all that matters to the buyer is how much the item is going to cost them. The effect of tax not being included, is to show a false price It is a legal requirement in the UK and EU, that retail prices must include all taxes.

[@JDoors]

@@grahvis "You can't do anything to affect [taxes]." We have a representative government over here, we sure can do something to affect taxes. They manage to squeak in raises anyway, but we manage to vote them out for doing so, on occasion. Knowing exactly what the tax is on purchases keeps them honest. Not knowing exactly what the tax is on purchases is why you believe you cannot affect them.

[@quentenburnett7296]

To be clear, we do have paid vacation, it's just not government mandated. It's usually negotiated with your employer when you interview for the job. Same with maternity leave. And we do have government health care in the form of medicaid and medicare. In fact, those two programs account for a huge chunk of all health care spending, it's just that those are only available for certain people.

[@Miguel_Mor]

Paid Time-Off in the US is definitely a thing. Please do a bit more research.

[@Steeleperfect]

It's not a right. It's fascinating that the US seems to have no concept of rights.

[@numsixber]

@@Steeleperfect Actually in the US we do have the concept of rights. We have the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are given to us by God not the government we also have this thing called the constitution and the first 10 amendments are called the bill of rights which gives us the freedom of speech and the press and right to peaceably assemble the freedom of religion and the right to bear arms and defend ourselves. It is the federal governments job to protect our unalienable rights. it is not the governments place to mandate what hours a private business can be open or how much vacation time they offer their employees . Holiday pay is a perk offered it to you by by your employer not a right. Out side of ensuring eguil rights, safety and health regulations local, state and federal government should keep their noses out of private business . My brother recently excepted a new job offer after losing his old one when the company he worked for went under because of Covid. He excepted a job that paid several thousand dollars a year less than another job he was offered because it had better hours more paid holidays and vacation time. For him the perks added up to a better deal than the higher paid position with a different company.

[@orangeelliot]

Paid holiday is very common in the US for salaried employees, but most companies start at 10 days, not 22! Wow.

[@luxembros6791]

Joel: “drinking age is 21.” Me: lives in wisconsin where you can drink at 15 as long as an adult is present

[@robertschwartz4810]

I'm surprised! When I was in high school in the 60s kids would go drinking in Lake Geneva , but I thought that ended years ago.

[@luxembros6791]

@@robertschwartz4810 Well my 19 year old brother drinks wine and beer... the law says it’s with adult presence though

[@latebloomerabroad]

I didn't know that was legal! I thought that some states are 18 and some are 21 (like California, where I live).

[@luxembros6791]

@@robertschwartz4810 Not sure on that, but my brother might be drinking illegally... 😅

[@DPBGMODELRAILROAD]

In Louisiana, the drinking age was 18 until the late 1990's when the Federal government said if you don't raise the drinking age to 21 we will cut off you federal highway money, so our State politicians caved. Personally, since the United States Constitution sets the voting age at 18 and you can join the military on your own signature at 18 you should be able to drink, go to casinos and smoke at 18.

[@donaldmanthei1224]

Most Americans get paid vacation. We can also take family leave, which is not usually usually paid. Usually vacations start at one or two weeks but accumulate depending on where you work or the company.

[@lp1293]

Again, generalising about a country as large and varied as the USA is problematic.

[@truelily7]

I am American and hate public restrooms for several reasons. In our local mall there is one fine department store that has totally private stalls and is usually very clean. That is where I try to go. But most people don't peek in at others. They may glance below to see if it is occupied but only at your feet briefly.

[@TheCwicked]

The driving age in the US is 16.15 years olds have a temporary license that requires a licensed driver in the car with them at all times.

[@WyattRyeSway]

It varies state by state

[@BenCam681]

Employees at the til are called "cashiers," and yes: we learn and practice percentages with sales tax problems. Also, the check-out might be called "Cash-Wrap" if you're at a Barnes & Noble bookstore.

[@mcm0324]

Sales Tax -- the percentage varies from state to state, what is taxed varies from state to state. You can have an order at any store and not everything in your order is taxable.

[@grahamsmith9541]

Same in the UK tax on goods in shops depends on the product. Can be Exempt, 0%, 5%, 20%, Extra sugar tax. That is 4 rates in one shop. Hence tax included in the price tag. Amount of tax paid for each item is on the till receipts.

[@SoMeLiKEiThOtTeRr]

Vacation time is designated by employer and varies based on seniority. My coworker has been with my company for 30 years and she gets 45 days off.

[@azredd77]

Depends on your employer but most common is, 2 weeks paid vacation, 2 weeks paid sick, plus paid federal holidays also paid time and half for over time (40+).

[@SuprousOxide]

What's bad, combined with limited maternity leave is the hospital costs. When my son was born the bill was thousands of dollars! Most of that was paid by insurance, but I can't imagine how people who are less well off can afford to have children.

[@MichaelScheele]

In the US, there are fewer benefits mandated by the federal government. Some states add mandatory benefits. Employers, particularly larger ones, offer benefits in excess of those mandated by government.

[@MLeonard317]

I work in the service industry in the US and there are 100 of thousand of Americans still don't understand that tax is added on after you purchase this. the menu says 6.79 why do I have to pay 7.88, because sir we have 9percent sales tax.

[@spiffokeen]

Most places give you paid time off if you have a full time job. You get actual holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Independence Day, etc. Then there is paid vacation time that you can use when you want. Some companies have additional personal time or floating holidays that you can take whenever you want.

[@JS-mw7zq]

Retailers can't include the tax in the listed price because the taxes not only very from state to state, but from county to county and city to city. And those taxes can change over time too.

[@grahamsmith9541]

To those of us in the UK that excuse for not including tax in the price is a joke. Tax over here varies depending on the product. Somewhere like ASDA owned by Walmart untill recently. Some products are exempt. Some are 0% to get round EU rules that state they should be subject to VAT, but our government disagrees. Some are 5%, some are 20%, some have an additional sugar tax on top. That is 4 different tax rates in one shop. The tax paid on each item is shown on the till receipts.

[@dougbowers1256]

We get paid vacation (you call it holidays) but much less than you do. It depends on the company, but you normally get 2 weeks that may increase based on longevity. What we call holidays are Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Those are paid too.

[@evtrekker1317]

I currently have over 200 hours of PTO "Paid Time Off" even now working from home. The City I live in has a large network of Bike Trails, also for walking and jogging, that can take you from city to city.