I've recently had an interview with a company that listed a salary of $X based on experience. They brought me in and told me that they needed someone for a position that's similar, but which only makes use of part of my skills. I was still interested in this other position so we continued through several interviews and I was eventually made an offer of $X - 50%.
My counter was that I was looking for something closer to $X. They mentioned that this is a different position than what I originally applied for, but even if it wasn't they considered $X as a "total package", not base pay. The total package they are talking about is a 401k, health insurance, and promotion potential over 3 years.
The owner eventually counter offered with $X - 30%, which even after 3 years of promotions is still 10% below $X, even if you include the total package.
Is listing a total package as a "salary" on job postings the norm or do most job postings use the base pay?