Could We Actually Achieve a Receipt-less World?
- Posted by: Morgan Clendaniel
- on August 24, 2009 at 11:27 am
On the same topic as our recent post about the absurdity of the enormous receipts at K-Mart and other commerce hubs, Slate’s Big Money took a look at what it would take for every store to get to where Apple is now: offering emailed receipts as an (incredibly convenient) option. Turns out, it would take a lot. While it wouldn’t be that difficult for credit card companies to embed your email address on your card (thus obviating the need to try to spell out your email address to the salesperson), creating the hardware and software to allow large stores to send that email would be prohibitively expensive and offer very little in the way of cost savings. So, while new stores can—and should—have these systems in place, don’t look for your local K-Mart to start emailing you a 12-megabyte receipt any time soon.
Photo by Flickr user Marchowitz via the Flickr group The Long Reciept Club, which sadly doesn’t have nearly as many entries as it should. Can you help them out?
DISCUSSION: 4 Comments
Like so many very good ideas, often it is just easier to continue with the status quo. But wouldn’t it be worth the investment of time and technology to make the change once for all time? Today I had to exchange something at Home Depot because when i got it home I discovered that it was missing a few pieces. I would have been very happy to just hand it to them, and leave with another one. But they had to first take my receipt, create another piece of paper just as big to show a refund, and then I had to go thru the checkout and pay for the new one and get…you guessed it! ANOTHER receipt. I no have one tree lopper and three long receipts!drjack1
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If only they stopped printing all the coupons and survey crap on those coupons I’d be happy. As it is I rip all that stuff off. On the CVS receipt above, at about 9″.
I think it would be wonderful to go receiptless….I dont keep up with my receipts and they essentially just go in the trash. Even when asked if i want one and i say no they print one and throw it away. So wasteful!
Thanks for posting this. Please join the long receipt club on flickr at http://www.flickr.com/groups/longreceiptclub/ . I am planning on scheduling a national protest soon, but I really need some support. Thanks! I too had this idea for a receipt machine a little while back, here it is, let’s make this:The Receipt Machine:
This is an invention that would automatically scan your receipt at the
point of purchase and send the image/ information to a personal online
receipt account. You could keep track of all of your purchases and if
you ever needed to return something you would always have your receipt.
This could all be done through a magnetic receipt card (like a credit
card).