I Don't Need a Receipt

I should have warned you all that my Earth Week comments would not always be about action...that some may be purely research. Today's effort is just that.

This morning I stopped at Panera to pick up a sweet treat for breakfast. After placing my pastry in a paper bag, the lady handed me a 7" receipt for a $2.58 purchase. Why in the world did I need a receipt. Anyone that has ever had Panera knows that I was NOT going to return the pastry. This receipt phenomenon has gotten out of hand in my opinion. It is sad to say that my wonderful Target is probably the worst. Each receipt now comes equipped with gift receipt, credit card and survey offer...YIKES. In buying three items, my receipt was at least 12" long. That could easily equate to a sheet of paper per transaction depending on the number of items that you purchase...that blows my mind!

In my research efforts, I was blessed to find this great article about this fabulous company AllEtronic, that gives retailers the option of providing consumers with a paperless receipts. The article is dated 04.06.08, so it appears that the concept is fairly new, but one that I am starting to love. The only question now is how to get the information into the hands of the places that we love to shop. I say write a letter and encourage others to do the same. The service is free for consumers and "affordable" for retailers. Just imagine how much paper we could save if only the major retailers in your area bought into this concept and the worry of searching for that receipt when you need it!