Supermarket receipts have been growing in length for quite some time now. This sustained period of growth has led to the peculiar situation where a receipt I got for the purchse of 8 items was 9 inches long. 1.5 inches of that detailed my transaction. The remainder was taken up with irrelevant information, adverts and a nice big logo at the top.

To save on paper, I propose that supermarkets give the customer the option of a shorter receipt, detailing only the transaction. The till printers could easily be adapted to accommodate this and the request could form part of the customer-till jockey chat that is now the norm.
-- my face your, Dec 10 2002

your preference for such a receipt could be stored on your store discount card, giving the supermarket another selling point for the things.
-- yamahito, Dec 10 2002


Okay, so already I have to wait while some moron forgets their PIN number, buys 1 item and pays using a credit card, can't find their wallet. Now I have to wait for someone to decide EErrr, UUUmmm, HHHmmm if they want a long or short receipt.

Why not merely write the receipt to your card, then you can "swipe" it onto your PC, personally I usually say "No, receipt thanks", but they still print it, so I just hand it back and politely ask them to bin it for me.
-- Micky Dread, Dec 10 2002


I personally would prefer to also have an 'extended receipt' option, where the extra space could be occupied with jokes, musings and a discourse about the supermarket's environmental policy.
-- CheeseFilteredCigarette, Dec 10 2002


I like this idea, but I don't think supermarkets would really go for this. They most likely get paid for the coupons they put on, most business can never get enough of their logo.
-- notme, Dec 11 2002


A smile at the thought of the checker asking "full or truncated?"
-- bristolz, Dec 11 2002


You'd need to teach them to pronounce "truncated".
-- angel, Dec 11 2002


As long as the truncated receipt contains a reference number that allows the customer to query the transaction via an electronic record on the store's computer, I see this as a big step forward in saving paper. Croissant.
-- 8th of 7, Dec 11 2002


Receipts rock! Wish I could get one for everything I did today. Complete with score() out of a possible().
-- Admiral Hackbar, Dec 11 2002


At least here, at least at gas stations you can choose if you want a receipt. The same should work just fine at other types of stores... I don't want even a short one for two or three items i know most likely i am not going to return or otherwise need a receipt for...
-- yu-, Dec 11 2002


I think the point my face your was trying to make was that all the items would still be listed, but the peripheral gubbins, like logo, store address, adverts & offers and other irrelevant info would be omitted.

I think.
-- CheeseFilteredCigarette, Dec 11 2002


What CheeseFilteredCigarette said the second time.
-- my face your, Dec 11 2002


But not how much it cost.
-- angel, Dec 12 2002


Yes, angel. Different receipts for men and women. Like in restaurants, I get the menucard with the prices, she gets the one without prices. Makes it easier to choose what to order if you don't know the price. Same with receipts. It's nice to know *what* you bought, where and when. But it's too confrontational to see the pricetag also.
-- rrr, Dec 12 2002


How about this - you get a bare-bones receipt (store name, date, amount, some unique transaction ID for reference purposes) on paper, and the full, everything-you-bought, bells-and-whistles receipt emailed to you at your request (and upon voluntary submission of your email address, of course).
-- friendlyfire, Dec 12 2002


All or nothing, I say: go for the ATM choice - receipt/no receipt.

If we are going to do something on the topic of receipts, I would prefer my receipts to somehow get from the till into Quicken, without any personal intervention.
-- DrCurry, Dec 12 2002


I've had it with receipts, but you're screwed if this happens to you:

You think you bought cheese doodles at the advertised sale price. Then, on the way to your car, you realize you were way overcharged for the things. You paid cash and you want your five bucks back, so you go to the customer service counter and explain. The kind old lady asks to see your receipt. Now whaddaya gonna do?

The moral of this story is, for stuff you buy that can be returned or disputed, proof will be necessary in some form. You will either get a receipt at the exchange, or rely on your bank statements. (By the way, I opt for no receipt at the ATM and at the gas pump, as I can wait for the bank statements on these.)

When you pay cash, you should get a receipt, for your own protection, to prove the transaction occurred. As for non-cash purchases, you may not want to wait for a statement to make a return or dispute the charges. So, again, you should be issued a receipt.

Receipts should be less wasteful and I am sickened at the infestation of advertising which has barfed itself all over everything people see these days. Problem is, ads pay money, so people are selling any space they have to make a buck.

Okay, I lost my point and started a rant. I'm getting back to work now.

P.S. I'm all for electronic receipt tracking. Save paper!
-- XSarenkaX, Dec 12 2002


I've taken heaps of things back, I never have receipts, most supermarkets/shops will "Swap" goods if they are the wrong size, don't do what they are supposed to do, damaged etc. Its much easier for them to do that then have an insane "Dread" waving hands and making strange Chicken noises.....
-- Micky Dread, Dec 12 2002


...the mind boggles.

This way I'll get less shopper dockets ;)

I'm glad you're still around [calum].
-- madradish, Dec 15 2002


(+)

All the _standard_ receipt needs is:

(1) Name and branch of the store

(2) The word 'receipt'

(3) Date/Time

(4) Total paid

If you, or the accounting department need more detail, a hyperlink could be given. e.g.

http://www.receipt.com/HMV/1310a5h4jd9k741r86j7

A 20 digit alphanumeric link would give approximately 14 thousand billion billion combinations per vendor and wouldn't be too much trouble to type.
-- FloridaManatee, Jan 20 2003


Baron Von Myfaceyour, did you note FloridaManatee's solution?
-- thumbwax, Apr 06 2003


I have now, Archduke thumbwax. An excellent suggestion.
www.receipt.com is taken but there's nowt there. FM might be able to prise it off the owner and make a killing.
-- my face your, Apr 06 2003


OooOOOoo, My name is Archduke thumbwax, Jr. - You can call me Arch, you can call me Duke, you can call me Archduke, you can call me thumb, you can call me 'wax, you can call me thumbwax, you can even call me Junior, but you don't have to call me Archduke thumbwax, Jr.
-- thumbwax, Apr 06 2003


That won't help us be in receipt of our senses, though, will it?
-- Ander, May 08 2003


[Humble apologies to [Detly] for the accidental deletion of his annotation. Sorry!]
As you were.
-- my face your, Aug 11 2003


Never gonna happen. Its too good a form of cheap advertising. Some places round here even get local businesses advertising on the back of reciepts!
-- tarby, Mar 14 2004


I would take the short receipt.... especially if the register had one of those screens where you see the prices as they are being rung up. You already now the price is right!
-- calvino, Apr 16 2004



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