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144 Comments
- pradaaddict, on 01/17/2009, -0/+29Apple Store does this and I think more stores should as well. I would rather have my information in the computer so I dont have to dig through a shoe box when I have a problem with something I purchased. But I think that the companies should make a promise to customers and not spam them unless they voluntarily sign up for the mailing list and to not sell the customers information to third parties.
- cliffzdude, on 01/18/2009, -3/+31You realize the end game here? It won't be to save the environment, it'll be to track your purchases and buying habits. If that is a good thing or bad is up for you to decide.... Just sayin'...
- ninjatech123, on 01/18/2009, -1/+22Sounded good right until the statement "...create additional avenues for direct marketing..." aka, we have your email address and we are also going to send a a ***** ton of "directed spam".
At least it probably won't be male enhancement spam.. Er, i guess that depends on what kinds off stores you shop at. - hbyrne, on 01/17/2009, -6/+22I sure hope so. With the bulk of my transactions done in plastic, my only reason for keeping a paper receipt is on the off chance the IRS might audit me someday. Such a waste.
- phore, on 01/18/2009, -2/+16A lot of retailers would abuse the fact that they have your e-mail.
- Spinducky08, on 01/18/2009, -1/+14"I bought a doughnut, and they gave me a receipt for the doughnut. I don't need a receipt for a doughnut. I'll just give you the money, you give me the doughnut -- end of transaction. We don't need to bring ink and paper into this."
- Mitch Hedberg
- ileftfark, on 01/18/2009, -1/+12I like the idea, but I also like having my receipt as I walk away from the checkout. Those dudes that stand at the door at big-box stores wanna see your receipt? You gotta go back to computers and check your email? Keep F5'ing until it shows up in your inbox? What if the email never makes it to your inbox- you have no proof you bought something?
Paper's got its problems as well, both for the consumer and for the environment, but until there's an instant way to verify I have a proof of purchase before I walk out of a store, I will opt for paper. - qwerter, on 01/18/2009, -1/+11We're fighting for a paper trail in our elections, so why not keep them for financial transactions as well? Physical, tangible records are a Good Thing.
- Chairboy, on 01/18/2009, -2/+10One problem with this is that the final problem of how to completely track all purchases is solved. Right now, if you use your credit card, the only trackable thing in a central database is that you made a purchase for $X. If you use a loyalty card, you can give it a fake name and have the specific items un-attached to your real identity.
This would make it so that your specific purchases are absolutely 100% nailed down to YOU.
"You're a paranoid *****, Chairboy" I hear you chirping. Newsflash: The reason this is so dangerous doesn't necessarily involve the government. It could be your insurance company tracking your grocery purchases and denying you medical coverage for a 'preventable condition' because you enjoy steak. It could be your employer looking for closet boozers to deny promotion to. It could be anything, the imagination is the only limitation here. - phreak79, on 01/17/2009, -0/+8Would sure be nice, receipts are a royal pain in the arse.
- inactive, on 01/18/2009, -0/+7Dude, don't even act like you didn't get that donut, I've got the documentation right here
- anubis2night, on 01/18/2009, -1/+7I've had this idea for a long time now, but they did it completely differantly, if it were me I'd make it a transaction that either gets captured on your credit card or simply a reciept card that acts like those savings cards used at supermarkets. This way you have one card that you get all your receipts on then when you get home you just scan it into the computer and get all you receipts from there, maybe even integrate it into quickbooks for people that want to keep their finances in order with a program. Hell, google could write a program to do this then put out a product that would be just as easy.
- absolutzombie, on 01/18/2009, -1/+6also - most of these stores' wet dreams in marketing opportunities.
Paper please. - geodebug, on 01/18/2009, -0/+5I do if I'm on a business trip.
- christinme, on 01/18/2009, -2/+6yeah i am going to say the same thing as what the guy above said.....welcome to the Apple Store. The apple store has been doing this for a long time and I love it. Why is this considered new. Apple beat your asses to the punch and you think you are innovative. Buried for a feature that is already present in the world but neglected.
- duncypoo, on 01/18/2009, -0/+4My idea? Your tell your bank whether you want printed or digital receipts (akin to telling them whether you want real, wasteful statements that just get shredded, or convenient eco-friendly e-statements) and when you shop the receipt either gets printed, or e-mailed (via your bank) to your inbox. You don't need to even have the conversation with the cashier.
This way you're gonna get your receipt as it's out of the hands of the retailer, and the retailer isn't going to get your e-mail address to spam you. In addition, the retailer benefits because the save on paper, and can boast about how green they are. Happy days! - zxvr1, on 01/17/2009, -1/+5It would save a lot of time but you would have to give every place you shopped at your e-mail address. Just hope they don't send spam e-mail in addition to your receipt.
- LonesomeFighter, on 01/18/2009, -0/+4or even the option of no receipt at all like at gas stations.
Anyone have Shaw's supermarket? There receipts were formatted differently not terribly long ago to make each one a good 3-4 times longer. such a waste. - pika2000, on 01/19/2009, -0/+4I would love paperless receipts. Problem is, everybody wants a paper receipt. Store returns, warranty claim, rebates, all still require paper. I mean try going to a regular B&M store and do a return/exchange, most of them still require a paper receipt, even though they might offer paperless receipt themselves. I had this experience with Costco. I know they don't need the actual paper receipt for returns/exchanges since all my transaction with them is all on their computer, but there are times when the customer service person still ask for a paper receipt, and stare at me thinking I'm a criminal if I said I don't have it or indicated that they don't need it.
Until the merchants accept the idea of paperless receipt, I'd still rather get that piece of paper since if anything happens. - SilverBlade2k, on 01/18/2009, -2/+6Sorry, no, I will always want a receipt in my wallet, in case something goes wrong with the product, and I have proof that I purchased that item.
Also, in addition, this "paperless" receipt service has nothing to do with (consumer) convenience, It has *everything* to do with retailer convenience, and consumer tracking. This will allow retailers, credit card companies (and probably the government), to track your purchases, but they are just marketing it as a convenience to consumers, to hide their real goals.
If you don't have a paper receipt, they can just "loose" the electronic record, and you have no recourse if you want to return someone. This is a very bad idea., - afruff23, on 01/18/2009, -0/+4I hope they don't "loose" my electronic record.
- ladyattis, on 01/18/2009, -0/+3Since I do my banking online, I almost never keep my receipts save for at stores where it is part of their policy like Walmart or Target (as 'proof' that you're not a thief...). Beyond that, most gas stations and grocery stores almost never offer me a receipt or if they do, there's an option not to print it out.
So, this option itself is a good idea, especially if it can report 'faster' to my bank so I can save the data to a spreadsheet or whatever for future self-auditing/budgeting. - login:, on 01/18/2009, -2/+5Really?? People here are enamored with the idea of giving retailers their email address? No thanks, I say. I don`t want more crap in my inbox, I don`t want to maintain a seperate 'receipts' email, and I don`t trust them not to sell/lose/license my information.
- Ne007, on 01/18/2009, -2/+5Yeh...I like that....it makes everything traceable so we can track down the terrorists.
and also make a list of everything I buy and give them to a marketing lists also so I get the best coupons in the mail.
plus there's the fact that I like someone knowing exactly what I'm doing at all times....makes me feel safe. - xptoast, on 01/18/2009, -1/+4Why don't they design this service to be linked straight into your credit card purchase so that the credit card company sends that email address along with the other information. Or heck just have the credit card companies do it for you. Just an idea.
- inactive, on 01/19/2009, -0/+3Or they save the data to a USB keychain, and get no info from you
- david76, on 01/18/2009, -0/+3Now maybe Circuit City can stop printing out those 3 foot long receipts. Oh... right... I really think the company could have been saved if they just shorted their receipts. Imagine all the money wasted on those 3 foot long things.
- PeachesTheCow, on 01/18/2009, -0/+3I rarely have problems to dispute on a receipt so I'd welcome this, but if there were a discrepancy this would make it a heck of a lot harder to dispute - you'd have to go home, check your email, go back, putter back and forth, forget it! I'd rather just be asked whether I want a receipt or not, generally I don't want one.
- inactive, on 01/18/2009, -0/+3I think the main problem with this idea isn't so much the fact that people wouldn't want to give out their e-mail address. You could create a dummy gmail address just for receipts like "yourname_receipt"@gmail.com". I think the main problem with this is that unless you had your e-mail address pre-registered with a bunch of retailers, giving them your e-mail address would slow the whole transaction process down. Think about what Interac would be like if you had to tell them the 12 digit number for your access card every time. No one would use it.
If this is going to work, people would need something like an Airmiles card that has their e-mail address encoded onto it (as a barcode or on the magnetic strip) that they could just swipe through the till when you pay for your goods.
As a business owner, it is absolutely crucial that I get proper receipts for things that I buy for the business or my accountant goes *****. I don't know as I would trust a paperless receipt because I wouldn't know until later that day or days later if I actually received a receipt or not. I buy things online for my business and it usually gives you a receipt on the screen (which I promptly print as a PDF) AND it will usually e-mail me the receipt as well. I'm fine with that but when I'm there in person, give me the paper receipt.
The environmental argument for this idea is pretty thin too. - mjm65, on 01/18/2009, -1/+4Its all about the "targeted" ad revenue. I really don't need targeted ads, or my email address sold to a 3rd party.
- geodebug, on 01/18/2009, -0/+3Not hard to create an email address just for receipts. Don't need to give stores your main one.
- absolutzombie, on 01/18/2009, -0/+3It's not skeptical of the technology, its skeptical of the people that are deploying it. I work in marketing, and I can tell you right now - the only reason retailers are going to spend money to switch to this will be the marketing opportunities it unlocks - and it only gets more valuable as it gets shared \ combined, and data mined. They aren't going to do it out of the goodness of their hearts I promise you that.
- inactive, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2"Well, the only problem is ... you'll have to tell them your email every time "
No, it would be stored on a USB keychain or something - elmuerte17, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2if i'm buying coffee, lunch, or gas, i hate getting a receipt. waste of paper and my pocket space. larger, more permanent purchases... definitely a convenient way to prove you bought it there if something breaks and the customer service person fails at computer or the system breaks.
- yunus, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2I do from restaurants. Until I see what they actually charged me I make sure to keep my receipt because they could have put anything they want in the tip line and the receipt is my only proof as to the truth.
- CanuckPenguin, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2The only think I don't like about electronic receipts (for utilities, bank statements, and the like) is that you know the company is saving a bunch of money by not having to print and mail a statement and yet the consumer doesn't see any of that money.
If the split the difference with the customer then that would be great. But do you really think that they are going to reduce their rates or fees? Or will the company just pocket the extra money. - fowleryo, on 01/18/2009, -2/+4well, this is already happening. credit card companies and banks already know exactly what you're buying and when you buy it.
this only introduces a 3rd party that basically records the info so that you can utilize it.. - benitojuarez, on 01/18/2009, -1/+3ii dont want grocery stores having my email address, they send me enough junk mail thru usps as it is
- kinerry, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2walmart saves half of the space by printing on both sides
- inactive, on 01/18/2009, -0/+2I agree with Joshuaer on one important point - you'd never get every retailer to agree to the same standard for loading up your receipt card. Sending the receipt to an e-mail address works better because retailers could use whatever proprietary transaction software they want and just add functionality to it that sends a receipt to your e-mail. The challenge, as I see it, is how do you get someone's e-mail address from them at the till while keeping the transaction time short and minimizing errors?
- aitoheiwa, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2The flip side is that if there is an electronic record then you still have recourse if you lose your copy of the receipt, be it paper or emailed. It all comes down to the ethics and service of the companies deploying this. I'd be all for it at stores I visit frequently whose marketing tactics I trust, maybe less so with places I'd either never go again or where I wouldn't trust them not to send me every ***** spam email they could think of.
- inactive, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2I'm sure the idea is a nightmare for retailers. Suddenly people won't have to find their old receipts to return products they bought.
- Nothlit, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2Do you pay with a credit card? Then that's how they know who you are, at least at the Apple Store. I would imagine most stores would follow suit. At first you'd probably have to give your info to every store individually, but eventually they would all probably tie into some centralized system provided by the credit card companies to simplify things (like how Verified by Visa works now).
- passive, on 01/18/2009, -1/+3Hell yes!
Mark my words, whoever gets this process right will make a killing. Cell phone manufacturers, I'm primarily looking at you. You already have the hardware, now you just need a simple way to get the data. - yuanzhoulu, on 01/19/2009, -1/+3and then they spam the living ***** out of you
- vexxefx, on 01/18/2009, -0/+2plus a seperate email perhaps even provided by the companies would not only organise the receipts better but advertise a little with their domain in your email
- acceleration, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2No, he means "arse". I think you're a bit confused.
- yuanzhoulu, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2apple is hypocritical in their ways. save paper on receipts, but make products that can't be fixed and thus have to throw away and buy new ones. if their products were more easily consumer-upgradable, the amount of natural resources saved on making the extra electronics and plastic would be phenomenally more than a couple of receipts here and there from that customer.
- 07Caliber, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2I constantly wonder about that. Do people think the paper industry is run by morons?
- inactive, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2I've been dreaming of digital receipts for ages. We just plug a USB keychain into the register, it edits a database, we're done. No page long receipt to buy cat food
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