On a recent trip to Walmart for "a few small, inexpensive items" that usually add up to a surprisingly large number, I got a long receipt measuring from my head to my waist. Given my 5'11" frame that was approximately 36 inches. Sadly, there are certainly longer ones out there. It’s crazy that every time we purchase something we’re handed a newly-minted, custom-made piece of trash made from paper, no less. The experience brought back memories of my recent trip to Switzerland, where I was asked in every store whether I want a ‘ticket’, if I said no, the cashier basically just did not print one out. It is not as if the store detective was going to grab me at the door, with a bag full of groceries in Migros or COOP …at least they have a way of reducing the amount of ’scrap’ paper.
If there’s anything the internet and behavioral psychology have taught us, it’s that smart, small ripples can have big cumulative effects. So it is time we solved this problem of producing junk every time we transact.
Let’s just make receipts available on an “opt in” basis, rather than assuming everyone always wants one. We’d save a lot of paper and ink. Also, with everything from shopping to friendships going digital, why not receipts. Stores should just capture receipts digitally, and make it accessible online if you want them. A great example is the Apple store which emailed the receipts of my last purchase. As always, the "fruit" company, as Forrest Gump famously noted, seems to be on the cutting edge of innovation!
If you were to take this idea further, here are a couple of thoughts:
1) Charge people if they want a printed receipt, with the money going directly to planting a tree with the Arbor Day Foundation. How could Whole Foods say no to this one?
2) Receipts are also a problem at restaurants (i.e., credit card slips). Let’s put e-signature screen at or in the tables to save on paper and send receipts directly to email. So easy. So environment friendly.
Let's say no to receipts!
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