This post was published back in 2009. It may not function as originally intended or may be missing images.
Credit Card Receipt Preferences
As I watch the receipt start printing, I always have the same thought in the checkout lane: "Why?"
That piece of paper the clerk is about to hand me is going to get shoved into my pocket and is going to end up god knows where. My desk, in my mail stack, in the lint trap, or discovered next winter when I pull my jacket from the closet again. No matter it's destination, it will have lived a fruitless life, serving no purpose but to clutter my life.
A growing number of stores are beginning to ask the question: "Would you like your receipt?" But the overwhelming majority still happily prints you this waste of paper.
Though these point of sale encounters vary, there is generally one common element: a place to run your credit card.
I rarely carry cash with me anymore, paying with a credit card is far more convenient. And generally I am only using one card for all of these different stores. What I'd like to see is either on the store side or ideally at the credit card level, a way to set your preferences for receipts and even bags.
What if the system knew when I swiped my card that I did not want a receipt? I would not have to wait for it to print and I could be on my way with one less thing to throw away.