
Why are CVS receipts so long? (2018) - esalazar
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/10/17956950/why-are-cvs-pharmacy-receipts-so-long
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weiming
Anything with toxic thermal paper immediately goes to the trash if I can help
it. Other than arguably being bad for the environment (so much paper wasted)
they can also be harmful to you _simply from touch_. E.g. "A significant
increase in urinary total BPA concentration was observed for cashiers handling
daily thermal paper receipts. " [1][2]

[1]
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927604/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927604/)

[2] [https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/03/the-
health-...](https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/03/the-health-risk-
of-bpa-in-receipts/index.htm)

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14
I can’t stand when I go to Mcdonals and ask to hold the pickle. They print a
grill order receipt and tape it to the burger. It is a little receipt that
states no pickle. All I can think when I see them is their ink is rubbing off
on my fries.

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weiming
What I noticed last time at McD's, is that the ink literally rubs off from the
colorful paper mat (on the tray) on which I have been putting ketchup and
fries my whole life. Try rubbing it with your finger next time, yikes.

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raverbashing
Did you expect that paper to be food grade? It isn't

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wjn0
It almost certainly is. Likewise for the dye.

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kylehotchkiss
I've wondered for some time why card processors don't have an API to accept
receipt data so that they could handle storing receipts along with the
transactions. It would be a little less wasteful but also allow some of the
newer banks to create some interesting products. Your bank or card issuer
already knows which store you visited, when, and where. Knowing what products
your purchased doesn't add too much more dimension of creepiness onto their
pile of data.

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thrower123
Home Depot does this with their card readers. I entered my email address once
to send an emailed receipt, and forever after, if I use that same card, it
will just send me an email with my receipt.

Note: this is not even a Home Depot card, it's just my everyday Visa card.

I've also seen this with anybody that uses Square - it can be a little
surprising because I'll check my email and see a receipt for a random food
truck that I got a hotdog from or things of that nature.

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hunter2_
That's not the card processor receiving receipt data. It's the POS vendor
doing their own thing.

But, similar outcome in terms of reducing paper.

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pacifiedcitizen
Finally had to stop lurking here to share the good news... if you get the CVS
app, buried within app settings is the option to go paperless. Once you do so,
the registers won't even try to print a receipt which seems to confuse 10 out
of 10 cashiers when they're about to ask if I want my receipt. Bonus points,
receipts go directly to email.

Can also manage your prescriptions completely as well, a surprisingly easy
user experience.

~~~
chews
thank you amazing human

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ac29
I wish we could just get rid of paper receipts by default. At the end of more
or less every retail transaction, they kindly hand you a few inches (or feet)
of trash, which is a waste.

Many places are kind enough to ask if you need the receipt, but it still
prints out if you say no - the cashier just throws it directly away for you.

I get that some people need or want receipts for various reasons, but judging
by the trash can outside many stores exits, many people don't want them. The
world generates enough trash as is.

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kalleboo
I believe that sometimes there are regulatory requirements to print receipts
(as a transaction without a receipt is more likely to be cash-in-pocket tax
avoidance).

My parents lived in Greece during the financial crisis, and at the time the
tax agency would randomly audit people and require them to present 25% of
their yearly income in the form of receipts. This was introduced as a way to
get consumers to ask vendors for receipts (as a way to force them to input
sales into their cash registers and book them as income)

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cyphar
> I believe that sometimes there are regulatory requirements to print receipts
> (as a transaction without a receipt is more likely to be cash-in-pocket tax
> avoidance).

Though it is quite ironic that most original receipts don't last long enough
for any audit purposes. In Australia businesses need to keep all receipts for
7 years (and for individuals it's 5 years), for tax audit purposes. But I have
yet to encounter a paper receipt which lasts more than 2 years.

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kalleboo
Yeah thermal paper is pretty terrible. Also make sure you don't forget one on
the dashboard of your car on a hot sunny day... At least where I live scans of
receipts are accepted so I just scan everything

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Animats
I can live with the long receipts. What I hate is the huge penalty for not
having an affinity card. Safeway did that first, then Walgreens and CVS
followed. Lucky doesn't do that, and I usually go there.

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fmj
If the store lets you use your phone number instead of the card try (local
area code) 867-5309. Somebody has usually registered it already.

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gnicholas
A couple years ago, Safeway rolled out an app that contains the best deals.
It's slowly becoming a situation where you can either use the app (and get
tracked) or get reamed on pricing.

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axaxs
For anyone curious, same with Kroger in the midwest. I generally choose
Meijer...they do digital coupons, but nothing dramatic. And they don't inflate
their prices for 'nonmembers.'

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234wfsdf
This has been bothering me for a long time, I learned from this article that
you can disable receipt printing from the CVS app. Go into account settings
and set email delivery to disable local print.

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jdblair
But then I would have to tell them my email address.

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mehrdadn
Get a dedicated email address/domain? Handy for lots of situations and makes
you not have to worry about this again.

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rdm_blackhole
In Australia, most cashiers will ask you if you want the receipt when paying
and you can decline so that they don't print it.

I usually decline and only ask for a receipt if the total is over $100.

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joeyh
I've only shopped there once, and I wonder if this is subconciously why.

(More likely something to do with revision control I suppose.)

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tmaly
I think if they just added coupons to your cvs card and emailed you a summary
it would be a better customer experience

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carlob
Well if they are so opposed to long receipts, why did they publish such a long
article to begin with? /s

tl;dr coupons

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staunch
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWlNesxOGrU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWlNesxOGrU)
#ObligatoryHedberg

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timwis
Loved the writing of this article!

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jmdjmd
Still a lot less paper than a kids school notebooks.

