Isn't it a huge waste of paper? There's a push to use less plastic bags, less plastic bottles, but not much talk of reducing receipts. In my opinion if you pay by card or digitally, the receipt should be digital. If you pay cash, I guess you might need a paper receipt, but it should be optional to receive the receipt. I think the pos industry is outdated.
Also, maybe more significantly, BPA (a endocrine-disrupting, estrogen-mimicking plastic) is absorbed through skin from touching thermal-printed receipts. And has a variety of other environmental effects, e.g.<p>"A 2009 review of the biological impacts of plasticizers on wildlife published by the Royal Society with a focus on aquatic and terrestrial annelids, molluscs, crustaceans, insects, fish and amphibians concluded that BPA affects reproduction in all studied animal groups, impairs development in crustaceans and amphibians and induces genetic aberrations."<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A</a><p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51979440_Bisphenol_A_in_Thermal_Paper_Receipts_An_Opportunity_for_Evidence-Based_Prevention" rel="nofollow">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51979440_Bisphenol_...</a>
It is optional in most places in the US. They normally ask if you want the receipt. Lots of people say no. I only say yes when I need to report expenses.
Over here in the UK it is optional in many places. Most self service checkouts will ask you whether you want a receipt when you're done, and most cashiers will ask the same.<p>So for the most part it is optional. Only encountered one shop in the last few years that always printed the receipt out.
It's not a huge waste of paper. It costs far less than a penny to produce that amount of paper. It's a fraction of the credit card processing fee and this way less information about customers or purchases is shared between entities.
It's an option in many places in the UK, but people often won't give out their email for a receipt because it also means that you'll be signed up to someone's shitty newsletter.<p>If I could pay on my phone and receive JUST the receipt, I'd be happy - but outside of receiving a copy of the receipt and having to flag future emails as spam, there isn't an option for this.
Fraud is/was the main reason for receipts. Without the physical receipt it's possible for the cashier to make a transaction that is not recorded by the cash register/Point of Sale terminal and they can then pocket the cash. Used to be a print receipt was the only option. Things have changed...
> If you pay cash, I guess you might need a paper receipt, but it should be optional to receive the receipt.<p>This is how it is in most places in India. Even the card machines will ask if you want to print a customer receipt. Most people say no.
Be careful if you are a person who cares about preserving testosterone. Receipt thermal ink contains BPA which is highly absorbable through contact with skin.