Comments on: Please Kill the Paper Receipt – Updated

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:40:27 +0000

I am developing this exact idea for an MBA course that I’m in! It’s a Finance course, but it focuses on sustainable value creation and I’m creating a final project that would calculate the NPV of this project for a network company such as Visa or MasterCard. I would love any feedback anyone could give on ball park how much money it would take to develop the IP for a project such as this. Either way I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who wonders why the heck I have all of these paper receipts I don’t need!

By: Crys K.

Crys K. — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:21:45 +0000

The damage being done is beyond tragic. Let’s do ourselves a huge favor – let’s stop raping our planet and give the money that we spend on receipt paper/printing to real causes…like people without food, water and shelter…the basic things for living.

By: david gordon

david gordon — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:26:38 +0000

i have an idea that will cut reciepts by at least half if not more, but im just an idea man and now need a bit of help to get it under way and the time scale you are talking about would be a year if not less. If anyone thinks they can help me pls send an email

By: Tom Gorman

Tom Gorman — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:44:31 +0000

What companies offer solutions to email reciepts? I know apple does it, but who makes the software to do so?

By: Peter Beckman

Peter Beckman — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:02:23 +0000

I’d love to have an electronic substitute but until that is available generally I WANT A RECEIPT. Why do I feel so strongly? Because over a period of about 18 months the
Whole Foods where I shop charged me the wrong price on an least one item approximately 50% of the time. Receipts are critical to holding businesses responsible.

By: Sonny Byrd

Sonny Byrd — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:14:08 +0000

Great post. I work for Shoeboxed.com, and we manage paper receipts for the folks out there who have to keep track of them for the IRS and for business expenses. Users just mail (or send photos via phone) receipts to us, and we scan and digitize the data in a secure online account. Great way to go paperless, save some time, and get organized. As long as the IRS requires receipts to prove expenditures (and digital receipts typically aren’t available from most vendors), Shoeboxed will be here to help those of us who don’t want to deal with the hassle of the paper receipt. https://www.shoeboxed.com

Sonny Byrd
Head of Marketing
Shoeboxed.com
sonny@team.shoeboxed.com

By: Randy Linville

Randy Linville — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:00:24 +0000

Still haven’t seen anyone give references for Alletronic’s data. Per Terry’s request I went to the wikipedia site for paper recycling and didn’t see where it says 50% of forests have been cleared. It did say that 35% of all trees that are felled are used for paper. But given that 2-3 trees are planted for every one taken down, stating that the forests are shrinking is not only false but also irresponsible.

The wikipedia site also doesn’t talk about how much oil is needed to make paper. It mentions how much less energy is consumed when paper is recycled. But it doesn’t talk about barrels of oil needed to make paper.

So any references be appreciated.

My position stands: if paper loses out to electronic methods, so be it. But greenwashing computerized storage and communication while claiming that paper production isn’t green isn’t acceptable.

Finally, a quote from Dr. Patrick Moore who helped found Greenpeace. He said, “Forestry is the most sustainable of all the primary industries that provide us with energy and materials. To address climate change we must use more wood, not less. Using more wood sends a signal to the marketplace to grow more trees.”

By: Gary

Gary — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:51:10 +0000

I have been thinking about e-receipts for a year and I notice that paper receipts are something that people have been thinking of ways to get rid of for the last 10 years and people have come up with products and software to replace paper receipts. But unfortunately, most of them haven’t gone far because they have all run into the same problem – widespread adoptions by merchants and users are difficult because you will need to find a way to be as convenient as pressing the print button by the merchant and reaching out to pick up the useless piece of paper the customers. The solution has to be really cheap too because it’s virtually costless for the merchants to print a footlong receipt.

But I think I have found the solution and I am looking for a partner with software enginnering background, who share this vision and passion, to start developing a prototype. So please send me an email if anyone is interested.

By: Terry

Terry — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:21:07 +0000

Don–you are on target. I read where UPS stopped printing paper labels–this small decision will save at least 1,338 tons of paper per year. I hope retailers notice this and stop with the paper receipts.

To Randy seeking references–go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_recycling
It supports a lot of what allelectronic suggests citing EPA studies, academic research, etc.

Agree with other posters–e-receipt option must be spam free. Spamming me shifts clutter from paper in my pocket to my inbox.

Neez–your donut comment–lol, good stuff.

By: Michael Jagger

Michael Jagger — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 15:59:32 +0000

The problem of losing paper receipts in my company (which are required in the event of an audit in order to claim back sales taxes paid) resulted in the creation of http://www.justthebill.com

JustTheBill lets you keep track of all of your paper receipts by taking a picture of it, and automatically uploading it to a secure account. It’s perfect for those situations where a paper receipt isn’t avoidable (like in a taxi, parking lot or any expense that you want to submit to your company for reimbursement).

In terms of a ‘greener’ alternative, JustTheBill.com also provides every user with a unique email address so that when they go to the Apple Store (or any other progressive retailer that offers an option for emailing receipts) as well as when things are purchased online, all of those receipts can be automatically added to their JustTheBill account.

It’s also free for individual users.