What Do You Do With Your Receipts?

Have you noticed how cash register receipts are getting longer? It's a little mind-boggling. We are using higher tech registers at the store, shouldn't we be using less paper?

When I was in college the first time around I worked at Target, the best store on the planet, as a cashier. I remember most people wrote checks for their items. I remember how to find the Routing Number and Account Number on any check.

We had to hand key all that information into the cash register. (I remember a grocery store in town that still used the grease pencils and the cashiers memorized the weekly ad.) I think I remember (oh the fickle mind!) actually using the old credit card machine with the carbon paper for credit card receipts. But it wasn't long before we were able to "swipe" the card and then the cash register would spit out the receipt the customer signed. People were so leery about this whole change. It was a serious change in the shopping industry and people were very worried about the change. And our slogan during this change was "We're using less paper!"

And now we've come full circle. When some stores, such as Sunflower Markets, are using double sided receipts that are so short I almost lose them, most others are adding coupons and surveys and more coupons onto their receipts. Kmart is one of the worst offenders. Tonight I bought two items. I received a receipt over 12 inches long and two other 8 inch coupons. I don't know if anyone else does, but I find this most annoying. So annoying that I rebel in my nonagressive style. I rip off the actual receipt, stick it in my purse and throw the rest on their floor. If they are going to try and fill up my purse with useless crap, they are going to get it right back. I do the same for fliers left on my car, I throw them to the wind. And I don't even feel bad, paper disintegrates quite easily.