Paper?

Rob -I understand the desire to minimize paper but I have been trying (slowly) to become paperless. My receipts are all stored digitally in a folder that is backed up on my Google doc folder to share with my bank and accountant. The only paper is a copy of my files Schedule C that actually digitally signed and filed online. 

It is still irritating to go to CVS and get an arm length receipt with ads for a simple purchase. 

Neil, I understand the

Neil, I understand the benefits of electronic receipts but prefer the reliability of paper. I have no idea when the hard drive will crash but I do know the paper will still be functional for quite a while. Once I have it in my hand it can be ready for my needs when ever. So for me things that involve my money going to someone while I am waiting for merchandise to arrive paper is a great back up. It is also easy to get rid of when no longer needed.

Why not...

Why not just print out the first page of your receipt? Some manufacturers add other items to it like specials or disclaimers. I always hit the 'print preview' on my print button and only print the pages I want or need..

Neal

Reduced Size

Clever ideas guys, I like the

Clever ideas guys, I like the idea of not needing several steps to get a receipt. In the one I just looked at 2 sided print cut down on paper but still used up a bunch of ink on crap I did not need. I would like for them to be order number, items purchased, amount paid, sold to and shipped to. It would seem that 20 items should fit on a single 8 x 11 easily.

Word Document

Copy what you want to save and paste it on a Word Doc and print that.  (Assuming you have Microsoft Office.)

I have word and pages Bill

I have word and pages Bill and one of those items might be all the traction this gets from the folks that wish to sell things to me. Thanks for your idea and thoughts.

Simpler receipts would be good

Bill's copy and paste idea is something I often do. It works with other word processors too.

Ken, you have summed things

Ken, you have summed things up nicely, I hope you are having a Merry Christmas.

Just out of curiosity....

When was the last time you looked at an old receipt and why?

pqe

If you need to return

If you need to return something for warranty, you need your recept as proof of purchase. You need the recept if you get shipped a defective or wrong item. Many rebates need a copy of the recept sent in with the rebate. 

Not if you paid via electronic means

Let me put this a different way. Every time you or a supplier prints a paper copy of a transaction (receipt or invoice/statement) you are contributing to global warming (albeit in a very small way). 

Every time you purchase something and pay for it by electronic means both the customers and the vendors bank will have generated a permanent electronic record of the transaction. 

If you need to return an item all you need to do is give the vendor your name, the date and the amount of the purchase.

The simplicity of this process can take a bit to get your head around but I have yet to find a vendor who won't accept an electronic record.  If, like me, you can't remember where and when you bought something then keep a simple spreadsheet. Every time you purchase an item of any significance simply record the date, item description and vendor.

The only time I now get a paper receipt is when I have to provide proof of purchase on my way out of the store.

Most vendors

I purchase through online have a record of all my past purchases in their system.  I keep the receipts in my email (gmail) where they will remain as long as I will ever need them.  I have emails still in my gmail that date back to 2004.  I categorize them as "model trains" and "receipts" so I can pull them all up together in a second.  No worries with google going away, and even if they thought at some point they would charge me for the service, like photobucket has, I can then print them out if I still think they are relevant.