Marks & Spencers. Receipts at till on request.

Laramie

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I was down in my local M & S in Blackrock making a few small grocery purchases. When I paid for these items at the till I was handed my change but no receipt. I looked at the cashier and anticipating what I was going to say she asked me "Oh do you want a receipt"? I said "Of course I want a receipt. What would happen if I was stopped by security on the way out and I had no receipt" She just shrugged her shoulders. I then said that "Would you remember me if I had to come back to you with the security person"? She just shrugged her shoulders. Apparently by public demand they have stopped issuing receipts unless one is requested. I would have thought that everyone should be given a receipt automatically without question. What if.........
 
A lot of people don't want receipts because it is unwanted paper in their pockets.

Security won't stop you without evidence.

Your purchase is, in most cases, recorded on CCTV, the M&S system and on your credit / debit card records.

Paper receipts are a bygone in this day and age of digital recording. Mobile payments, in the future, will make it even easier on retailers to do away with paper receipts.
 
Their debit/credit card records wouldnt be much good if they were stopped there and then on the way out of the store. I can understand people not wanting the paper but surely people should be savy enough to ant areceipt to ensure they have been charged correctly etc and also, as OP mentioned, as proof of payment.
 
This is a growing problem. I use receipts to track my spend on certain categories of items as I work to a budget. I also want to ensure I've been charged the correct price as discrepancies between shelf stickers and till prices are becoming more common (my local CENTRA dread seeing me). Filling stations are the latest "no receipt" culprits. I track my fuel usage and MPG tank-to-tank (I don't do top ups) and need the receipts as my memory isn't always the best. Did I pay 116.8 per litre for diesel or 118.6? The local pharmacy is the worst as their receipts, if you ask for one, just says "23.25 paid". Is there not an obligation on retailers to issues a detailed receipt when you buy stuff other than routine groceries?
 
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I like my receipts too and notice I sometimes have to ask for them now. I track everything as well, old habits die hard, 30+ yrs of spending diaries in the press! But I'm afraid I am the person the government wants rid of, take out cash every week and work from that, no debit card and I only use credit card for online or on hols.
 
A receipt can help sometimes.

Like Monbretia above, I pay for practically everything using cash. Holidays, airline tickets, are paid by credit card.

What I found interesting was that M & S say that they asked their customers about this. The cynic in me thinks that someone ran the numbers and thought that the saving of paper would add to their bottom line. A bit like my Saturday newspaper only has one staple in it instead of the regular two. Or a bit like the Hotel saying that they have an ECO policy so try and reuse your towels.

If the staff member at the till gives the customer a choice then this might be O.K. but it looks as if in the case above the cashier had decided to only give it when asked. At the checkout you are trying to pack your groceries, check your change, deal with cash and debit cards and possibly look after children. You need to be reminded about receipts. In my local Aldi and Lidl these guys on the tills move so fast you can hardly keep up with them. You also have the disadvantage of not having any space where your groceries can move to before bagging.

Kind of like the two minutes you spend going through security at airports with all the things you have to deal with.
 
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In my local Aldi and Lidl these guys on the tills move so fast you can hardly keep up with them. You also have the disadvantage of not having any space where your groceries can move to before bagging.

A friend who worked in Aldi a few years back (and hated it) told me that they are on a timer with the register open. If you listen the next time you're there I think there is a low bell ringing while the till is open. At the time she worked there competitions took place to see who dealt with the highest number of customers in the quickest time.
 
I heard that in Aldi they have to get an average of 1200 items through the till per hour.
 
Hello,

Am I wrong in thinking that legally, are you are entitled to a receipt ?

It strikes me that you should automatically be given a receipt, or at least offered one at the time of transaction, for future proof of purchase etc.
 
What if people want to return goods that are faulty, stale, inedible, or under guarantee, etc, etc, etc? Some of the people we deal with on a daily basis in stores hardly have the manners to say hello, or even acknowledge that you're there at all.
 
One of the joys of living outside the pale is we operate at a slower pace and there isn't the same rush in the shops. Receipts are always given and I never leave a supermarket without checking that receipt as there have been occasions when an incorrect price was charged.

If you have to return something (faulty or out of date etc.) to a shop proof of purchase is always requested so if you have no receipt what next?
 
Most stores should be moving to email and text receipts.
If you want a receipt, just ask for it. Not the end of the world. Most people won't want one for everyday items.
 
Argos and Power City are supplying receipt/guarantee by e-mail now which is very handy.
Oh great, so now we also have to wait on the customer to give their email as well as paying by card which is always at the bottom of the handbag and 'Do you want cashback ? Ehhhhh yeah a tenner loike'.
 
Oh great, so now we also have to wait on the customer to give their email as well as paying by card which is always at the bottom of the handbag and 'Do you want cashback ? Ehhhhh yeah a tenner loike'.

No generalisation here or anything :(

1. I gave my e-mail address to the person serving on the main floor not at the cash desk in Power City and it took about 5 seconds to give the e-mail in Argos.
It can be very handy to have the guarantee details on e-mail where some electrical items can be covered for up to 3 years.
2. I always have my card ready and keep it handy in my purse which is never at the bottom of the bag.
3. As I generally use my Visa credit card for this type of payment it wouldn't make sense to ask for cashback.
 
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