Light Green Stairs

That’s not a skunk. It’s my cat, duh. He usually slinks into the photos, but I’ll have to admit putting the check-out coupon next to him this time. It just seemed like such a boring photo otherwise.

I could blame the marketing demons for creating these receipts with essays at the end, asking you to complete a survey for a chance to win $5,000. Or maybe the receipts just tell you about how much money you saved using your customer appreciation card (that’s a whole other topic). I’ve been handed a 10-inch receipt for two products. But, the marketing demons only made their money because the stores went along with it. Blame it on the stores.

What’s most monstrous of all is the pure waste created from the check-out coupons that automatically print after a receipt. These buggers not only waste paper and ink, but they take an extra two minutes to print. I get check-out coupons for all sorts of things I’d never buy. Today, I got one for plastic cups. What did I purchase to make “it” think I’d want plastic cups? I gave them up.

So, what can you do to help STOP the long receipts and the check-out coupons?

1. Stop shopping at stores that give you check-out coupons. And tell them that’s why you stopped shopping there. (All of the grocery stores near me participate in this!)

2. If #1 is too extreme for you, tell store management that you don’t like check-out coupons. Chains may not have a choice, but they can pass the word along. Usually, you can make comments online as well as in person or over the phone. (Picking on Schnucks with that link.)

3. NEVER redeem a check-out coupon. If we ALL stopped, the coupons would stop.

4. Don’t go online and fill out surveys or anything else the receipt spends inches telling you to do.

5. Take your check-out coupons home and place them in the paper recycling container I know you have.

Perhaps the receipt marketing waste is unstoppable, but I doubt it. I compare it to getting junk mail with my receipt. And junk mail can be greatly reduced. I want the receipt junk to stop.

Please go online and find those customer comment forms (picking on Kroger here). They exist and usually live under the “Contact Us” link. If the store is doing something you like, such as selling reusable shopping bags (Kroger and Schnucks do this), praise them first. Then, tell them how wasteful they are being with the check-out coupons. Tell them they don’t motivate your purchases.