# Brick and mortar store with only electronic receipts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 18, 2013, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224 "2013-03-18T03:35:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224/1 "2013-03-18T03:35:51Z")
I went to an ice cream shop in Austin yesterday that wouldn’t give me a receipt when I paid with a credit card. They used some little card reader that offered to text or email me a receipt. I said I didn’t want to provide that information and was told that was the only way to get a receipt. Has anyone else run into this? Lots of stores try to milk personal information from customers, but this is the first time I’ve had my receipt held. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224/2 "2013-03-18T03:42:10Z")
I’ve seen it before, but I don’t remember where. I don’t actually want or need receipts, so it’s not so much of a problem for me. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224/3 "2013-03-18T03:48:01Z")
The merchant’s agreement may require a receipt. The state’s consumer law may require one as well. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224/4 "2013-03-18T03:56:49Z")
I’ve seen it before- although not in anything like an ice cream shop. I think once it was at the Apple store, but I can’t remember the other places. ETA Just remembered one- car rental ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224/5 "2013-03-18T04:12:38Z")
It sounds as if they were using something like [Square](https://squareup.com/help/en-us), which is a electronic payment system that typically defaults to sending receipts to phones via texts, or email. I doubt the person was trying to use your email for marketing purposes if that is any consolation. That said, you can print receipts via Square and other similar companies, but it’s more work so some companies don’t get the needed equipment. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224/6 "2013-03-18T04:34:02Z")
This sounds like the Square credit card reader that my husband has used at trade show-type events. It hooks up to the iPhone, and people sign on the front of the phone using their finger. As far as I know, the only way to get a receipt is to have one emailed or texted to you, since there isn’t a way to print one from the phone. (Looks like, from the Square website, that if we had an iPad and a printer, we could print paper receipts, but they don’t support paper receipts from smartphones.) Maybe people are more forgiving at temporary venues, but I don’t think it’s ever been an issue. (Many people skip the receipt, in my experience). The merchant does not get the email address or phone number. We have a handwritten receipt book that we use for people who pay with cash and need a receipt, so I suppose I would offer to write out one of those for someone who balked at providing the email address and still required a receipt. But, yeah, if you want to be anonymous, pay with cash. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224/7 "2013-03-18T13:15:30Z")
Kmart did “optional” e receipts for a while. I put that in quotes because they would put up a little thing on the credit card pad asking if you wanted a regular receipt, e-receipt or both. It would sit there until you realized your transaction was not completing because you didn’t select something, then the cashier would reach over and blindly poke at the screen to get your receipt printed, which then prints in 5 pieces on about 3 feet of register paper with all the great coupons you get. Yeah, I don’t like K-mart receipts. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224/8 "2013-03-18T14:12:22Z")
Yes, I’ve seen it. The Apple retail stores send an electronic receipt. (The credit card I use in the store is the same one associated with my iTunes account, so the email address is already in the system.) Also, the Nordstrom Rack store offered to send an electronic receipt, but I didn’t want to bother with telling the clerk my email address. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224/9 "2013-03-19T02:40:03Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Kmart did “optional” e receipts for a while. I put that in quotes because they would put up a little thing on the credit card pad asking if you wanted a regular receipt, e-receipt or both. It would sit there until you realized your transaction was not completing because you didn’t select something, then the cashier would reach over and blindly poke at the screen to get your receipt printed, which then prints in 5 pieces on about 3 feet of register paper with all the great coupons you get. > Yeah, I don’t like K-mart receipts. Sears still does this if you have a reward card. ---
**Author:** ![FoundWaldo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@FoundWaldo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoundWaldo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224/10 "2013-03-19T03:04:28Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Yes, I’ve seen it. The Apple retail stores send an electronic receipt. (The credit card I use in the store is the same one associated with my iTunes account, so the email address is already in the system.) Also, the Nordstrom Rack store offered to send an electronic receipt, but I didn’t want to bother with telling the clerk my email address. Apple will print a receipt for you if you want. I buy quite a bit of stuff there (not only for personal use, but for work), and they always ask which I want (though I always opt for the email receipt). ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224/11 "2013-03-19T04:03:43Z")
FWIW, with Square, I’m relatively certain the merchant doesn’t have access to your email address (unless they write it down someplace else in addition to typing it into the app). I’ve used it to take some payments for freelance work and just looked at my transaction history: I can see the card type and last four digits, a receipt ID number (which I’m guessing would match up with the emailed receipt), the date and an itemized bill, but no email address. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brick-and-mortar-store-with-only-electronic-receipts/653224/12 "2013-03-19T17:47:33Z")
The comic shop I go to does that. It’s weird signing with my finger. I always throw out my receipts anyway so it makes no difference to me.