It's 2013: Why Are We Still Using Paper Receipts?

The list of grievances could fill a CVS receipt.

There are few things more wasteful. They are responsible for the destruction of 10 million trees a year and are a menace to the public, clogging up old pants pockets and clinging to passenger-seat floor mats in cars. Since so many purchases are done via credit or debit card these days, they're also superfluous

Yet we're stuck with paper receipts, which appear to be stubbornly future proof

Why? First a reality check: Smartphone penetration in the U.S. is 64% among people who own cell phones. Since 91% of U.S. adults have cell phones, that means that there are about 108 million adults in this country who don't have smartphones. Consider also that 15% of U.S. adults don't use the Internet or email Read more...