More stores offer paperless sales receipts

At the Apple Store on the Country Club Plaza, Nancy Reed walks out with a new computer — but without a receipt. She pats her laptop in a handy shoulder-strap.

“It’s easier,” Reed said. “It stays in my computer.”

Carol Duncan also had the option of going paperless after making a purchase at Anthropologie on the Plaza. She declined.

“I can’t stand more emails,” she said.

These conflicting customer desires are at the heart of a growing retail debate at the cash register regarding how to handle receipts. More and more, clerks are asking not only whether you want your receipt “with you or in the bag” but whether you want it emailed.

Although some people still like hard copies of their purchases before walking out of stores, e-receipts have been slowly growing in popularity since Apple and a handful of other companies introduced the electronic option about six years ago.

Paperless receipts, of course, are environmentally friendly. But another selling point is that they don’t add to the clutter of handbags and wallets. Also, electronic receipts, assuming they’re saved and stored, can be easier to locate if needed for returns, warranty information or for tax filing purposes.

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