Stores shorten long receipts

The receipt was once a short, simple tally of purchases. But in recent years, the humble slip of paper has grown. And grown. And grown.

In the face of customer concerns, major retailers such as Lowe's, Family Dollar and Target are reining in the length of their receipts, which can stretch to two feet or more.

As businesses adapt to the economic downturn and pay attention to their effect on the environment, shorter receipts can help save paper -- and money.

Lowe's of Mooresville, the nation's second-largest home-improvement retailer, began looking to shorten its receipts several months ago after receiving complaints from customers, primarily in California and Canada, spokeswoman Chris Ahearn said. Slips of 24 inches or more aren't uncommon, and some shoppers found them inconvenient and wasteful, she said.

Lowe's is examining ways to reduce white space on receipts, which can consume several inches of paper, Ahearn said. The company also has switched to lighter-weight register tape, she said. Across the company's more than 1,550 stores, that can add up.

"While we believe the information contained on receipts is important, we believe we can format it by reducing white space without compromising the necessary information," she said.

Long receipts were impractical on older cash registers, which slowly punched out sales slips using a purple ink ribbon.

But that changed in the mid-1990s with the widespread introduction of thermal printers, which quickly spit out black-and-white receipts.

Because length was no longer an issue, stores seized new ways to engage customers: Do you want to take a survey? Receive professional remodeling advice? Find out how much you've bought with your most important bonus rewards card? More and more, the answer became: Check your receipt.

Shoppers haven't been quite as enamored of the change, though, because conservation is on many minds.

"I think it's a waste of paper," Hildegard Beatty of Concord said Friday as she left the University City Lowe's with two items and about a foot-long receipt that had considerable white space. "It's not just at Lowe's; it's not just Home Depot. It's constant."

Retailers such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Harris Teeter said they haven't heard much from shoppers about receipts and aren't considering shortening them. Stores that are mention greater efficiency, which means saving money.

Family Dollar hasn't heard grousing from shoppers, but it shortened its receipts by an inch this year as its stores move to a new cash register system. The Matthews bargain chain hopes to reduce them soon by a half-inch more for improved efficiency, spokesman Josh Braverman said. About one-third of the chain's more than 6,000 stores are on the new system, he said.

Target has shortened its receipts by about an inch to improve efficiency and convenience, spokesman Steve Linders said. But the receipts are still long; some offer customers a chance to "Win a $5000 GiftCard."

If you haven't noticed a difference at the checkout counter, keep your eyes peeled. Mounting environmental concerns mean that receipts are likely to shrink further.

Major cash register and ATM manufacturer NCR has introduced a double-sided receipt printer that can reduce paper use by 45 percent, product marketing specialist Carrie Smola said. Retailers across the country are testing the machines, which already are in use in Canada and England, she said.

TALE OF THE TAPE

LOWE'S

Items purchased: One bag of dirt

Length of receipt: 27.5 inches

What's on it: Name and location of store; items purchased: 8 inches

Pitch for kitchen-planning assistance: 4 inches

Customer feedback number and return policy: 4 inches

White space: 6 inches

Survey solicitation: 5.5 inches

MICHAELS

Items purchased: One picture frame

Length: 18 inches, including a coupon with a lengthy legal disclaimer

THE HOME DEPOT

Items purchased: Four

Length: 11 3/4 inches, with survey instructions in English and Spanish

TRADER JOE'S

Items purchased: 31

Length: 10 3/4 inches, or 0.34 inches per item

BLOCKBUSTER

Items rented: One

Length: 9 inches

HARRIS TEETER

Items purchased: Three

Length: 7 1/4 inches

COSTCO

Items purchased: Three.

Length: 6 inches, including the words "Thank you! Please come again."