Do you want a receipt

[Bunnybenty]

I moved to England not that long ago.

In other countries that I lived in, they just gave me a receipt in the shops, everytime that I bought something. The receipt was always handed to me with the purchase.

Why in the UK do they not just give the receipt to you,

instead they always ASK you if you want a receipt.

What annoys me about it, is that it slows the shopping experience down so much.

Many times I have been called back to the till, to be asked if i want a receipt.

Example: I was in a small shop this morning. I only had a certain amount of time, as i was on the way to work. I was walking out of the door, when the woman at the till shouted at me "Wait. Come back! come back!".

I thought maybe my payment hadn't gone through, so I walked all the way back to her.

She said "Do you want a receipt?".

It drives me mad!

Maybe it's just me, but I'm never that much in a rush that I'm halfway out of the shop before the cashier has tge chance to ask if I want a receipt...

Maybe leave the house 30 seconds earlier in the morning OP?

Actually 5 seconds would probably do it.

That is such a lie!

'The only person who has been rude is you."

On this thread, Ive been called

Stupid twice
Bonkers
Unwell.
Several other insults.

If i am insulted, I will stand up for myself

Having lived in Ireland for a long time, it does make me somwhat knowledgable of what happens in Ireland. Yes

Not so about every European country. In Greece and Portugal if you are not given a receipt you are not obliged to pay.

Tell me you are US American without telling me you are US American.

🍿

Currently live in Ireland and they ask if you want a receipt in absolutely every supermarket around where I live and have travelled in the last few years . Perhaps it was a very remote and isolated part of Ireland you lived in and visited.

This has happened to me never in 40 odd years and I've never seen it either. I'd do the lottery this week if I were you.

Not jumping on the bandwagon.
Asking if you want a receipt is normal. The option is on the till, they have to ask to complete the transaction, just like an ATM, its an optional menu.

I’m also in Ireland and find it a bit of a mix. Usually I’m asked if I want a receipt when purchasing smaller items, so nearly always in a cafe, buying stationary, maybe in a pharmacy, or in a shop just buying a snack or a few small items. Tesco always gives me a receipt without asking, but I do large fortnightly shops. Obviously clothes shops, electrical shops etc always give receipts. It depends on the size of the purchase really and the likelihood of wanting to return the item or items.

@Bunnybenty You've acknowledged that paper waste is a problem. Will you concede now that receipts are not always necessary so it's a good idea not to give them out automatically?

It's good you stand up for yourself. But sometimes you also need to listen to what's being said.

Just because you think you are right, doesn't mean you actually are. It can come as a big shock sometimes to realise there are other valid opinions other than one's own, but there it is.

Actually come to think of it Tesco do give one automatically. But that is rare now in my experience. The smaller supermarkets I frequent such as Centra always ask. It wasn’t a thing a few years ago you got one everywhere without them asking.

Not half as annoying as when you used to have to wait for the till roll to be changed. it seems a silly thing to get stressed about. When they ask for payment just say please may I have a receipt.

Not my local tesco, it is always offered, the self service has the option to print or not.

made the mistake of saying no thank you, only to find the school shorts were tight and had to be returned. Big fuss to exchange.
I'll never refuse a receipt for clothing again.

Nit picker ?

YABU, because generally I don't want a receipt. Unless I'm spending, say, £100+ on an electrical item, I have no need of receipts. They just filly wallet with unnecessary paper, and a few weeks later I have to shred them.

Yes they shouldn’t really ask if you want one for clothing if you cannot return without one. I just say no automatically without thinking sometimes.

None of those is swearing though love.

They’re potentially saving your life @Bunnybenty - haven’t you heard that receipts give you cancer??
as reported by my teen via TikTok 🙄

It’s relatively new in the UK, OP. Before long it will be worldwide.

It’s only a few years ago that plastic bags were freely handed out everywhere, now you’re expected to bring your own. These changes are good and discourage waste and littering.

Just say no, takes seconds.

I'm in the UK. I'm 60. I always take a receipt . I'm married to an accountant and we have budgets for every part of our lives, including very generous personal spending budgets. We have spreadsheets and record spends at the end of every month so we know exactly where we are financially. All our accounts / investments etc are joint. It enabled us to retire at 54. If you don't want a receipt don't take one. Two of my best friends ( same age) are also married to accountants and are also very well off. They ask for receipts and track their spending . Im a huge fan of receipts.

Legally they have to give you a receipt and they know that - but they also know that there are plenty of people like me who LOATHE receipts and see them as wasteful - when I am given one I normally shoot the cashier a dirty look and try to offer it back (for their bin) or are forced to spend my valuable time scouting around for a bin to put it in. I’m talking about Tesco type receipts here by the way, not for an expensive item you may need to return. I therefore thoroughly value being asked first. I don’t want to have to find a bin, I don’t want to have to stuff it in my pocket and forget about it only to discover it plastered over everything in the washing machine, I equally don’t want a purse filled to overflowing with them. I love the question so I guess it’s for people like me.

Okay, so you posted a minor frustration, expecting light agreement, but got disagreement instead, which you found invalidating. When others contradicted your experience, you tried to clarify, but it came across as combative, which made people push back harder.

You have repeatedly responded to challenges, which has kept the thread emotionally charged and locked in conflict. It's shifted from discussing receipts to debating tone, credibility and intention.

The more you try to correct people or defend your position, the more entrenched the responses become, and the worse you feel.

At this point, the thread isn't helping you. Remember, these are just words on a screen, written by people who don't know you. They don't say anything about you as a real, full, complex human being. You can't control what they say, and they only have the significance you give them. People disagree about your view on receipts. So what? Just log off, have a cup of tea and forget about them.