It's 2013. Why are we still using paper receipts? Part 1 of 2

In 2012, we saw amazing advances in technology. From the Curiosity Rover on Mars to the rise of crowdfunding. On the personal technology front, we saw the rise of social and wireless personal fitness devices and smartphone adoption surpassing the 50% mark. Yet, we're still using paper-based receipts. Granted, some retailers are starting to make progress, but the vast majority of receipts are still paper-based affairs.

If you think paper-based receipts are perfectly fine and have never had a problem with paper-based receipts, then this blog post isn't for you.

For the rest of us who have forgotten a critical receipt at a return, sent a business receipt through the wash, cluttered up wallets with receipts, or felt that paper-based receipts are a pain, read on!

Receipts are still used in a variety of transactions:

• Returns or exchanges
• Taxes (for tax deductions)
• Rebates
• Warranty claims
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Spending Account (HSA) claims
• Coupons/discounts
• Business expenses
• Insurance claims
• Price protection
• Reconciliation

Receipts are a waste of environmental resources and potentially bad for you:

• The paper (PDF, page 4) used for receipts consumes trees, oil, and fresh water while emitting CO2 and generating trash.
• The chemical on receipts (BPA) may have adverse health effects.

Fortunately, there is a better way! Come back tomorrow for the solution.

photo credit: fooishbar via photopin cc