Saving Trees
Last time I checked out at Costco, there was a sign hanging below the register that read, "Only one copy of your receipt can be provided to you."
This is a simple point, but stores don't hang up signs like that without them being a response to customer inquiries. If you see a sign that says, "No Dogs Allowed", you can bet it's because people brought their dogs in and the store owner thought, "Gee whiz, I'm gonna put a stop to this by hangin' up a sign." Each sign tells a little story from the store's past.
So, the reason that Costco is insisting so heavily on only one receipt per order is that people started asking for multiple receipts. This hardly comes as a surprise, as Costco bills itself as a wholesaler merchant supplying goods to small businesses. Most prudent small business owners keep good records and extra copies of receipts would be useful.
What's odd is that, in the face of this request from customers, they decided to view it as a problem, and decided to post a sign in order to eliminate the printing of extra receipts. No dogs allowed!
They could have gone the other direction. Instead of refusing to print receipts, let customers get two or three. Then, set up a system online so that customers can opt-in to getting copies of their receipts emailed to their accounts each time they make a purchase. That way, customers could print as many copies as they needed for filing at home.
Where could Costco get the money to develop this system? From the marketing budget, of course. Sacrificing a few billboards is well worth it in order to provide convenience to customers...who are probably running around trying to photocopy their one copy of a Costco receipt.
This is a simple point, but stores don't hang up signs like that without them being a response to customer inquiries. If you see a sign that says, "No Dogs Allowed", you can bet it's because people brought their dogs in and the store owner thought, "Gee whiz, I'm gonna put a stop to this by hangin' up a sign." Each sign tells a little story from the store's past.
So, the reason that Costco is insisting so heavily on only one receipt per order is that people started asking for multiple receipts. This hardly comes as a surprise, as Costco bills itself as a wholesaler merchant supplying goods to small businesses. Most prudent small business owners keep good records and extra copies of receipts would be useful.
What's odd is that, in the face of this request from customers, they decided to view it as a problem, and decided to post a sign in order to eliminate the printing of extra receipts. No dogs allowed!
They could have gone the other direction. Instead of refusing to print receipts, let customers get two or three. Then, set up a system online so that customers can opt-in to getting copies of their receipts emailed to their accounts each time they make a purchase. That way, customers could print as many copies as they needed for filing at home.
Where could Costco get the money to develop this system? From the marketing budget, of course. Sacrificing a few billboards is well worth it in order to provide convenience to customers...who are probably running around trying to photocopy their one copy of a Costco receipt.