Saturday, July 2, 2011

Paperless Retail Transactions

Kudos to the Gap and more.......

Stopped by the Gap outlet store today to check out the sales, got some good ones by the way, the whole store was 50% off! Anyways, when I paid for my purchases at the register, the cashier asked me "Would you like a paper receipt or would you like it e-mailed to you?" What? This is the first I had heard of such a thing! What a fantastic idea! It's really a win-win situation. The customer no longer has to hang on to a paper receipt for returns or exchanges and your e-mailed copy of the transaction comes with a coupon for your next shopping trip! The company saves money on paper and gets your e-mail for marketing purposes!

And let's talk about the eco-impact of a paperless retail transaction. I did a little research on other companies that are providing a paperless receipt option. Turns out Apple started this trend in 2005, but it hasn't been until now that other companies have signed on. Those among the paperless retailers include Best Buy, Anthropologie, K-Mart, Whole Foods, Urban Outfitters and the Container Store. The National Retail Federation predicts that 60% of retailers will be paperless within 5 years. The environmental impact of this transition would be amazing!

Already, you no doubt have been presented with the option to go paperless on many other things, including bank statements, utility bills, mortgage/rent statements, etc. I have gone paperless on anything and everything possible! I love the footprint reduction, not to mention the reduction of junk mail and stacks of paper on my desk!

Check out www.PayItGreen.org
This site is dedicated to reducing our impact on the environment by decreasing our use of paper.
They even have a financial paper calculator that can estimate your annual financial paper footprint reduction.
I plugged in my info and found that I can can save a whopping:

6.5 pounds of paper

62 Gallons of wastewater prevented from discharging into lakes, streams and rivers

2 Gallons of gas saved by not mailing bills, statements and payments

110 pounds of greenhouse gases avoided

111 miles not driven in my car

1 tree planted and grown for 10 years

19 square feet of forest preserved from deforestation

Check it out and I challenge you to make the change! It's simple and I swear you'll love it! Get rid of the paper in your life!