The receipt seems to be one of the oldest inventions that has not been reworked with future technology. Whether that means it can’t be taken further than an email or that humans got it right the first time, it is still something to think about. Aside from the material of which it’s made, the key components on a receipt are the same today as they were five thousand years ago. I had many interesting takeaways from the article ‘A Brief History Of The Receipt’, which was written by author Jane Sancinito. As Sancinito put it, “Proto-cuneiform tablets record the purchase and delivery of goods for various reasons and cover everything from modest orders of staples to luxury goods sent from far away.” The Ancient Egyptians started to use them more as a record for taxes owed, and then the late Roman and Medieval times introduced a more complicated banking system, which led to their use as a token of wealth that someone could trade in at another location of the same branch and receive the money that was written on the receipt. Although there was a huge push by the invention of the printing press in the 1500s and again with the invention of the internet, it took hundreds of years to use receipts the way they are used now.
I tend not to ask for a receipt, so I almost forgot while checking out at the dollar store. Back home, I just have them lying around from times I accidentally asked for it and saw some coupon or deal that caught my eye, or an employee really made my day, and I want to leave a review. I never have, though, as they look like any other piece of trash when crumpled. They are plentiful, but sometimes not something I am proud of or even want to look at.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/15050835/receipt-check-armed-guards-king-soopers/
“New Receipt check policy sparks fury at popular Kroger-Owned chain as armed guards stand at exit to stop every shopper”
This article goes into how, in Denver, Colorado, yesterday, the grocery chain King Soopers had security stationed at the exit/entrance where a receipt checker would stand, but armed with a gun. I find this a surprising leap forward security-wise. I would think a baton would do enough damage and cause a similar amount of pain or fear or whatever the goal is. “A spokesperson for King Soopers did not answer questions about whether the guard is armed with a lethal weapon,” and customers and feeling the heat. Over 700 people have commented on it on a Reddit thread in which many customers complain that they are all being treated like criminals when only a few actually are, and won’t be coming back to shop there. I’m interested to see if this is a movement that fades away quickly or spreads to other companies in the US.
Reddit Thread
Some shoppers uneasy as King Soopers implements receipt checks by security guards
byu/SeasonPositive6771 inDenver
