A receipt without an email address

Source A: Changing the receipt routine — an original shop consultation statement

Our shop is reviewing the habit of printing a receipt automatically for every purchase. Many slips are declined or left at the counter. We propose asking customers whether they would prefer a digital receipt, a printed one or no receipt where appropriate. The purpose is to reduce unnecessary printing while preserving a usable record for people who want one.

A digital copy can be easier to find than a small piece of paper. Customers may search for it when checking a purchase or organising records. It also avoids a faded slip disappearing into a bag. However, this advantage depends on the message arriving, being recognisable and remaining accessible. We should test those ordinary steps rather than assume sending and receiving are the same event.

The proposed system would ask for an email address when a customer chooses that route. It should be clear why the address is requested and whether any separate invitation to receive promotions is being offered. A person wanting proof of a purchase should not have to work out which small box prevents unrelated messages. Staff would need an explanation they can give briefly and accurately during a busy period.

We would keep printing available without an additional charge and display the choice before customers reach payment. Any change should include a way to correct a mistyped address or request help when the copy does not arrive. We cannot claim a precise environmental saving without examining the whole arrangement. Our immediate aim is a more deliberate choice about the record people actually need, not a slogan suggesting that one format must always be better. The review should also consider customers who change their preference between purchases, rather than divide everybody permanently into a paper group and a digital one.

Source B: The counter is not the place for a guessing game — an original customer commentary

I often refuse a receipt for a small purchase. For something I want to keep a record of, I usually prefer paper. That preference is not evidence that I dislike technology. It means I can inspect the slip before leaving, put it with the item and avoid spelling an address aloud while a queue waits behind me. Different purchases may call for different choices.

Digital receipts can be useful, but the invitation needs to be genuinely clear. A request for an email address can sound like a condition of completing the sale rather than an optional route. Some people will supply it simply because they do not want to question the assistant. A sign may help, although staff also need to present the alternatives in an ordinary, neutral way.

The proposal sensibly separates promotional messages from purchase records. Please make that distinction visible instead of leaving customers to discover it after receiving an unexpected offer. A receipt message should identify the shop and purchase clearly enough to be found later. I should not need to remember a decorative subject line which made sense only on the day it arrived.

I would support asking before printing, provided paper remains easy to request and nobody is made to feel wasteful for choosing it. Check what happens when a message goes missing, and do not make the customer explain the problem to several departments. A good system would remove unwanted slips without removing confidence in the record. The most convenient receipt is the one its particular owner can actually retrieve when needed.

Write a letter to the shop manager responding to the proposed choice of receipt formats.

Use your own words and base your response on both sources. In your response:

• evaluate the benefits and concerns about printed and digital receipts
• recommend how the shop should explain and operate the choices

Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 10 marks are available for reading and up to 25 marks for writing.