Till Receipts

[Deimos]

Several times recently I have purchased something in a shop, paid in cash and not been given a receipt. Yesterday I think I may have noticed why. I purchased a new pair of sunglasses in an opticians (€100) and was not given a receipt, end of transaction. However, I then asked for a receipt so they printed one and THEN put my payment in the till. Then payment had been put aside under the counter prior to my asking for the receipt (after which it went in the till). The shop was a mainstream opticians (with branches all over France) and in a posh shopping centre.

I jumped to the obvious conclusion and wondered if others have noticed this and if so how widespread the practice might be.

Ian

[Lori]

Has happened to me many times.  Some shops have even resorted to writing me out a hand-written receipt ... probably not worth a centime -

Seems to be an art form here.

[Ron Avery]

I cannot remember when I have NOT been given a receipt for any significant purchase, I have a wallet stuffed full of them by the end of the week and recycling them reduces the use of new trees for paper by at least 1% per annum.

[Val_2]

Me too Ron, bag stuffed full of bits of paper after a couple of weeks. I find that it is me usually in a hurry to get away and that the cashier is chasing me with the paperwork for my payment,even Lidl which is extremely slow in printing out the till receipt after payment. I like to have proof of purchase especially in the grande surfaces just in case. Slightly different subject but I do find the lack of security on the part of the locals here a bit un-nerving especially at the bank hole in the wall where they just discard the receipts in the public bin. Bank statements have your name and account number on them as well as your balance and thieves could get a lot of computer info from that and also the ticket for withdrawal of a few notes. I always shred these things and receipts where shopping has used a debit card etc.

[Alcazar]

I can't remember NOT being given one, at least over the last few years, which is about as far back as my red-wine-addled memory goes

What I DO clearly remember, is that the only one I actually NEEDED, (when we bought a bike from a supermarket, and the front mech didn't work properly), we lost, and said supermarket refused to touch the bike, even though we'd only bought it the day before. Carrefour.....grrrrrrr

Not to worry, www.chainreactioncycles.com came to the rescue and I fitted the bits myself on the next visit

Alcazar

[Dog]

I have found it really hard to get shops to take cash and get a discount.

I explained to one shop keeper that cash in UK was worth 40% more and that as I was spending €1500 a bit of discount for cash would be appreciated.

He replied that it was worth more than 40% in France and would go into his Swiss bank account - yet refused to give me more than 10%.

[Loiseau]

...wondered if others have noticed this and if so how widespread the practice might be...

 

Yes, Ian, I have noticed the same thing in independent shops in the Vendée!  If I buy something at my local Maison de la Presse, I always seem to have to *ask* if I want a receipt (which I often do, when stuff is for research purposes and therefore claimable).  And then they laboriously write it out by hand. 

Angela (UK & 85)