My Sister Ranted about the US Post Office Receipt She Received
“I just measured my receipt…4½” of actual receipt and 8¾” of junk. Each and every person who buys something at the PO gets 8¾” of paper that they don’t need. If the USPO would only print the information that actually relates to your purchase they would not be in debt!”
Think about it. Every bit of paper adds up, right? Kmart (not that I went there very often, thank goodness) does the same thing. Our grocery store adds 5″ telling you how much money you saved and what rewards points you earn. It started printing coupons on the back.
I’ve gotten the occasional half-sheet receipt from Amazon, but it’s not the norm. Kohl’s adds several inches to their receipts. They ask you to complete a survey on your customer experience.
When I buy something at the Apple store, they ask if I want a hard receipt or emailed. Sending a receipt works for me.
Recycling Helps with Going Green
We recycle on garbage days because glass, plastic, cardboard, and aluminum are all accepted curbside. Easy as can be. We save newspapers and magazines and drop them in a collection box at a local church–they make money from it.
At the same time, we buy cases of bottled water. Why? I think they’re more sanitary than our reusable bottles. I allow myself this quirk because we recycle the bottles.
Our greenness fluctuates. I’m happy that we’re making an effort and figure that we’ll continue to find other ways to save our little corner of the earth.
How green are your daily interactions?
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Read: Being frugal
Office Depot continues to be a culprit–2 items and an 18″ receipt. Of course that’s to advertise their recycling program–yes, the one we already participate in.
Updates:
Dick’s Sporting Goods. A $3 pair of shoe laces. The receipt was 11″ long.
From friends:
I stopped at CVS tonight for a prescription and a few other items. The clerk told me that “a few” coupons printed on the receipt. I measured it – 38 ½ “ in length.
38 1/2″ eh? Does that not make you CRAZY? I am going to start ripping off the part I don’t want and leaving it at the cashier counter. I am sick to death of stuffing my purse full of useless paper that I did not ask for and do not want! Maybe they will start getting the message?
And so it continues: Dick’s Sporting Goods scores LOW again. I pair of shorts: the receipt is 18.5″ long.
Yes; truly.
Update: We purchase 2 items at Office Depot. We turned in 5 ink cartridges to their recycling program.
Wait for it…
The receipt was 23″ long!
I live in the City of Pittsburgh and there is nothing more frustrating than taking the time to separate our trash from recyclables that are only picked up every other week and then the TRASH guys come by and take the recyclables that are CLEARLY marked as such. So our recycled stuff ends up in the landfill b/c the trash men don’t care. It happens a LOT and even once is too often. I wonder how many other houses they do this with. Then I wonder why I take the time to separate it if the system breaks down at the next step. Are the recycling centers overfilled?
OK, I feel better now. Rant over.
What a bummer that the trash guys do that. We really have the best trash & recycling people EVER. I have written to the company to thank them. Of course, I never hear back so I don’t know if the fellows get the appreciation or not.
Rant away.
As a professional organizer, it has to make you crazy that you organize the trash and they mess it up!
While every little bit helps, laziness accounts for most of what is in the landfills. We have to think about the future generations who are inheriting this magnificent planet. Is it a pain to recycle? Sometimes. So what? Is it more work to cloth diaper a child? Maybe, but it’s also healthier for the child and the environment. Turning out lights? Simple. Limiting the use of chemicals in our homes? It just takes some adjustments. There is so much one can do to live a greener, and healthier, life. Why not make the effort? Good for you for caring, Rose.
I have to admit to being far more diligent about recycling now that it is so easy to do. I also like how neat our recycling crew is–there’s never “stuff” floating around our neighborhood after they empty the cans. Gives me hope everything is making it to the recycling centers!
Recycling where I live is rather a large hassle. I would have to buy separate garbage cans for glass, aluminum, etc. and then bag it up and haul it all into town. We live in a rural area and the garbage is picked up every Thursday…oh yea, I’ve priced that out – it usually costs me $7 to get rid of one large black bag of garbage. I think that’s atrocious. But…I am bound and determined to at least start recycling one thing….cardboard. It seems that is what we have the most of. Those dastardly receipts…still my pet peeve.
And cardboard is big and takes up space. So that’s a good thing to recycle. It’s a shame MT doesn’t make recycling easier–you would think with the huge focus on the eco system, the state would implement measures.
We’re all over the map, too. We cloth diaper the babies, buy used clothes as much as possible, and frequent the local farmer’s market…but I’m notorious for leaving lights on all over the house, I use a ridiculous amount of paper towels in my daily life, and I get lazy about my recycling.
I think it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the ways you could (which often feels like SHOULD) be saving the planet. I feel like it’s best to focus on a few areas you know you can really adhere to and embrace the fact that those are making a difference. When you feel up to it, add more. Baby steps!
(And great point about receipts. We receive WIC so I get THREE extra receipts each time I shop — two of which are exact duplicates of each other…)
(I can’t wait to read your post “no,” ha!)
You’re right, Kate. Small steps add up just like those unnecessary receipts do! I’m the queen of shutting lights off, but I’m also guilty of nightlights in multiple rooms. I think they look cozy.
I’m impressed with the cloth diapers! I remember from having babies around when I was a kid that those are a lot of work…but so much better than filling up the landfills with the plastic ones.
Ah, thanks for the mention of farmer’s markets…can’t wait for spring to hit Mt Lebanon so we can enjoy them again!