Jan 30, 2009

What's up with Starbucks?

I can't figure out if Starbucks is being so eco-friendly that is trying to save the planet one tree at a time or if it is involved in a devilish plan to evade taxes, but since some months ago each Starbucks I go I got the same question: "Do you want the receipt?"

Let me tell you the truth. I don't really want that nasty piece of paper. It is not like I will return the coffee because it doesn't fit me well, if you know what I mean, and those little things tend to multiply themselves in my purse at a rate that makes bunnies birthrate look slow. But I am from a country that is working constantly in reminding shoppers to ask for the receipt because that is one the system that small and big companies use to evade taxes. No receipt, no transaction officially entered somewhere, that is money that they do not have to declare.

Now, I don't think Starbucks is doing that because each time I got the question there is a receipt in the cashier hands and I want to think that they have a much better and pure reason for that weird question. I just don't get why that reason is not being communicated, as it is clearly a new policy at least in all the Starbucks in Broward County.

Are they saving trees by not using paper to print the receipts? Or are they saving all those receipts and recycling them into coffee cups? What is the reason behind the question? What do they do with the receipts? Any Starbucks employee out there that can tell me more...?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Yes. They are cutting down on waste. Crazy in this economy right? It costs 75 bucks for a case of thermo-paper for receipts. If now only one out of every ten customers wants a printed receipt then the transaction costs less, you throw less paper away, and you don’t have to clean the litter out of the parking lot as often. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Anonymous said...

Nice but I heard something like that before...from Chris Rock. Receipts for doughnuts.

San said...

It is a win-win for sure. I am glad I am one of those that says "no" each time they asked (well, sometimes I have to say yes if it was some kind of business meeting...).

The weird thing is that at first I thought it may be something related to using less paper, but then I realized that sometimes I get the question from the cashier when the ticket is already printed and when I say "no" she just throws it away.... So no cutting down there...

Again, I think they should communicate more what they are doing, I bet money more people would say "no" then and it will also remind employees to not print the receipt until they got an answer...