CVS and its Long Paper Trail of Receipts

CVS drugstore is known for having seriously long receipts—some receipts could measure out to the length of an adult human or a couch. A recently published Vox article also points out that CVS receipts have their own witty memes on social media.  

But all kidding aside, how much paper does the company waste printing out these lengthy receipts? Back in August, nonprofit Green America launched a “Skip the Slip, CVS” campaign, urging the company to change its receipt practices. And a couple years ago, CVS implemented a digital option for customers who didn’t want paper receipts.

According to Vox, since introducing the digital option, CVS says it has saved “more than 3 billion inches of paper,” which translates into 47,348 miles.

Vox has more details:

CVS is a drugstore much like other drugstores, with one important difference: The receipts are very long.

How long are the receipts? For at least a decade, concerned shoppers have dedicated themselves to this question, producing a robust body of phone-picture literature on the subject. You could not major in CVS receipt studies, probably, but you could minor.

Not all CVS receipts are created equal. If you, a non-loyal shopper, mosey into CVS and buy some Tylenol and a package of seasonal candy, you will get a receipt that is unspectacular (read: a normal length). To get one of the iconically long CVS receipts, you need to use your ExtraCare card, which means you need to be an ExtraCare member. (You can join as long as you are willing to turn over your name and phone number in exchange for better deals.)

Read the full article here.