Why ARE CVS Receipts So Long?
I wish I had thought of it. The extra-long CVS receipt Halloween costume is the best. Everyone instantly understands the meaning behind it.
It is an issue. Jimmy Kimmel even asked President Obama about it when he was president. People talk about it all the time. I even had a CVS receipt sticking out of the door of my car one day and drove all over San Angelo with it. I am glad I hadn't bought anything embarrassing on that receipt.
https://www.reddit.com/r/cvsreceipts/comments/y8ix0d/bought_1_red_bull_pressed_no_receipt/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
All kidding aside, however, what is the deal with the long receipts?
You can blame it on CVS' ExtraCare loyalty program. The company is proud of its ExtraCare card member savings. If you are enrolled in the program, when you check out, all your personalized rewards, coupons, new product suggestions, and other benefits show up at the bottom of the receipt.
The company told CNN early in 2022 that no two customers get the same savings and offers. For many of us, it is scary knowing that CVS knows so much about us. For example, customers with allergies get special coupons for allergy products when the pollen count is high.
Back in 2018, CVS began offering a way to opt out of receiving paper receipts. If you are an ExtraCare member, you can enroll for digital coupons and receipts in their online account or through the app which eliminates the receipts. However, if you don't sign up for both and the instructions are always that clear, you still get the extra long receipts.
Here is the link with detailed instructions.
Sign up For Digital CVS Receipts
While extra-long CVS receipts are inconvenient, recently it has been reported that the receipts can be dangerous. A 2018 report by Green America, a consumer advocacy group, actually found that 93% of paper receipts contain the hormone-disrupting chemicals BPS and BPA. Fortunately, in 2019 CVS said it phased out the use of such chemicals. Most other retailers, however, have not.
Since offering the digital receipt option that most CVS employees will tell you is seldom chosen by customers, the company says it has saved more than 3 billion inches of paper or 47,348 miles. So the extra long receipt issue at CVS has not abated.
Back in January, Jimmy Kimmel returned to this cause. Green America has launched a "Skip the Slip" campaign urging the company to change it's receipt policy. In the meantime, you can opt-out of getting paper receipts at the link posted above.
At the very least, I'm going to be much more careful about getting them stuck in my car door.