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1. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Saturday, 12-Jan-2019 22:15:09 EST Mike Gerwitz
   CNBC: "California bill would curb use of paper receipts to reduce waste, push digital alternative"
   
   https://social.mikegerwitz.com/url/70688
   
   This is interesting to me because it supports a cause I'm in favor of (environmental) yet is at odds with another (privacy).
   
   With that said, I think this is workable. Already, many point-of-sale (POS) systems give the option to print, email, or (more importantly) decline a receipt. Further, perhaps POS systems could take advantage of NFC so that a mobile device could receive the receipt anonymously.
   
   But what is dangerous about a bill like this is that it provides a compelling legal argument for maliciously gathering consumer data, and many users may not think twice about it.
   
   This may also be difficult for smaller shops to implement without turning to large services that implement this for them, which is also a privacy nightmare, since those services can easily aggregate mass amounts of consumer data. I think small companies should be exempt from a bill like this (if they aren't already; I didn't read it).
   
   I'm sure other good solutions exist; I just haven't given this more than a few moments of thought.
   1. Annah (maiyannah@community.highlandarrow.com)'s status on Saturday, 12-Jan-2019 22:50:00 EST Annah

      in reply to
      @mikegerwitz The environmental impact of receipt printing - provided that the receipt only has the information needed and isn't a CVS thing with a bunch of pointless coupons - is minimal.  Even less so if it's printed on SFI-sourced recycled fibers.  
      
      The key improvement  here for most stores would be shifting from thermal receipts - which require special coatings that are environmentally-expensive to produce, requiring chemicals that do not dispose easily - to just normal paper receipts that are printed with inks.  This makes the actual printers more expensive, but would pretty much make the environmental impact of the process minimal.  Many smaller shops in my area are doing exactly this, because while the POS-compatible printer that prints with normal ink may be more expensive, it ends up cheaper for them, and is more environmentally-friendly.  So it's a win-win in that regard.  Biodegradable ink and biodegradable fiber made in a mill that uses clean power is a good solution, IMO.
      
      Of course, since this solution increases initial setup costs for business and doesn't allow them to sell customer data for money (and keep it themselves for advertising and profiling), I expect it won't be the adopted one.