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Letter: Save paper and keep promotions off grocery store receipts

Al Hartmann | The Salt LakeTribune Debbi Rohbock, selects items for up to six online customers orders in the Smith's grocery store in Saratoga Springs Wednesday June 28. They are then placed in plastic crates in a holding area. These items can then be delivered to your car a few hours later outside the store or delivered to your home. Smith’s Food & Drug Stores has launched grocery delivery to customers' homes using PigeonShip, a Utah-based delivery service provider. Utilizing Smith’s online grocery ordering service, ClickList, which offers more than 40,000 items from desktop or mobile devices, customers may now also choose home delivery by PigeonShip as an option to curbside store pick up in two test market areas.

As time has progressed I’ve been noticing how, each time I visit the grocery store, my receipt gets longer. This isn’t because I’ve been purchasing more things. In fact, I went to my neighborhood Smiths two weeks ago with the intent of purchasing one specific item. My receipt for this single item was more than a foot long (13 inches). Naturally, this change was appalling to me and, when I looked at my receipt, I found that the reason it was so long was that there was a myriad of promotions and contact information along with translations.

Promotions shouldn’t come at the expense of the environment. For far too long, we’ve fueled the detriment and eventual downfall of the world around us. Before, the excuse was ignorance. However, we don’t have that excuse anymore, and have allowed the continuation of ignorant practices to persist.

Keep promotions exclusive to emails. Some retailers have implemented this strategy already. Grocery stores could also add the option to receive a receipt electronically so those of us who are conscious of the impact we have on the environment can reduce our consumption of resources.

Mya Johnson, Salt Lake City