Between belonging and fears. The abolition of the automatic printing of the receipt scheduled for April 1 arouses mixed feelings among the French.
Remember that this decision was made to fight waste and preserve the climate. It is, therefore, receipts but also credit cards and vouchers in shops and establishments open to the public (some large distributors such as U-system AND Crossing have already taken the step).
It must be said that 30,000 million of these pieces of paper are printed each year, that is, 150,000 tons of paper or 750 kilometers of rolls are consumed per year for a single supermarket.
Three quarters of the French in favor of this measure
Specifically, as of April 1, companies will be prohibited from systematically printing receipts. However, it can be printed at the express request of customers or dematerialized (by SMS, email, QR code or in a customer account).
According to a study* carried out by OpinionWay for Perifem, the legitimacy of this removal is not in dispute. Thus, 73% are in favor of this law with regard to receipts and 69% to bank card receipts.
But at the same time, the fears linked to this suppression are strong. The cash receipt offers a kind of insurance for the consumer. 9 out of 10 French people regularly check the purchase details on their receipt when leaving the store.
In addition, 87% of the French admit to keeping banknotes to change a product or if it is necessary to invoke the guarantee (89%).
It is also a support for the family budget since 63% of those surveyed do their accounts with paper tickets. In short, the paper ticket reassures 71% of the French.
Therefore, taking action is likely to be difficult. Therefore, consumers intend to make good use of the possibility of asking for a ticket at the checkout, in particular for the purchase of household appliances (91%), the purchase of a gift (87%), a household item (85%) %) or fashion (83%) and of course in food (76%).
Asking for a dematerialized ticket generates fears
And the amount of the purchase is not really taken into account in most businesses. Except in those where the sums spent are really low, in particular the bakeries where only 36% of the French will continue to require a ticket.
However, 49% of respondents fear that some stores will reject this request.
Especially since the possibility of requesting a dematerialized ticket is not convincing. Worse still, it raises some apprehensions. 63% will refuse to dictate their phone number orally to the cashier, 54% for an email. The study indicates that giving personal information in front of other clients annoys 75% of the French.
In addition to the lack of privacy or the risk of misappropriation of their personal data, 66% of respondents fear receiving unsolicited promotions.
A risk highlighted by consumer associations. In a joint statement, they explain that “this measure opens the way to a forced dematerialization of the banknote. Therefore, it is likely to facilitate, through marketing techniques, the creation of databases by merchants and, in particular cause the growth of intrusive or unwanted advertisements”.
Paper is even more reassuring in times of high inflation
However, to get around these risks, the consumer is willing to go to some lengths, such as taking a loyalty card on which the tickets will be stored (59% of respondents), using a QR code (53%), or even entering their email in a terminal. in the box (50%).
“This study shows to what extent the French remain attached to printing their receipt for all purchases in their daily lives, and this regardless of the amount. Whether this attachment is understandable in view of the concerns related to the ‘change or guarantee’, is explained even more with regard to food by the need to control their purchases in an inflationary context”, comments Franck Charton, General Delegate of Perifem in the press release.
Consumer associations go further by denouncing an “explosion of situations in which the consumer will be deprived of the possibility of asserting their rights.” “A consumer’s right to obtain a receipt will only truly be preserved if choice is consistently offered.” Which, therefore, will not be the case.
*: OpinionWay study for Perifem carried out on a sample of 1063 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over. The sample was questioned using a self-administered online questionnaire in the CAWI system. Survey conducted on February 15 and 16, 2023.
Source: BFM TV
