To think that there is an underlying motive by businesses to ask if I want a receipt?

Probably that the company is trying to save costs on print rolls, and ink, having been through a tough time in Lockdown.

Also, trying to be environmentally friendly, saving a few trees from being cut down.
It used to be law that a receipt had to be given for any transaction over £2, but that may have changed.

Mogsmaw

Oldnproud

Two weeks ago, I shopped in Dunelm for the first time in ages. As she completed the transaction, the assistant asked if I'd like to give my email address so they could send me a receipt. Surprised, I said, "oh, don't you print them out any more?"
"Yes, I can do that for you, if you like", she replied, and handed one over straight away.

It felt like a very sneaky way of getting more customers' email addresses so they can bombard them with marketing!

It’s not sneaky, it’s upfront and transparent. What isn’t is how they “task” staff with it.
I worked in the now defunct Mothercare who offered e-receipts. We had to get a certain percentage of customers to agree. There was the treat of disciplinary action if you didn’t achieve your target. I could never see how it was considered reasonable for my job to depend on some else’s free choice!
The worse thing a customer could do was make a purchase then change their mind and want a bag which had to go through the till. Even if they had taken an e-receipt they weren’t going to give you their email address again. So it was either two strikes against you or it cancelled out the “success”.
We used to send the bag receipt to ourselves till that was discovered and stopped.
Incidentally, if you signup for e receipts, you should be asked if you want to sign up for marketing. If you are signed up automatically it is potentially a huge fine for the company.

The assistant's question was worded in such a way that it sounded like I could only have a receipt if I gave my email address. Assuming that the staff had been told exactly what say, then it was sneaky. They were not upfront and transparent, because they did not make it clear that I could still have a till receipt until I specifically asked if that was still possible.

Just to be clear, I am not blaming the staff - they have to follow company policy.

OakDryad, technically he was right, in that they do not have to sell any particular product, just because it is displayed.
but, you were right in that if they do sell it, they cannot charge a price higher than one indicated for that product.
but then again, it depends on the exact wording on the signage.
if that price specified loose/unwrapped bananas, then it would not apply to pre-wrapped bananas.
but of course a price for that product should be shown.
anyway it was bad customer service.

After today, I’ll definitely keep asking for a receipt! £6.50 for 11 tomatoes and double charge for some bedding plants. I’m still fuming!

Always. unless it is a trivial item. My husband was an accountant and still likes to scrutinise everything. I can never understand how people have items on their bank accounts of which they were unaware.

There is one particular shop I often go to where I take photos of the items on the shelf which I know they make ‘mistakes’ on the price shown and till price. Special offers and eggs are their biggest downfalls and I seem to be the only person who tells them and complains. They shop works are understaffed and it isn’t their job nor their money, they don’t care.

In the past, before I moved, Asda was where I did my main shopping. I always checked the receipt before leaving the store and if there was an error would take the receipt to the customer services till. When the price was checked, usually in my favour, I was always given the difference in cash, plus a £2 voucher to spend another time. This £2 voucher has been in use for many years and I think it is about time the value was updated.
I agree about Aldi's prices. A little while ago I bought 2 non packaged large potatoes for baking. It was only when I got home that I realised I had been charged double the price for sweet potatoes. I could not be bothered to go back to challenge Aldi's but I was annoyed with myself. Always check your receipt before leaving the store.

VintageJazz You wrote:

I have fairly regular incidents in Tesco of unclear pricing ie special offer signs placed ambiguously or worded in ways that are misleading. It's very annoying and I'm sure people doing a big shop get caught out a lot.

Yes, my pensioner neighbour doesn't drive so she uses the local Tesco Express and shops small and often. She estimates that four out of six or eight items may be overcharged. At 15p an item, that's 60p a time they would be cheating her out of if she wasn't vigilant with her receipts.

Years ago, before I eshewed supermarkets altogether - I'm lucky to have farm shops, markets and a variety of ethnic shops fairly close - I was stopped by a security guard in Morrisons. They had run out of loose bananas and had filled the empty shelves with bunches in plastic bags but left the large price sign for the less expensive loose bananas displayed over the shelves. I picked up a bunch and removing the plastic wrapping was suddenly accosted by the guard telling me I couldn't do that as the packaged bananas were more expensive. The manager was called and an argument ensued. I told him a) I didn't want the plastic and b) they had to sell the bananas at the price that was prominently displayed over the goods. He said that wasn't the case. I said it was. He eventually backed down and walked away leaving the misleading signage there.

I always ask for a receipt even when they issue an email. I like to look at it to check that the prices are right and yesI have found mistakes that have saved me money. Much easier to do this while in the shop. Also feel happier and more secure while leaving. Should the alarm go off as you go through which has happened to me twice I was able to show the receipt and get the security tag removed.

I believe, but this is from Dr Google now that you've got me interested, that they have no more rights than any other member of the public. So the only way to detain you is to make a citizen's arrest which, again I believe, means that the police must be called immediately. I also think they have no right to search you without your permission. But of course I also realise how difficult it is for people who are in the position you were who are making pragmatic decisions about how to make it all go away quickly.

But I wait to be corrected by someone who actually knows...

Petera

Witzend

A bit different, but I now invariably take my receipt after using a self-checkout. I was once stopped at the exit because one item had a small security tag on the back, and there had been no alert to summon staff to remove it.

It was utterly mortifying to have to wait there, a suspected shoplifter, flanked by security guards, while they went through the bin to find my receipt.
Never again!

That was very bad behaviour on their part - they would have had the sale on their system and could have checked it very quickly. Which supermarket was it?

I've also been in the company of someone where something similar happened. She told them that they had no legal right to detain her and that they either get out of her way or call the police. They got out of her way. I'd be interested to hear from the legal people on here if she was correct, but it worked.

It was Asda, where I do much of my food shop - closest and most convenient.
Presumably they had the right to detain me if they thought I’d nicked something. It was a piece of steak, which I buy once in a blue moon! In future I’ll check any such things for titchy security tags placed where you’re unlikely to notice them.

Though why there wasn’t an automatic alert for staff to come and remove it, I don’t understand.

Oldnproud

Two weeks ago, I shopped in Dunelm for the first time in ages. As she completed the transaction, the assistant asked if I'd like to give my email address so they could send me a receipt. Surprised, I said, "oh, don't you print them out any more?"
"Yes, I can do that for you, if you like", she replied, and handed one over straight away.

It felt like a very sneaky way of getting more customers' email addresses so they can bombard them with marketing!

It’s not sneaky, it’s upfront and transparent. What isn’t is how they “task” staff with it.
I worked in the now defunct Mothercare who offered e-receipts. We had to get a certain percentage of customers to agree. There was the treat of disciplinary action if you didn’t achieve your target. I could never see how it was considered reasonable for my job to depend on some else’s free choice!
The worse thing a customer could do was make a purchase then change their mind and want a bag which had to go through the till. Even if they had taken an e-receipt they weren’t going to give you their email address again. So it was either two strikes against you or it cancelled out the “success”.
We used to send the bag receipt to ourselves till that was discovered and stopped.
Incidentally, if you signup for e receipts, you should be asked if you want to sign up for marketing. If you are signed up automatically it is potentially a huge fine for the company.

GagaJo

There is a worker (a manager) at my local Aldi who without fail, always over charges. Either sale stuff scanned at normal price, or things scanned twice. I always ask for the receipt and have held up his queue in the past, asking for my refund.

Yes. I often find Aldi scan goods at full price when they are discounted so always check my receipt before leaving the store

OakDryad

I don’t shop in the big supermarkets and would not set foot in a Tesco store as it is their policy hereabouts (and no doubt nationwide) to put small traders out of business. They identify three or four small businesses in a local parade of shops, offer the landlord(s) more rent who then give notice to the small businesses. Six months later the separate premises have been knocked together to form a new Tesco Express. This has happened again and again all over town. Bakers, butchers, hardware stores, independent grocers, cafes, barbers and hairdressers, card and gift shops, post offices etc all put out of business by Tesco.

I mention this as a neighbour who does shop there says they have been regularly overcharging at the tills by 15p on many small items. Till staff try to argue that these are temporary special offers which have ended but shelf replenishment staff haven’t yet updated the ticketing. She says this is not true as these are not special offers but regular price items including milk, bread, newspapers and tinned goods. So I do urge people to ask for and check their receipts.

I have fairly regular incidents in Tesco of unclear pricing ie special offer signs placed ambiguously or worded in ways that are misleading. It's very annoying and I'm sure people doing a big shop get caught out a lot.

I guess because I never do a big shop nowadays and am conversant with the prices of my few items I'm never wrongly charged. My background was finance therefore I would automatically check every receipt. Have to say I've seldom had any major discrepancies but minor ones have been rectified immediately. Two major financial errors were with credit card companies and, although the outcome was satisfactory, it took the two banks involved far too long to correct the matter.

Two weeks ago, I shopped in Dunelm for the first time in ages. As she completed the transaction, the assistant asked if I'd like to give my email address so they could send me a receipt. Surprised, I said, "oh, don't you print them out any more?"
"Yes, I can do that for you, if you like", she replied, and handed one over straight away.

It felt like a very sneaky way of getting more customers' email addresses so they can bombard them with marketing!

I always take a receipt when out shopping! I taught my grandchildren to always get a receipt for whatever they bought......I have seen people challenged when leaving a store and it's difficult if you can't produce one!.

Till staff try to argue that these are temporary special offers which have ended but shelf replenishment staff haven’t yet updated the ticketing.

That is illegal anyway.

Witzend

A bit different, but I now invariably take my receipt after using a self-checkout. I was once stopped at the exit because one item had a small security tag on the back, and there had been no alert to summon staff to remove it.

It was utterly mortifying to have to wait there, a suspected shoplifter, flanked by security guards, while they went through the bin to find my receipt.
Never again!

That was very bad behaviour on their part - they would have had the sale on their system and could have checked it very quickly. Which supermarket was it?

I've also been in the company of someone where something similar happened. She told them that they had no legal right to detain her and that they either get out of her way or call the police. They got out of her way. I'd be interested to hear from the legal people on here if she was correct, but it worked.

Use online shopping - no problem there - the receipt comes by email. My M&S receipts are emailed to me also.

I haven’t used the tills for years, well since self service came in it’s just so much quicker and easier and I m afraid I don’t automatically check every item on my receipt like you notgran unless I m actually puzzled about something

I too had a problem with a ‘two for one’ and won’t get caught again there was a big notice any two for £… and there were green or black grapes and box of two avocados so I chose black grapes and avocados when I rang it up they charge separately I asked the assistant and she pointed out that the avocados didn’t have a small red sticker on so I gave them back but when I looked as I went out there was some VERY small print under the big notice about only items with a red sticker I mentioned that to the male assistant filling up the display and he was very rude telling me it was my fault I hadn’t read it properly I pointed out I didn’t have the best of eyesight and it was not clear and was told that wasn’t his problem
That was Asda

I don’t shop in the big supermarkets and would not set foot in a Tesco store as it is their policy hereabouts (and no doubt nationwide) to put small traders out of business. They identify three or four small businesses in a local parade of shops, offer the landlord(s) more rent who then give notice to the small businesses. Six months later the separate premises have been knocked together to form a new Tesco Express. This has happened again and again all over town. Bakers, butchers, hardware stores, independent grocers, cafes, barbers and hairdressers, card and gift shops, post offices etc all put out of business by Tesco.

I mention this as a neighbour who does shop there says they have been regularly overcharging at the tills by 15p on many small items. Till staff try to argue that these are temporary special offers which have ended but shelf replenishment staff haven’t yet updated the ticketing. She says this is not true as these are not special offers but regular price items including milk, bread, newspapers and tinned goods. So I do urge people to ask for and check their receipts.

I always ask for a receipt-and check it.
Buy a meal deal and find you’ve paid for separate items and saved nothing is a favourite mistake-and that’s the till not the checkout assistant’s fault.

I don't ask for receipt unless it is an item I may have problems with. I thought it was to save waste. I was once charged £9 for 5 mushrooms in Tesco and glad I had the receipt to get that sorted.

As far as I understand, the question was first asked because of Covid i.e. one less thing to change hands