Lidl stops giving receipts from next January

Starting from next January Lidl in Switzerland will not give receipts to customers. The German giant explains that in this way it will produce 30 million in less paper waste. Receipts will be issued only upon customer request.

"30 million of waste is equivalent to 96,000 rolls for cash registers" noted Alexander Wolf, the Lidl sales manager in Switzerland, Saving costs, among other things, Lidl will apply even more competitive prices, after having already put in serious difficulty the direct competitors. The policy of not issuing receipts is feasible in Switzerland, where there are no controls on the issuance of the receipt.

The only problem, now, seems to be the exchange of the products in case of defects: "I wonder how a consumer can get the change a defective product, in the absence of a receipt certifying the purchase" says Paolo Poretti, President of the Association of Merchants Lugano.

The Lidl decision seems to have pushed Coop, another Swiss grocery chain, to adapt, while Migros will continue to issue receipts.