Why Do I Insist on a Receipt?
Originally published on: 9/6/2006 6:35:10 AM
It's not as if, in the 15 years I've been filling up my ride, I've ever been asked to prove that I paid for the gas in my tank. I certainly haven't ever used a receipt to return gas. There's no way that it's because I neatly file them for tax purposes, as the crumpled paper graveyard on my nightstand shows.
Yet, every time I fill up, even if I'm not going in for anything or getting a car wash, I press that stupid button and dutifully collect that wasted piece of paper. I shove it in my back pocket where it folds into a lump and ends up piled up next to the bed at night when I empty my pockets.
Comments
commented on 9/7/2006 Here's why you should keep your receipt!
http://wcco.com/crime/local_story_248094127.html
commented on 9/8/2006 That seems like someone got bullied by the police. The thing is, that every single gas station I go to these days has pumps that won't dispense any fuel until one of 2 things has happened:
* You've prepaid a cashier inside.
* You've inserted a credit card that the pump has verified and authorized.
Without one of those 2 things, none of them will even dispense gas. Any accusation of me stealing gas would have to explain how I got the pump to even dispense any.
Beyond that, any video proof that I took it would also include footage of me inserting my credit card. In this case, they actually lied to try to get her to confess.
So, I guess it comes down to:
* I couldn't get the pump to dispense without convincing someone or something that my card was good.
* The video footage required to prosecute would also show me making a good faith effort to pay.
* My credit card statement will have the same information on it for exoneration that the receipt does.
commented on 9/8/2006 I always keep mine too -- otherwise I never remember the amount to write into the checkbook at the days end (using a check card obviously). And I'm still paranoid about needing proof for the five-oh.
commented on 9/10/2006 I suppose if I actually maintained a check register that would be a bigger deal, but since I pretty much do all of my banking online, I haven't recorded a checking transaction in years.
commented on 10/2/2006 I want the retailers to THINK that I keep a record of the transaction, so that they are not tempted to add a few cents. They don't KNOW that I have never actually checked, or that I throw the receipt out as soon as I get home.
And shame on the woman who started crying instead of demanding to see the incriminating videotape.