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Receipts fading over time

November 30, 2014 07:11AM
I have seen some side conversations going around about how long to keep pictures and receipts and stuff. I just wanted to let you all in on some hints about most receipts. I have noticed some of my receipts have been fading if they sit on a table or something. I was talking with my manager about how I have seen receipts fading to blank and I thought that was weird...well then I got queued in.

Most receipts don't use ink on them to print your receipt. They are being pressed on a carbon paper. Take your finger and rub it on some and see how it leaves a mark? What actually is happening is the writing is flattening with the paper and it turns to white (color of receipt paper).

This isn't all receipts, but a lot of companies are using this method. My manager has some history in lots of retail stores so he shares his random knowledge with us frequently. If you have a receipt you want to hold onto, apparently if you keep them in your freezer they will not fade. I am holding my receipt pictures for tax time along with the receipts, but thought this peace of information may come in handy...for tax time for all of you...or if you snagged a super deal on something super expensive this shopping weekend.

Happy Shopping!

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November 30, 2014 09:51AM
Sometimes they use thermal paper for the receipts, these are heat activated so heat will destroy them and yes even a regular temperature can make them fade. If you live in phoenix arizona and leave one in your car, it'll virtually be destroyed by the time you get home in some cases (depends on the quality of the thermal paper) turns them black. So yes keeping them in your freezer can preserve them.

How ever you want to hold on to your receipts for the same amount of time you would keep all of your tax information (remember your now a business so you should hold on to them longer). I recommend a digital copy for a backup.
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November 30, 2014 10:49AM
The thermal receipts contain BPA and it's readily absorbed through the skin. BPA is the chemical in plastic food containers and cans that many people are concerned about. It's been linked to cancer and other health abnormalities.. A few years ago I read an article written by a doctor. He said that he never takes a receipt because of the danger. Just now I read an article that advises you to keep your receipts in a zip top bag instead of your purse or pocket because the BPA can rub off on other items that you'll then handle. Wearing gloves is also a good idea if you handle a lot of receipts. It's frightening.
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November 30, 2014 04:28PM
Unless it's a purchase/return shop the receipt gets scanned or photographed then destroyed. The digital copy stays in my files and is backed up to an external hard drive so I'm prepared for any possible tax issues.

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Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)

"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor

"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei
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November 30, 2014 04:36PM
Ditto to JB. I keep everything on a Flash drive, backed up to a hard drive. I usually hold the paper receipt until I get paid, just in case the MSC/client might ask, and then I shred.
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November 30, 2014 04:46PM
I scan my receipts immediately and keep the paper copy in a folder. It is true, that if you leave it out on the table, it will fade.
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December 01, 2014 01:57AM
Like MR Bond I also take a picture which I keep on my computer and toss the original unless I need to return the item. In all my year I have never been asked to mail in the physical receipt.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.
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December 01, 2014 02:02AM
I have only been asked to mail in the receipt twice since 2008. Both requests (from different MSC's) came 3 months after the respective shop, and 2 months after I was paid for each of them.

Shopping South Jersey, Southeast Pennsylvania, and Delaware above the canal since 2008
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