Pocket wearers, wallet holders, and handbag carriers can rejoice with Countdown customers now able to opt out of getting paper receipts at the checkout and having them sent digitally through the myCountdown app instead.
Customers who opt out of getting paper receipts can now have their digital receipts show up automatically in their MyCountdown app account every time they shop and scan their Onecard in-store or online.
Countdown’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Safety and Sustainability, Kiri Hannifin says the move isn’t just about helping customers declutter their pockets, bags and wallets, it will also help reduce waste.
“In the last year alone, we used 505,200 rolls of receipt paper, totalling 36,879 kilometres of paper – enough to stretch to the UK and back! Like our customers, we’re keen to help reduce waste wherever we can – moving from paper to digital receipts is another small way we can all contribute to this effort,” says Hannifin.
“The customer feedback we’re getting is that paper receipts also tend to end up lost or ‘filed away’ in glove boxes and handbags. With the introduction of digital receipts, which are stored and downloadable for 14 months after each shop, customers can easily keep track of all their purchases, big or small, making it even easier to manage household budgets.”
Customers need to have the myCountdown app and choose to ‘opt out’ of receiving paper receipts. Once they have done this they will no longer be prompted to have their receipts printed at self service checkouts or be offered them at the regular checkouts.
Customers who don’t opt out will continue to receive their paper receipts at the checkout.
Digital receipts are the latest initiative in Countdown’s ongoing commitment to reducing waste. Countdown has already phased out single-use plastic cutlery, plates, checkout bags and straws, removed PVC and polystyrene packaging from its own brand product packaging and shifted to more recycled and easily recyclable packaging alternatives.
For more information on Countdown’s 2025 Sustainability Commitments, visit: https://www.countdown.co.nz/community-environment/corporate-responsibility
