'Receipts on request' at East of England Co-op stores

East of England said 70% of purchases at its stores were under £10

East of England Co-op said it is planning to only issue receipts on request in a bid to save paper.

As first reported in the Ipswich Star, the firm was going to scrap issuing receipts for purchases under £10.

The company said 26,000 miles of till receipts are printed every week in the UK and the "majority are not used".

But after hearing concerns raised by listeners on BBC Radio Suffolk, joint chief executive Roger Grosvenor said they will give customers a choice.

He said: "Very often we print the receipt and ask the customer then they give an answer, say 'no I don't want it', so we throw it away.

"We've been reviewing all the things that we waste and till rolls came right to the top of the list and it's an easy one to solve."

He said there will not be a £10 limit on it and they will "take their word for it" if a customer who does not have a receipt says they were overcharged.

Amanda Folley, a Felixstowe businesswoman, said she needed a receipt for her company

"We are there to look after our customers," he said.

"We realise on some transactions there's a need for receipt if there's something which may have to be returned but in normal circumstances, we see a lot of purchases, nearly 70% are under £10, and people very often refuse the receipt."

Felixstowe businesswoman Amanda Folley, is one who has raised concerns, pointing out that she needed proof of purchase to show she had bought an item for her company.

Some said people needed to be given a choice while others said "they would be happy" not to have receipt.

Stephen Moody, retail analyst from Bury St Edmunds, said: "Giving the choice to people before the transaction is complete will save them a lot of money."