In Paris, in March 2020. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP “Do you want a ticket? In 2023, after paying for their purchases at checkout, consumers should no longer necessarily hear this phrase. Unless, under pressure from consumer associations, the government reviews its copy. The anti-waste law voted on February 10, 2020 should lead to the disappearance of the systematic printing of receipts, credit card slips and purchase vouchers from January 1, 2023. With rare exceptions, such as the purchase of certain durable goods, consumers will therefore no longer be issued these tickets, regardless of the amount and nature of the purchases, unless they expressly request it themselves. Read also More than a hundred articles of law under debate to fight against waste The decree governing the implementation of this measure is currently in consultation with the National Consumer Council (CNC). However, a collective of twelve consumer associations that sit there, including the CSF, Families of France, Rural Families, and the UFC-Que Choisir, called on Tuesday, April 19, the government to modify the texts so “that the choice to obtain a ticket is systematically offered”. “The payment terminals will be reconfigured” “At no time in the decree is it stated that the merchant must obtain the consent of the consumer for the printing or not of the receipt, estimates Matthieu Robin, deputy director of studies of UFC Que Choisir. There is indeed an informative display at the checkout, but it will be drowned out among all the other posters and consumers will not necessarily see it. And there are no penalties for those who do not report it. By deleting the printing of these slips by default, this amounts, according to the associations, to depriving the consumer “of the possibility of asserting his rights”. Right to reimbursement if a product purchased is expired, exchange of a garment that is too large or legal guarantee of conformity for a non-food purchase, lists Mr. Robin. “But also to check if the promotions are properly applied, or that there has been no cash error. Even scams during contactless payment in cafes, for example, where the terminal screen is not facing the consumer. The Fédération du commerce et de la distribution (FCD), which represents most of the retail brands and also participates in the CNC, does not have the same reading of the text. “The decree does not go into detail. But it is a measure that we have been talking about for more than two years and, in our stores, the payment terminals will be reconfigured by our service providers, explains Philippe Joguet, director of CSR (social and environmental responsibility) at the FCD. For payments made by credit card, which represent more than 60% of collections, the terminal will provide a display on the screen so that the customer can choose whether or not to have a ticket. And for the other means of payment, the host or the cashier will collect the customer’s wish. The associations ask above all “that the law be well done from the start”, so as not to open the way to various interpretations. Cecile Prudhomme