Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Machine-readable store receipts

Just plug in flash drive at POS
  (+18)(+18)
(+18)
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This is intended to facilitate a more high-resolution sort of personal bookkeeping by taking the hassle out of both itemization and data entry. Ideally format should be something nonproprietary and nonbinary like DIF, QIF, but something widely used like XLS would be serviceable. For the documentary side of what a receipt is, perhaps unique key generation comes in somehow.
LoriZ, May 27 2010

Autotote http://www.google.c...%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1
[ShawnBob, May 28 2010]

A really Neat idea http://store.neatco.com/
Sorry, couldn't resist the pun [Canuck, Jun 03 2010]

[link]






       That would be good. [+]   

       As an interim solution, it would be quite handy if basic data such as the date, shop, and total amount appeared in a standard format at a standard position on the till receipt.
MaxwellBuchanan, May 27 2010
  

       This is an awesome idea. In fact, it has inspired a spin-off idea: A tax-reconcilliation program to read such reciepts.
ShawnBob, May 28 2010
  

       In fact, Autotote makes a system like this commonly employed in horsetracks which generates receipts which can then be re-read by a similar machine [link]. In fact, your idea is much easier I think because it is not dependant upon external horse-race results being interfaced with the system: Only a receipt and a reader. Perhaps it would just have a dollar amount, date, some sort of payment vehicle, and possibly a generic catagory for tax reasons.
ShawnBob, May 28 2010
  

       even better, have it sent in a text message to your phone.
senatorjam, May 28 2010
  

       Some receipts do have barcodes (which unfortunately currently only have meaning to the store's internal computer system). If there were some standard implemented, the printed barcode could be scanned by cell phones (most modern 'smartphones' have this capability) and the data could be synchronized to a user's computer/account that way.   

       But I agree with you, even an electronic file in, say, standard tab-delimited or XML format would be nice for people that want to detail their purchases in their own spreadsheets or bookkeeping software.
paix120, May 29 2010
  

       Genius, a 2D barcode would allow speedy tracking of spent items and easy bake an earlier idea.(+)
MisterQED, May 30 2010
  

       Stick to paper receipts and datagrams. No new hardware required, just new software. [+]
BunsenHoneydew, May 31 2010
  

       The XML or CSV formats seem more appropriate for some reason. Maybe the in-store discount cards could be used to identify you so that a receipt could be emailed to you.
kevinthenerd, Jun 01 2010
  

       The barcode in UV-responsive ink secretly tattooed on you forehead already does that ...
8th of 7, Jun 03 2010
  

       Excellent! If I can download statements from my bank directly into Quicken, then I should be able to do the same with my grocery store transactions. No more data entry!   

       Wholesalers and retailers have actually been using EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) to exchange purchase orders, invoices, and the like for years. Most use a nasty standard format called X.12, but for consumer use I would love to see data in JSON (although the inexplicable ubiquity of overhead-ridden XML would probably win out).
Capt Skinny, Jun 04 2010
  

       /paix120/, the 2D barcodes on receipts don't actually contain any of the data on the receipt -- it is just a reference number to data contained in the store's database.
Capt Skinny, Jun 04 2010
  
      
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