Short answer is most people do expect a receipt for retail purchases. But if you don’t get one don’t be surpised either.

So is it a universal thing required to issue a receipt? Yes and No. I went to a McDonald’s in Chicago and they don’t hand out receipt unless requested. Yet I went to the McDonald’s in the suburb of Chicago near were I live (Oak Lawn IL) and they give an itemized receipt for every purchase without asking. McD’s will issue one Chicago stores but they are just trrying to save time and paper.

FYI: Retail goods and the rules for sales are handled by state and local governments. So when you say USA you need to distinguish the Federal Goverment and its regulatory agencies from other government bodies in the USA we refer to as local goverments. In the USA the Federal Governement deals with Interstate Commerce (trade between states but not in them) and International Trade.

Because issuing a retail business receipt is a local business law/regulation when dealing with consumer goods and services purchases. It’s more as a traditional customer courtesy and form of demonstrating in most places that they collected taxes; how much you payed and how much was colleted for state & local taxes. So it can and does vary by where your purchase occurs even within the same state and often county as well as which municipality.

BTW: Food & Drug Stores usually give very well itemized receipts but convience stores and gas stations usually will not issue a receipt unless requested and not very well itemized beyond taxes and whether some general item groups and liquor seprated because of usually different tax %.

When dealing with regulated services such as utlilites its very much a formal regulation from governed by state, county, or municiplal goverment or all of them that you be issued a bill but which would include receipt of previous payments but if you go to sat purchase a cellphone at a local store the receipt is usually issued as part of local regulation even though it is considered a federal and state regulated utility service. Again the USA Federal Governement is directly not a part of that receipt process.

Generally if I am not in area I am familar with such as travelling in another state I ask if they issue itemized receipts as I want need to report my purcahses in order to get compensated (otherwise someone might just jot a number down on a piece of paper and hand it to you with no other meaningful information and not much use of you want proof for you credit card issuer in ase of a dispute or return an item).

Oh well so much for the concept of UNITED States, right? I don’t blame you if your sitting there shaking your head in confusion.