The written word has the uncanny power to either make or break your day. And all of us have experienced it, whether we’re aware of it or not. Even a small compliment or quality quip can raise your spirits. Meanwhile, a nasty opinion or cruel comment that you read might sour your mood for the entire day. In short, what someone writes can influence others quite a bit.

You probably wouldn’t expect to find a lot of creativity, imagination, and wit in the humble receipt. However, in between the boring lines of black ink, you might stumble upon some truly stunning gems. But it takes a keen eye to spot them, as well as a server or shop owner with a spark of imagination to craft them.

Our team here at Bored Panda has collected some of the most interesting receipts and bills that people have had the pleasure of seeing with their own two eyes. So much so that they just had to snap a picture and share it with everyone online.

As you’re scrolling down, remember to upvote your favorite pics, and let us know in the comments which of these impressed you the most. Don’t forget to tip your server!

#1 A Message On The Bottom Of The Receipt From My Local Peruvian Restaurant

Image credits: Skateplatypus

#2 My Receipt Came With A Cat Typed Onto It

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#3 The Ink Stains On My Wet Receipt Look Like A Fantasy Map

Image credits: SparksTheSolus

Any server or member of staff who has the energy and optimism to make jokes and boost their customers’ mood is to be commended. Working in the service industry is incredibly tough. You’re exhausted. You have to deal with rude and tired clients on a nearly daily basis.

And that’s not to mention that the pay often isn’t very fair, considering you have to spend hours and hours on your feet.

#4 The Bottom Of My Rainbow Receipt Says “Pot Of Gold!” In Binary

Image credits: Cfu288

#5 My Library Receipt Gives Recommendations Based On My Reading History

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#6 Found A Receipt For A Boeing 737 Purchase At Work Today

Image credits: Met76

So to have that drive to push past all of the negatives and craft unique receipts is really marvelous. It might not seem like much, but it can really make your customers’ day. Jokes and silly cartoons? Yes, please, more of those!

It’s honestly great to see servers and shop owners reward their customers for treating them well. Though we’d like to think that most people are nice and kind, the sad reality is that a small number of rude interactions can outweigh the good.

#7 This Restaurant Bill Is Automatically Split

Image credits: ProTharan

#8 My Supermarket Prints Brain Teasers On The Back Of Its Receipts

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#9 To Prevent Stores From Evading Tax, Every Receipt In Taiwan Is Automatically A Lottery Ticket, Which Can Win Up To 10 Million Dollars. 360,000 USD

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At the core of it all, it’s essential to remember that the person serving your food and bagging your groceries is a living, breathing human being. They’ve got goals, dreams, ambitions, and fears—just like you. But it’s easy to forget that when cash transactions are involved.

#10 My Library Receipt Shows How Much Money I’ve Saved By Using The Library

Image credits: 1398_Days

#11 This Restaurant Has A “Today In History” Section On The Receipt

Image credits: cynical-cup

#12 My Grandma’s 1956 Polio Vaccine Receipt. It Wasn’t Even Free

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You can get customers to return to your cafe, restaurant, or shop by providing them with a positive experience. How your staff behaves, and how good the food, products, or services are, will either drive them away or impress them so much, they’ll visit you again.

It’s going that extra mile when you don’t necessarily have to that really makes the difference. (And it works in all aspects of life.)

#13 Perfectly Straight Receipt At Self Service Check Out

Image credits: JoeGed123

#14 Double Sided Receipt

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#15 Ordered A Beer With My Dinner Called Lucifer And The Bill Came To $666

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“The essence of being a good server is making sure everyone leaves the meal having had a nice time. The essence of being a great server is making sure everyone leaves the meal having had a memorable time. I’m always on the lookout for anything extra I can do to make the night special for our guests. If I overhear a birthday mentioned, we bring out a piece of cake. If someone comes in wearing a Dolphins jersey, we’ll turn on that game if they’re playing. We take pride in our work,” a server working at a fancy restaurant shared with Bored Panda some time ago.

#16 Cashier Accidentally Prints Buyer’s Entire Purchase History

Image credits: KumarShantanu04

#17 My Grandma’s Hospital Bill In 1951 To Give Birth To My Mom. She Spent 4 Nights There

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#18 My Receipt Came With A Nutritional Breakdown

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Meanwhile, when it comes to dealing with rude customers, most servers will pretend that everything’s all right. But beneath that stoic facade, they might feel upset or be full of anger.

Nobody enjoys being looked down on. Nobody wants to be treated like they’re beneath someone else. Nobody deserves it.

#19 Going Through My Grandfather’s Belongings, We Found A Receipt For A Semester Of College

He paid $407.50 for tuition, room and board, and an “athletic fee” at Gettysburg College. Today, tuition at Gettysburg costs over $47,000 per year. Not including accommodations.

Image credits: harshcougar

#20 My Coworker Got A Receipt Of Exactly $7.11 On 7/11 At 7 11

Image credits: MrFoolsDay

#21 We Had To Hard Reset A Receipt Printer At My Job, And This Is What It Prints Out To Confirm Everything Is Back In Order

Image credits: BeckonJM

One way to solve this issue is for the server to get their manager. It’s important to try not to take a customer’s critiques personally.

They most likely have an issue with the establishment as a whole, not you as a person. Getting a higher-up to handle delicate situations can help prevent them from escalating.

#22 Crossed The International Dateline Today. My First Lunch Receipt In Sydney Is Timestamped 1 Minute Before My Lunch In Los Angeles

Image credits: whosdamike

#23 My B&N Receipt Gave Me Book Recommendations Based On My Purchase

Image credits: Meikaless

#24 Asked For No Tomato, They Took It Off My Bill

Image credits: SenatorzSon

But it’s not just the staff who can defuse tense situations with rude and entitled people. Other customers can step in as well. For instance, if you see a server being badgered and harassed, consider stepping in and saying something. Or if you’d like to take a more subtle approach, get a hold of the manager and inform them of what’s going on.

#25 This Extra Detail On My Receipt

Image credits: SpecialMeat5

#26 How My Grocery Store Itemizes Their Receipts

Image credits: WhatTheFuckSam

#27 My Burger King Order Printed On A Subway Receipt Roll

Image credits: borninthegrove

Some staff members might be too scared to ask for help. Odds are that the staff will remember your kindness and support if you step in. Heck, you might even get a surprise discount on your food. Or a witty quip and a lovely ‘thank you’ on your receipt.

#28 Saddest Receipt

Image credits: Islandgurlee

#29 A Collogue Recently Shared The Oldest Bill He Has In His Possession: The Bill For His Own Birth

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#30 My Walmart Receipt Was Printed On Target Paper

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What’s the most creative, funniest, or peculiar receipt that you’ve ever gotten, dear Pandas? Have you ever received a bill that genuinely made you laugh? What’s the secret to a witty joke on a receipt, and the way to make a server’s day? Don’t be shy, share your thoughts in the comment section.

#31 My Local Restaurant Provides A Handy Receipt For Splitting The Bill

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#32 My Popeyes’ Receipt Has A Burger King Logo On It

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#33 My Dad Had A Stroke 2 Years Ago. These Are The Receipts From His Last Ride: 3000+ Miles

Image credits: DucatiMunster

#34 Local Takeaway Prints The Temperatures Of All The Staff Currently Working There In The Receipt

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#35 Olive Garden Gave Me A Daily Sales Report Instead Of A Receipt

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#36 This Bill In Turkey Tells You How Much Each Person Would Need To Pay If You Split It Equally

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#37 The Cafeteria Here At The University Of Tokyo Prints The Total Calories Of The Meal, Side Dish, And Everything You Ordered In The Receipt

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#38 My Great Grandfather’s Receipt For His Wife’s Tiffany Engagement Ring Back In 1909

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#39 Amazon Package (Guitar Plectrums) Used The Order Receipt As The Goods Packaging

Image credits: Mr_Blue__

#40 A Short, Sad Story On A Library Book Receipt

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#41 My Receipt From The Supermarket Has Advice On The Bottom For Domestic Abuse Victims

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#42 My Receipt From Breakfast Came With News Headlines

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#43 The Cafeteria Receipt At The VA Hospital Included And Summed Up The Dietary Facts Of My Breakfast

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#44 Furniture We Bought From A Yard Sale Still Had The Original Receipt From 1966

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#45 My Receipt From JustEat Shows JustEat’s Account Balance

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#46 The Way The Suggested Gratuity Was Affected By The Total Of This Receipt

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#47 My Receipt Has My Car On It

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#48 I’ve Been Using This Library Receipt As A Bookmark, Just Noticed The Checkout Date And Time

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#49 I Closed A Large Toy Store Today, Here’s What Most Receipts Looked Like On The Final Day Of Business

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#50 On This Election Day, Here Is A Poll Tax Receipt I Found In An Old Book, A Relic Of An Era When You Had To Pay To Vote

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#51 I Received A Regular-Sized Receipt From CVS Today

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#52 I Got My Receipt In Finnish And My Sister Got Hers In Dutch From The Same Restaurant In Amsterdam

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#53 My Receipt Today Was For 02/02/2020 02:20

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#54 A Receipt Found In A Book From 1992. Not A Vegetable In Sight

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#55 This Restaurant Has Nutritional Information On The Receipt

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#56 This Restaurant Rounded Down My Bill

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#57 The Order Number On This Receipt Is The Same As The Cost Of The Food

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#58 Found My Grandfather’s Tuition Receipt For His First Semester In College In 1925

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#59 McDonald’s Receipt From 1998 vs. 2017

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#60 My Receipt Total Was Completely Sequential

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#61 Wife And I Are In The Birthing Unit At The Hospital, In Ward “2B”. The Meal Receipts Identify The Ward As “Mom2B”

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#62 Pressed “No Receipt” On The Gas Pump For The First Time, Got The Machine Program Info And A Bunch Of Alt-Code Characters

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#63 My Receipt Is Split Into Dry And Wet For Food And Drink

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#64 My July 4th Receipt Total Was 1776. The Year The US Declared Its Independence

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#65 My Mom’s Original Receipt From 1983 For An Atari

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#66 My Library Receipt Shows How Much Money I’ve Saved

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#67 Split The Bill Between 4 Couples. They Just Took 1/4 Of Everything

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#68 This Restaurant Shows The Nutrition Facts On The Receipt

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#69 My Receipt For $123.45

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#70 This Restaurant’s Receipt Lists Out The Estimated Nutritional Value Of The Items Consumed

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#71 Hotel Receipts Found Tucked Into An Old Book: $2.75/Night, 1948

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#72 My Bill At 7-11 Was $7.11

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#73 My Halloween Receipt Totaled 666

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#74 This Receipt That Shows 99% Tip Amount (I Left $6)

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#75 My Library Gives Out Receipts That Tell You How Much You Would Have Spent If You Bought The Books Instead

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#76 One Of My Receipt Printers At Work Has Printed 21km Of Receipts

Image credits: PartTimeDuneWizard

#77 My B&n Receipt Gave Me Book Recommendations Based On My Purchase

Source: boredpanda.com