iOS Receipt not found

I am implementing in-app purchases in a Swift 3.0 app so I need to grab the app receipt to verify it against the iTunes store. Here is how I am getting the receipt:

func getReceipt() -> Data? {
    if Bundle.main.appStoreReceiptURL != nil {
        print("app receipt: \(Bundle.main.appStoreReceiptURL)")
        do {
            let receiptData = try Data(contentsOf: Bundle.main.appStoreReceiptURL!)
            print(receiptData)
            return receiptData
        } catch {
            print("error converting receipt to Data: \(error.localizedDescription)")
        }
    }
    return nil
}

my console output for the receipt URL is:

app receipt: Optional(file:///Users/dustinspengler/Library/Developer/XCPGDevices/433E8E8F-B781-4ADC-A92D-5CABC28E94D6/data/Containers/Data/Application/C25BE9B6-FB64-4D49-9CF2-9DA371060A7B/StoreKit/receipt)

It then failed to convert the receipt to Data and the catch statement prints:

error converting receipt to Data: The file “receipt” couldn’t be opened because there is no such file.

I get the exact same output when running this in a playground, simulator, and real devices so does this mean that no receipt exists for the app considering the fact that the user has not made an in-app purchase yet? When reading through Apple's documentation I got the impression that they are always created created regardless of prior purchases.

This answer is based off the context that the app is being run on your local machine. If the app is live in the app store, a receipt will be in place the moment you download the app even if its free.

Answered by @Paulw11:

There is no receipt until the user makes a purchase. For an app downloaded from the App Store (even a free one). This is a purchase, so there will be a receipt. For a debug build from Xcode there is no receipt until an in-app purchase is made.