When a friend delcared that one of her New Year’s resolutions was to cut her consumption of plastic bags to zero this year, I decided I would try to do the same. I mean, did I really need a plastic bag for a single item at Target?
It was surprisingly easy, taking only a few weeks to get used to saying, “I don’t need a bag for that, thanks” or handing over one of our cloth bags. Only a few times this year have I forgotten and been handed my purchases in a plastic bag.
What’s even more surprising than how easy it was to adapt was how taken aback cashiers are by the request. Recently, I purchased a single toddler t-shirt and as the cashier started to turn to put it in a huge plastic bag, I said, “I don’t need a bag for that, thanks.” She looked at me completely baffled, like I just told her I had a fourth nipple, and responded, “Really?” I had to do my best not to reply, “On second thought, you’re right. How else will I get this heavy, heavy 2T t-shirt all the way back to my car?”
And that, my friends, is how I saved Christmas.
Posted in Everyday Life
Dave Walls September 23, 2008, 1:47 pm
I’ve started bringing my own cloth bags (bought at the supermarket on a previous trip), and I like using them a heck of a lot more than the cheap plastic ones, anyways. They hold a lot more, and are a lot more reliable than the extremely thin plastic bags.
For clothes shopping, the ONLY reason I take a bag is: 1) If I’m shopping with my fiancee (meaning, we’re buying half the store), or 2) I’ll have other things to carry when I get home, ie. groceries, luggage, livestock, etc.
jk September 23, 2008, 3:18 pm
Hey, we are mighty thankful for customers like you! I have to say that I only get such a customer maybe once a week though :o(. (Not only are you doing a great thing by refusing the bag, bags are a huge expense for my store.)