Mary Cassells writes:
What really bugs me is all the plastic. Not just credit cards and ID cards, but plastic bags. Often, the sales clerk will not let me leave the store with my purchase without the purchase being in a plastic bag. This is especially the case in big department stores like Sears and the Bay. They assume I am about to shoplift. Perhaps a compromise would be paper bags. I don’t know. I just seem to accumulate the plastic bags.
Lindsay, Queen of Green, replies:
Well depending on where you live, cloth bags do seem to becoming the norm. Some municipalities have even banned plastic bags all together! You’d like the movie Addicted to Plastic.
I have had the argument with such sales clerks as well. One time after I ended my battle with the cashier, I took the plastic bag, only to walk over to customer service counter and hand it back, explaining why I didn’t need or want it. That was about five years ago now!
Next time, tell them you’re saving them money. I mean most stores give you a credit for NOT taking a bag or they’ll charge you for it. Also ask for them to use their store tape. They often have this handy for large items that can’t fit in a bag anyway. I know the last time I was at The Bay, I used my own bag, no problem.
Just keep at it. If we all refuse the bags and lobby our towns and cities to ban them, the merchants will figure it out!
