Training the Baggers

I've been getting better at taking reusable bags to the grocery store. But the baggers aren't getting any better at dealing with it. You'd think with all the talk of going green and being more environmentally conscious, grocery store cashiers and baggers would get used to being handed a canvas bag in which to place my groceries.

They're not. In fact, they generally look at the bags blankly until I explain that I'd like my groceries to go into them. Even the cashiers at the grocery store where I bought a few of my reusable bags are confused when I hand the bags over. Some practically insist on bagging things in plastic bags and then putting them in my canvas bag while my back is turned. And don't get me started on the cashiers at Wal-Mart, who have twice tried to charge me for the bags I brought in.

Maybe an open letter will help.

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Dear Cashiers and Baggers of the World,

When a customer hands you a canvas bag that doesn't have a tag on it and doesn't look like anything you've ever sold in your store before, you can assume that the customer wants you to place her purchases inside the bag. She does not want you to first bag the purchases in plastic and then place the plastic bags inside the canvas bag. She also does not want you to place one or two things in the canvas bag and then move on to plastic bags. This defeats the purpose of the canvas bag, which is to REDUCE the number of plastic bags the customer uses, therefore reducing the number of plastic bags that need to be produced. Her canvas bag is big and strong, and if all of her things won't fit into one bag, trust me, she has another one to handle the overflow.

Also, please note that your huffing and puffing, sighing and rolling your eyes when a customer presents you with a canvas bag does not deter her from bringing them again next time. In fact, it just makes her want to seek you out again the next time she's at the store so that you can learn by practice. A better approach would be to smile kindly, thank the customer for caring about her environment, take the canvas bag, and neatly pack her purchases into it. It'll make your day, and hers, much better.

Sincerely,

Earth-Friendly Shopper