Comments on: Grocery Baggers Personally Responsible For Global Warming

By: Casey

Casey — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:04:28 +0000

Because people not needing bags makes them obsolete and well JOBLESS and in a country where it’s hard for young teens with no experience and older people who should be retired to get jobs this is a job they can get. So by helping the planet you’re also helping the poverty level.

sorry no personal attack, it just sucks either way.

By: Casey

Casey — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:05:17 +0000

I meant “not” helping the poverty level

By: Carly

Carly — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:31:54 +0000

Are you kidding me?! This is ridiculous. I carry my cloth bags with me whenever I go shopping and I have never run into a problem anywhere… and I’ve done this in several states. There are plenty of jobs for teenagers without every single one having to become a grocery bagger. In most grocery stores that I know, the cashiers are the same people who bag the groceries, so no one would be out of a job if the U.S. just banned plastic bags like quite a few countries have already sensibly done.

By: Brittany

Brittany — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:37:37 +0000

I totally feel for you!

This happens to me all the time. I ask politely, “can you put everything in theses bags?” and even help them put stuff in there. They almost always look at me like I’m from Mars and say “I don’t know if everything will fit in here.” Then they put the stuff in the bags so slowly, and the people in line behind me start to look agitated. They spend too much time trying to arrange things perfectly, just shove it in the bag!

And I don’t understand why a store would sell reusable bags, with the logo on it, and then act like they’ve never seen a reusable bag before. Gah!

By: Kay

Kay — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:09:40 +0000

Wow. Where I’m from (ON), we’re encouraged to use recyclable bags. In fact, cashiers even go so far as to give dirty looks to the people who ask for plastic.

By: Casey

Casey — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:44:44 +0000

Carly I don’t know where you live but When I was looking for my first job I applied literally hundreds of places and the only place that hired me was a grocery store, everywhere else said I needed experience (which pissed me off, how was I supposed to get experience if no one would hire me) with all the illegals over here mowing lawns a 15 year old boys only other option would be bagging groceries, and there are a lot of 15 year old boys in this country.

Don’t get me wrong I have no problem with recyclable bags, it’s just if you try to satisfy one thing it detracts from another thing.

By: ela

ela — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:28:52 +0000

honestly… those baggers also have the duty of cleaning floors and other ‘chores’ so … if YOU didn’t want a bag, i’m sure 60 people after you did- and they must be out their freaking mind to give you attitude. they get paid by the HOUR not by the BAG - so next time tell em to SHOVE IT.

By: Heather

Heather — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:11:57 +0000

yeah i never have any problems with this, i live in new jersey. we even get discounts for bringing the resuable bags, cause the stores also want to help the environment.

a note on the baggers…. couldnt the people with those jobs, where applicable, still bag, but just put your things in your bags? many times if i need help i hand my bags to the cashier to use.

By: Carly - Grinnell

Carly - Grinnell — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:22:54 +0000

Heather is right… it’s not like the baggers are out of a job, either way. They’re still putting your groceries in bags, no matter whether the bags are reusable or plastic.

By: T

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:44:39 +0000

Well that’s weird. Have you tried shopping at places like Whole Foods? Lots of stores like that even sell reusable bags for a dollar or so, and they tend to understand that people recycle. It’s almost expected.

I suggest that the next time an employee gives you grief for recycling, you ask for the manager. Since when is pollution / snarkiness a part of store policy?

By: lee

lee — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:16:14 +0000

Now that pisses me off. Are these people so ignorant they dont know all the harm plastic is doing. Not only global warming but they are a detriment to marine life. Whales and turtles mistake them as food and die from trying to eat them. I shop in Publix and in Whole Foods and both encourage using non-plastic. If I were you I would try to find a different store to shop or speak to the manager. Also get all of your friends and neighbors to bring their own bags. All of us should try to get our home cities to be like San Fransisco and ban plastic bags!!

By: emily

emily — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:52:22 +0000

this story and comments don’t suprise me too much.. it seems from what i’ve seen through traveling and just news articles and such that more progressive and populated states (new jersey, new york, san fransisco, for instance) and much more active in the whole “going green” trend then the the more country states.

i was in west virginia last weekend for a music festival and was suprised at the ignorance people showed when it came to cleaning up and littering and pollutions. some kids actually booed when a performer started talking about going green and garbage was left EVERYWHERE.

By: Stephanie Sylvester

Stephanie Sylvester — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:56:45 +0000

It’s honestly not that big of a deal..The bags are going to be used whether or not you take one. . Fussing about it does nothing.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:23:07 +0000

Stephanie,
That is definitely not true. For every bag I don’t take, that’s one less bag in demand for their next order of plastic bags. Slowly, but surely, store owners will have to order less and less plastic bags and one day, hopefully, they will realize that they’re wasting their money with ordering them at all.

By: Morgan

Morgan — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:15:25 +0000

Maybe, it is because I live in Arkansas, but I totally understand what the author is talking about! The makes me feel like I am doing something bad by not using their bags.
I used to work at Wal Greens and when a person had just one item, a bunch of cards, etc. I would ask “Do you really want a bag?” Most people smiled and said no, but some replied, “Well, no, no I don’t need a bag!” Those people always made my day!

By: Kelsey

Kelsey — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:58:42 +0000

I hate this crap. I pretty much only do the self-checkout thing where I grocery-shop now, for the primary reason that bagging is then my responsibility and that means I can opt to use my own bags. Other places I’ve given up on it, but I do tell them to use as few bags as possible, which I find gets a much less negative response…

By: Bea

Bea — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:50:23 +0000

Um, DON’T shop at Whole Foods. They appear to be eco-friendly, but are just trying to create the gourmet-foodie image that their yuppie customers buy into (literally) so they can make a fat profit. Sure, they have organics, but their record is less than impressive. (You can find info on the ‘net, but as an example, their huge selection of produce means flying/shipping/driving in loads of it from all over the place, resulting in a LOT of pollution.)

By: giz

giz — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:39:39 +0000

If they insist on making you carry it out in a bag, just tell them that if they’re worried that it may look like stealing, you’ll gladly show your receipt.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:25:31 +0000

I have worked as a cashier for about 8 months now and I personally love when the customers have their own bags. They’re much easier to bag for me and are less likely to rip when I put them into the cart. Not to mention helping the environment.

However, I know a lot of my co-workers prefer the plastic bags because of convenience or whatever but I’d rather take a few seconds and use the better quality bags.

That said, it does annoy me when I’ve already bagged the groceries in plastic and at the end they hand me the reusable bags and expect me to unload it and rebag it. But that’s simply a pet peeve of mine.