I went to Wal-Mart yesterday

[Southern Gardener]

and I get to the checkout with my cloth bags I always carry I tell the girl I have my own bags, and if she will just put my items on top of the plastic bag wheel thingy I will bags my own groceries. Well, she says Oh thank God! I hate when people bring in those bags. It takes me so long to bag and I never understood why people use them anyway I was so dumbstruck I know I gave her a deer in the headlights look! I said really, seriously you have no idea why people use these bags? No she says What are they for? I couldnt believe it.

 

[hoodat]

That's just the Wal Mart attitude. Use it up, throw it away and buy some more.

 

[lesa]

How sad...

 

[NwMtGardener]

Haha, I've definitely gotten dirty looks for bringing my own bags to the grocery store, especially if they have *gasp* holes in them!! And oh my lord, it takes MORE TIME - like what 5 seconds?? What are they all in such a hurry for anyway?? Gardeners have much more patience!!

 

[4grandbabies]

How sad...

I echo that!!!!

 

[jennh]

Here's what I take to the store with me. I have one in blue, just like the pink one, and I have one in red, with a white leghorn roo and hen, with a farm scene across the top. That one is a Walmart bag that had chicken feed in. Some nice lady in Virginia from BYC sent me that bag.
Anyway, my bags always spark up conversations.

 

[journey11]

Jennh -- I'm lovin' the pink! I saw a tutorial on making those before...probably on BYC, but it's been awhile.

SG -- Funny how candid cashiers can be sometimes, ha. You should see the looks I get when I hand them mine...which are usually fuzzed up with a little dog hair or bits of hay from the farm. Oh well...if I didn't keep them in the back seat, I'd forget to use them half the time. I also love that they are stronger and I don't have to worry about them bursting and dropping my groceries! That right there gives them plenty of merit for me.

 

[hoodat]

Vons is good about it. Our local one even has a sign on the door,"Did you remember to bring your reusable bag today"? When I forget mine a clerk I kid around with usually shakes her head and says,"Shame on you. No bag today". Actually it saves them money. Those throwaway bags aren't free and it should take no longer to pack a reusable bag than a throway plastic one.

 

[Southern Gardener]

I love the chicken bag - very cute!! Not only do I get ugly looks form the cashiers, but I get strange looks from the customers as well. My bags usually have dog hair on them also!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Our local "Natural Foods" store gives a nickel rebate for every bag of our own we use. They also have some "donation" opportunities available for spare change right where they give you the nickels.

The Walmart stores are set up for efficiency. Like any manufactuiring process that have been through a lot of motion studies, if you get out of the standard it does slow the process down. That plastic bag wheel thingy is design for efficiency. They don't want to hire any more cashiers than they have to. If you want to bag your own, go through the self-checkout line. I've yet to get an ugly look from a cashier when I go through that line.

What is sad to me is that so many people don't know where food comes from or what is involved in actually manufacturing items. This growing number of people have a growing influence on our laws and processes. That is scary.