Thursday 22 December, 2005
Plastic Dragon
The fastest movement in the universe is not the speed of light. It is a Vancouverite shop assistant putting your groceries or other shopping into a plastic bag. People like me who like to carry as few plastic bags as possible and do not like to waste precious plastic on 2-minute shopping are almost powerless to stop them, for no matter how fast you try to shout: "No need for plastic bag, please!" It is almost always too late if it is even heard at all as the frenzied retail professional stuffs 2-dollar shopping into twelve plastic bags.
I can hardly be upset with my well-meaning shopkeepers: what they do is pretty much an instinct by now, and just shows how dedicated to service the Canadians are. But I do hope shops like Safeways would adopt bags for life scheme and make plastic bags cost at least few cents. These schemes work in Finland and UK, so they should be fine in Canada, too.
Posted by Dragon at 22 December 19:51, 2005Maybe you could allways have a cotton shopping bag with you and hand it over with the money? That way the assistant ends up with a bag in his/her hand without having to register you verbal request "no plastic, please" that goes against the basic moves in that situation. I have made such durable bags from interesting cotton fabrics and they are a permanent find in my handbags (matching their colors, of course). Smaller ones for daily pick-ups and huge ones that hold the weekend groceries, in bold unisex prints. They take years of wear and tear.
# 2 - Dragon (on December 22, 2005 09:26 PM):
We do have cotton bags. However, "the bagging" happens often as soon as you put your first purhcase on the conveyor belt, and while you are desperately trying to unload rest of your your shopping, the retail therapist is already cramming stuff into plastic bags in speed that you cannot hope to match.
We do have some success sometimes however, by waving our fabric bags in the front of the shop assistant's nose to distract him or her has soon as we enter his or her field of vision.
The battle continues.
# 3 - Gareth Lewin (on December 23, 2005 11:03 AM):
Most shops here do charge for plastic bags, just not safeway, Superstore is a good example of a place that charges for plastic bags.
# 4 - Chu (on December 27, 2005 04:58 PM):
I remember eager and superfast packing in multiple (and usually low quality, easily breakable) plastic bags being a problem in Canada as well as in the US.
What I do sometimes (even if it seems to considered a bit rude) is to take my few items out of the shop's bag and leave it there, with a "I won't be needing a bag, thanks" and a smile.
How about putting your cotton bag on the conveyor / counter first, and only then the shopping? Maybe that might do the trick?
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