101 in 1001: Get and Use Reusable Grocery Bags (The Problem with Publix)
This morning I bought six Green Bags.
I bought them at Walgreens for $1 each. I chose to buy these bags rather than other bags because I did not want to advertise for a particular store with my grocery bags. So I took my bags and headed over to Publix. I had already heard stories of people having difficulty using their own bags at Publix, but nevertheless, I went in with an open mind.
(As a side note, I used to work at Publix as a cashier about 10 years ago, and you’d be surprised the number of freaks who shop there and cause problems for employees. I had one woman who wouldn’t let me touch her groceries to scan them. So every time she’d come in she would lean around my register and try to scan her own groceries. I felt like yelling, “Hey, if you want to hold up the line and scan your own groceries, go to Winn Dixie! Anyway, I understand that there are sometimes difficult or weird customers who have quirks, although I wouldn’t count bringing your own bags as being in this category.)
The woman in front of me buys two carts of groceries to the tune of more than $300. The cashier and bagger move quickly to bag all of her items in about 50 plastic bags. The bagger, obviously, has to help the woman get these groceries to her car because the woman has two completely full carts. I’m up next. I put my new green bags in the bagging area. I am buying about 25 items. No baggers come to help. The cashier doesn’t even help. I swipe my debit card and begin bagging. All of my items are scanned and the receipt has printed. I am still bagging, and the cashier is just standing there. My Green Bags are right in front of her, yet she doesn’t move to help. There are two people in line behind me who are getting antsy, but the cashier just continues to stand there, staring at me and looking helpless. As I finally take away my last bag she looks relieved that I’m gone.
This experience was not necessarily a bad one, but I think Publix seriously needs to train its employees on how to handle people bringing their own bags. Yes, there will always be freaks who want to bag their own and who have other weird quirks, but some training could sort out the freaks from the normal shoppers. I can’t tell you how much I would have appreciated it if the cashier had asked, “May I help you bag your groceries?” I am thinking about writing a suggestion to Publix that they try to train their employees on this issue.
Later today I was pleasantly surprised when I stopped by Whole Foods. The woman in line in front of me was using her own reusable bags. Shockingly, the cashier was ready for this and helped bag. Then I came through with my Green Bags. I didn’t even have to ask her to help me bag. I was delighted. As I looked up I noticed a sign that says Whole Foods no longer offers plastic bags. You either have to bring your own bags (and get a $.10 discount per bag), or they will give you 100% recycled paper bags. The cashier told me the policy has been in effect for about a week and has been going great. I was so pleased by this experience. Unfortunately, it looks like it might take non-green retailers like Publix a very long time to catch up.
April 8th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Hmmm..I had no idea people brought there own bags to grocery stores now-a-days although I did notice how some retailers are trying to charge you per bag (Ikea for example). Are people this anal about charging people for bags now or…should we look at this from a Greener Planet perspective?.