Reading material: About Paper Cups

[OakLeaf]

Do you have to argue with the cashiers/baggers about your shopping bags? They're getting better about it in the last 6 months or so, now that all the stores are selling shopping bags. But it used to be a real struggle, still is sometimes. Everything has to go in a plastic bag. Sometimes they would pull out a bag and then throw it away when I didn't want it

[Jolt]

Do you have to argue with the cashiers/baggers about your shopping bags? They're getting better about it in the last 6 months or so, now that all the stores are selling shopping bags. But it used to be a real struggle, still is sometimes. Everything has to go in a plastic bag. Sometimes they would pull out a bag and then throw it away when I didn't want it

Yeah, I've had that kind of stuff happen on a number of occasions--tell them I brought my own bags, put them on the counter, and then they still proceed to stick things in plastic bags and I have to stop them! The lady at Walgreens today did it, as a matter of fact, and I had to remind her. I think part of it is that it's just such a habit for them to use the plastic bags so it throws them a bit when someone does the BYOB thing. As more people start doing it, that should get better.

[mimitabby]

Yeah, I've had that kind of stuff happen on a number of occasions--tell them I brought my own bags, put them on the counter, and then they still proceed to stick things in plastic bags and I have to stop them! The lady at Walgreens today did it, as a matter of fact, and I had to remind her. I think part of it is that it's just such a habit for them to use the plastic bags so it throws them a bit when someone does the BYOB thing. As more people start doing it, that should get better.

or they'll put 2 items in one bag and a 3rd in another, and there I am emptying the one bag and trying to hand it back.
Or "I DON'T NEED A BAG" and gather up my stuff in my hands. THAT gets some looks.
Yes, I dump my new cloth bags right where they can see them and often they still use their plastic. and i have to undo it, but I think they're getting better.

[VeloVT]

my bags are honking BIG, so they don't miss or ignore them. However, I do sometime get people putting say, a stick of deodorant in its own plastic bag, and putting that in my cloth bag. Presumably because the (normal solid antiperspirant) deodorant might spill?

Today I had some deli cheese and deli turkey. Each was wrapped in wax paper and then placed in a ziplock bag. The bagger put them in a plastic bag to put in my cloth bag. There was no way either of them was going to leak, but the bagger was a frail 85-year old man and I didn't have the heart to challenge him.

[kat_h]

Two years ago I would have been jumping right in with the bagger stories but the staff at the Safeway I shop at have really improved. Maybe they just recognise me. They don't even offer me plastic bags for meat anymore.

On the topic of the cups - I don't like drinking out of paper or styro cups. I'm not a coffee drinker so that's not a huge temptation anyway, but I do take reusable 7-11 cups back for Slurpees. I don't think our society will stop using disposable cups any time soon, but in the mean time I'd like to see cups that aren't dyed. Granted we'd still be logging trees and filling landfills, but reducing the inks would at least be a start.

[bmccasland]

I think there's some regulation about non-food items have to be separate from food items. Last week Whole Foods even put my soap, shampoo and conditioner in a plastic bag before they that in my cloth bags. At my local grocery (Winn Dixie), I often wind up bagging my own groceries, and I stuff it all together. If they actually have extra people and bag my groceries for me, I've chastised them for one or two items per plastic bag. Generally I'll stop by the plastic bag recycle bin and rebag my groceries. I've got to get in the habit to take my cloth bags again to Winn Dixie.

[OakLeaf]

I've got to get in the habit to take my cloth bags again to Winn Dixie.

As soon as I unpack a grocery bag, it goes on the front doorknob. That way the next time I head out the door, the bag goes with me to the car. Otherwise I'll forget it. On the bike, either I already have my backpack, or I just re-load my shopping cart without bags to carry my purchases out to the panniers. And I usually bring more than one bag in anyway, so if they want to pack non-food items separately, that's okay. (Usually I prefer to bag my own even if there is a bagger, just because they have no idea of how to pack bags any more and wind up putting lettuce on the bottom and big bags of rice on top!)

I also prefer the self-checkout if there is one, which is good in that you always get to bag your own groceries, but bad in that if you want to set your bags on the carousel and bag as you buy, you have to alert the attendant ahead of time to zero out the weight.

I'm not the best about bringing my shopping bags into non-food stores, but I'm getting better about it

Sorry for the thread hijack - it just isn't that often I patronize places that even use non-reusable beverage containers. Buying Gatorade at a convenient store on bike rides is about it. And yes I know I should carry premix