Today's visit to Trader Joe's was marked by a thought - why do I keep forgetting to bring a bag to carry my goods instead of using Trader Joe's bags? While Trader Joe's bags are good bags, I've found it very hard to re-use them for anything else.
The idea struck me because Trader Joe's sells a reusable bag for $0.99. Not a bad price if you think about it, but I resisted thinking: "I already have a bunch of bags!"
I used to even use them at the super market. The Hannaford Super Market in Quincy, Massachusetts used to offer $0.05 off per bag you re-used - so of course I was convinced. Then the unfortunate happened - I put the bags under the sink and they got wet, and then got gross.
So now I need to find a replacement bag. I've got a couple of duffel bags that might work... yeah I think I'll try that next time. One reason why I like store bags is because its so obvious you aren't shop lifting. If a customer has a duffel bag full of products, the store manager might think that they are trying to get a "five finger discount". Sure you have the receipt to back up your purchase, but what if you lose or forget it? Maybe I'll hold off on bringing my own bag until radio frequency identification (RFID) chips are available on everything. Not only would you not have to go to the register, it would be incredibly easy to know if a customer leaving the store with a product has paid for it or not. Unfortunately that won't be for some time... maybe the Trader Joe's reusable bag would be a good compromise.
As a side note - shopping bags are also in the news. New York City is considering a tax on shopping bags. There are some other places that do this - Bonaire for example. I think it makes sense, but it could have other problems I'm not aware of.
The idea struck me because Trader Joe's sells a reusable bag for $0.99. Not a bad price if you think about it, but I resisted thinking: "I already have a bunch of bags!"
I used to even use them at the super market. The Hannaford Super Market in Quincy, Massachusetts used to offer $0.05 off per bag you re-used - so of course I was convinced. Then the unfortunate happened - I put the bags under the sink and they got wet, and then got gross.
So now I need to find a replacement bag. I've got a couple of duffel bags that might work... yeah I think I'll try that next time. One reason why I like store bags is because its so obvious you aren't shop lifting. If a customer has a duffel bag full of products, the store manager might think that they are trying to get a "five finger discount". Sure you have the receipt to back up your purchase, but what if you lose or forget it? Maybe I'll hold off on bringing my own bag until radio frequency identification (RFID) chips are available on everything. Not only would you not have to go to the register, it would be incredibly easy to know if a customer leaving the store with a product has paid for it or not. Unfortunately that won't be for some time... maybe the Trader Joe's reusable bag would be a good compromise.
As a side note - shopping bags are also in the news. New York City is considering a tax on shopping bags. There are some other places that do this - Bonaire for example. I think it makes sense, but it could have other problems I'm not aware of.
