For this one I’ll have to skip the American readers for a bit, as they’re not used to the practice I’ll be outlining in today’s post. (That doesn’t mean you can’t read this post though. Please, go ahead. You might learn a little bit about other countries.)
We’re talking shopping bags today. You know, those plastic (or paper) things you get from the checkout counter to stuff your shopping into, in case your pockets aren’t deep enough. Yeah, those things.
In many countries and particular stores customers take this wonderful invention for granted. Why? Because they’re free, that’s why. You know what? They’re not always free.
Dumbfounded? Allow me to explain. In many countries, especially the United States, customers are not used to paying for plastic bags. You get them free with your shopping from every store, even grocery stores. You go to Walmart, you expect to get that flimsy little plastic bag that’ll probably tear in half if you have to carry it any further than your car.
You’d never pay for a bag like that, would you? No? Good. The bags you have to pay for are a little different.
Let me explain how things work in Finland, as an example. Plastic bags in grocery stores in this winter wonderland cost between 0.10€ and 0.30€. Sound ridiculous? It won’t when you realize that they’re not the crappy flimsy plastic bags you get from Target or such. These bags are larger, stronger, more durable. Better, basically.
Wanna know how strong they are? Studies have apparently proven that Finnish plastic bags are stronger than condoms. Nevertheless, it is not suggested that these plastic bags are to be used as an alternative to condoms, as they are not ribbed for her pleasure. You’d pay for that kind of quality, wouldn’t you?
The practice of paying for these plastic bags is still limited to grocery stores and small chains in Finland. Clothing stores which love to spread their corporate feces everywhere will be more than happy to stuff your pink tanktop into their own bags. Why? Because they have more competition in their field. Specialty stores and supermarkets have significantly less competition, leading to the customer having to spend a few extra pennies for a plastic bag.
What the average consumer should keep in mind is the fact that stores are in the business of making a profit off every single item they sell. That applies to plastic bags too. Just like that industry-sized tub of lard, or the case of local beer which you’ve thrown into the pits of shopping cart. They’re not free to manufacture, after all. That being said, most stores could afford to hand them out for free with your purchase, but choose not to.
Now that you’re a little more aware of this practice, be sure to read tomorrow’s post, Shopping Bags Part 2/2: The Proper Procedure With Plastic Bags.
Part 2 will not only deal with situations when a customer has to pay for shopping bags, but also how to deal with free ones at the store, true to the theme of this blog.
If you have a story relating to this post, from either side of the counter, let’s hear it!
The customer is NOT always right. If you agree with this, or wish to know what to do and not do as a consumer, please subscribe to this blog’s updates by the way of the RSS feed or email subscriptions. Thank you for shopping at the Consumer Etiquette Guide, now go and make someone have a nice day at work!
