Green Bags/Recycling: Dealing with Rude Cashiers/Stores

[Leasmom]

Has anyone had a problem when trying to either use their green bags or to recycle something?

I just went to Walmart quite aware of walmart having their own canvas bags, I of course brought my own and had the rudest person on earth bag my groceries. She smacked her lips, rolled her eyes and slammed our food into the bags, shaking her head like it was such a hassle to put it into our green bags vs. the plastic...it's still putting it into a BAG! And I even told my daughter Lea, look see this is Walmart's version...pointing to theirs. She was so rude I almost asked for the manager until I noticed her badge...she WAS the manager! Ugh, I nearly said something but I didn't. It was just ridiculous that she would act like that.

Has anyone else had this???

[eggplant]

I've had people start putting my stuff in plastic bags even though I've told them I had my own bags and they're sitting right there, but after I remind them that I have my own bags I've never had anyone be rude to me about it. I just figure they're so used to using the store's plastic bags that they're just operating on automatic.

[Amy SF]

Fortunately, no. The worst thing to have happen when I bring in my own bags is that the checker/bagger grabs the plastic bags and starts bagging my stuff without checking to see if I've brought my own in. Considering that more and more people are using their own bags, I think it should be store policy everywhere, regardless of the store or company.

But I will say this: Even Wal-Mart store managers have supervisors. Perhaps you should send a letter, either by snail mail or email, to company headquarters detailing your encounter with a rude employee. I don't know if they'll do anything, but at least they'll have a record of it.

[rainforests1]

I don't go to Wal Mart, and I don't recall having problems with other stores either.

[Animosity]

My Mom refuses to use the 'green bags' for her groceries but I always tell them to use paper since it holds more. I've never had a problem in any health food store or Target when we used one of their 'green bags' (forgot to bring one). The only issue I have is the stores we go to have to be reminded 10 seperate times that you want paper and no you don't want things wraped in plastic and then put in paper. I usually just start doing it myself and eventually they realize, "OH she doesn't want any plastic!" :rolleyes:

[eggplant]

I don't go to Wal Mart, and I don't recall having problems with other stores either.

I don't either. Maybe this is just another reason not to.

[chryssiie718]

I don't go to Wal-Mart either and I wish nobody would! :D I carry Publix re-usable bags into other stores and never had a problem. One time the Winn-Dixie bagger jokingly said, "hey that's not ours." But we laughed about it and I said I shop at both places.

[karenlovessnow]

Thank goodness I've never had the problem you described.

[Wolfie]

I think being rude is one of the job requirements for being in management at Wal-Mart. In the handful of times I've been in Wal-Mart in the last few years, they're just rude. Of course I probably would be too if I worked at Wal-Mart. :p

[Gita]

This week a friend and I looked all over for green bags that did not have a certain store name logo on it. We found some that had some sort of "recycle" language on it, which seems better than store logos. I bring my bags all over. I guess crazy bag lady is in now. They are good for carrying lunch in too.

[SupersonicSheep]

I've never even thought about it before actually. When I go shopping I usually have three or four cloth bags that could be from a few different stores. Everyone else seems to be in the same situation though.

The good thing is that I very rarely see anyone buying a plastic bag in the supermarket nowadays. Everyone brings their own bags which is great!

[Bof]

I've never even thought about it before actually. When I go shopping I usually have three or four cloth bags that could be from a few different stores. Everyone else seems to be in the same situation though.

The good thing is that I very rarely see anyone buying a plastic bag in the supermarket nowadays. Everyone brings their own bags which is great!

But you have the advantage of living in a country that's imposed a tax on plastic bags.
In Australia they're given away by the million and end up choking marine animals in the tens of thousands annually. :(

[SupersonicSheep]

But you have the advantage of living in a country that's imposed a tax on plastic bags.
In Australia they're given away by the million and end up choking marine animals in the tens of thousands annually. :(

I know. It drives me crazy when I go home to the UK. I bought ONE item in a supermarket the last time I was over there and the guy behind the counter put it in a plastic bag without even asking. I took it out of the bag and handed the bag back to him and said "I'm ok thanks". It's ridiculous the amount of bags that are just handed out whether they are needed or not!

I don't like the fact that you can still buy plastic bags here either. They should just get rid of them completely. I think if you had forgotten to take your bag to the supermarket and you had to buy another cloth bag (which are much more expensive than the plastic bags) then you wouldn't forget to take your bag with you again!

[Tablaqueen]

I know. It drives me crazy when I go home to the UK. I bought ONE item in a supermarket the last time I was over there and the guy behind the counter put it in a plastic bag without even asking. I took it out of the bag and handed the bag back to him and said "I'm ok thanks". It's ridiculous the amount of bags that are just handed out whether they are needed or not!

YEP happens to me all the time too! (I'm in London). Mind you, I used to work on checkout and it does go both ways - you get idiot customers who get annoyed if you ask if they want a bag - they just ASSUME you will just give them one - and who use six million bags with one or two items in each because they don't want to mix the dairy with the fruit, etc...

[Skylark]

This week a friend and I looked all over for green bags that did not have a certain store name logo on it. We found some that had some sort of "recycle" language on it, which seems better than store logos. I bring my bags all over. I guess crazy bag lady is in now. They are good for carrying lunch in too.

I agree that store-neutral bags tend to go over better than a competitor´s bag. Still, there are so many people I´ve encountered who have no idea what to do with a cloth bag.

I miss my cloth bags. :( I left them in the US. I don´t go shopping much here, but when I do, I often miss the cloth bags because the plastic bags cut into my fingers when carrying them to the bus stop, sometimes standing on the bus, and then from the bus stop to where I live.

[wutaweirdo]

I've had a few people look at me funny, but I've never gotten attitude from it.

A tax on plastic bags? Why doesn't the U.S. adopt that?!



YEP happens to me all the time too! (I'm in London). Mind you, I used to work on checkout and it does go both ways - you get idiot customers who get annoyed if you ask if they want a bag - they just ASSUME you will just give them one - and who use six million bags with one or two items in each because they don't want to mix the dairy with the fruit, etc...

Then they shouldn't be buying dairy! :lol:

[denise1021]

This happened to me two days ago. I brought my own bags, and the bagger looked put-off at having to use my bags. The ironic thing is that you can fit more groceries in my bags than in a plastic one, so it's actually easier to bag with mine.

[Shortpotato]

Im considering buying cloth bags, but like someone said, they are usually stamped with a logo. I use paper bags when I can, some stores dont have an option....

[Beachbnny]

I use these ("http://usa.envirosax.com/pages/products.php?icat=1#18) and I Love them!! They're much bigger than they seem and they fold up into themselves and into a little pouch. How cool is that?!

I've gotten some whiney checkout clerks but not many. I never see anyone using anything but plastic here.

[Amy SF]

Im considering buying cloth bags, but like someone said, they are usually stamped with a logo. I use paper bags when I can, some stores dont have an option....

If you have an arts and crafts store near you, you will probably find good, sturdy cotton bags there without anything on them. You can use them as is or decorate them with whatever you want.

Check around on the internet, too.

ETA: Personally, I don't care if mine have logos on them or not. I'm more interested in what's IN them; whether the bagger packed everything properly or not. I went to Trader Joe's yesterday, bought two large bottles of water, and the checker put both in one bag, along with other groceries, making it superheavy. And of course the other two bags had barely anything in them. :rolleyes:

[denise1021]

Yeah, I don't care if mine have a logo. I got these, and they hold a lot:

http://www.reusablebags.com/store/regular-cotton-string-bags-natural-p-878.html

[Chrysalis]

I think being rude is one of the job requirements for being in management at Wal-Mart. In the handful of times I've been in Wal-Mart in the last few years, they're just rude. Of course I probably would be too if I worked at Wal-Mart. :p

When I worked at walmart, one of the supervisors in the personnel office was incredibly rude to the associates including myself. It just floors me that she actually still works there, as she was consistently condescending and rude. My floor supervisor was very nice and so were many of the other associates, thankfully, but I'm so glad to not work there anymore. I hardly even shop there anymore.

I don't think I've had a problem using my cloth bags anywhere. If anything I sometimes come across as rude as I'll forget to hand over my cloth bag, or I'll say I have one and then we BOTH forget to use it and my stuff ends up in plastic bags, from which I just remove my things and put into my cloth bags and leave their crappy plastic ones on the counter. I feel like a bit of a bag snob sometimes haha.

ETA: One time, a cashier said to me "thank you for using cloth bags!!" after bagging all my stuff. It made me happy, and judging by the look on the person's face who was behind me, he felt guilty he needed her to give him plastic bags. I think more cashiers should say that more often. Such a simple but effective method of showing appreciation...and increasing peer pressure :devil:

[kpickell]

I think being rude is one of the job requirements for being in management at Wal-Mart. In the handful of times I've been in Wal-Mart in the last few years, they're just rude. Of course I probably would be too if I worked at Wal-Mart. :pI've never had bad experiences at Wal-Mart.

[Wolfie]

But you've never been to the Wal-Marts in my town, have you? :p

[Tablaqueen]

I've had a few people look at me funny, but I've never gotten attitude from it.

A tax on plastic bags? Why doesn't the U.S. adopt that?!




Then they shouldn't be buying dairy! :lol:

Well the sort of people who use up so many carrier bags tend to be the ones who are also buying steak...:shifty: