I have issues.
I also have many shopping bags. Maybe 16 of them. They’re all over my condo, my car, in my office. The one below is one of 12 matching ones that each fold up into tiny balls so I can have them in my brief case and in the pockets of my coats all damn winter long. I am conscientious about having them. I do not want to create any more waste than I already do.
I’m happy to do it. But I am not happy to “donate my bag refund” which is what they ask you at Whole Foods when you are checking out and you have been thoughtful enough to bring your own bag. They do not charge people who do not bring their own bags but instead they enjoin the conscientious shopper to “donate” his or her “bag refund” so that Whole Foods gets to bequeath the saved lucre to righteous causes and thereby demonstrate their goodness and donation-ness, when in reality it is their conscientious customers who are doing the donating. While the people who don’t give a rip about waste or, apparently the environment, breeze through the checkout line with free bags, soon to be land fill, and no donations to charity.
They need to start charging people for bags. They wouldn’t even have to say anything, maybe just put up a little sign. Dump the extra $.05 onto the bills of the lazy and shiftless morons who can’t think to bring a stupid bag and then donate the fucking “bag charge” to whatever the hell charity they’re giving to at the moment.
I have explained this to the check-out people at Whole Foods (in a patient, even cordial, voice) and they listen to me with keen interest, or maybe menacing annoyance. But I realize they aren’t going to do anything about it so now I just grimace and say “No thank you” when I am asked. Charity Shmarity.
Shweeoo. Got that off my chest.
