No Bag, Please
I was at Macy’s Department Store recently to buy a suit jacket for my 10-year old son. His school goes to the opera every year and the children like to dress up for this special field trip. Because he has two younger brothers and they will ultimately go to the opera as well, it seemed like a reasonable purchase. As is often the case, I had all four of my children with me at the store. It was a school night and we were pressed for time so in my distraction I forgot to bring a bag with me. I always bring them to the grocery store and other shops but I simply forgot this time. It now kills me to accept a plastic bag from a store. So when I paid for the jacket I asked the saleswoman if I could carry the jacket out of the store without a bag. She hesitated and said she thought it was store policy; someone might think I was stealing. I explained that I really didn’t want a plastic bag (cloth bags were hanging right next to the register but she didn’t mention that option). I told her I would carry the receipt prominently on top and be prepared to be questioned. This took her a few minutes to think about it but she finally agreed I could carry the jacket home without a bag. I felt victorious! No one stopped us; we made it to the car; I was very grateful to have won that small battle.
My mom, Chris Shea, told me she was at Petco on Saturday and the salesclerk simply wrapped the receipt around my Mom’s purchase and handed it to her with a smile. No bag was even offered - this is a first to my knowledge.
Given that most plastic bags mysteriously disappear to other countries after they are put in recycling bins - no one is really sure what happens to them - it’s great to hear about merchants and customers that are helping to reduce the number of bags out there. If you have any similar bag stories from stores you want to publicly praise, please share them with us!