Yesterday I was in my local grocery store and talking with the owner in there. We got into the discussion regarding reusable grocery bags. Anyhow, I am 36 and he is about 32. He being in the grocery business I thought for sure he would be all for the whole idea of people bringing their own bags to the store every time they come in. Well as the conversation played out I let him know some of the startling facts about the USA and plastic bags in general. Things like the fact that in 1999 we cut down 14 million trees to produce 10 billion paper grocery bags. That in itself ought to get anyone talking right? Well no, actually he took that remark in one ear and out the other. Next i reminded him that Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food every year. He then looked at me and said "what do these bags cost?" I let him know that they were priced anywhere from $1-$50 dollars depending on what kind of bag you buy. There are less priced Polypropylene bags (about $1) and the ever popular ones like Anya Hindmarch's, "im not a plastic bag" which i personally have seen selling in the $50 range on ebay! Anyhow, back to the discussion here. He then said, "Well if my cost is about $1 and I sell them for $1 what is the benefit to my store?" I then was pretty shocked by the whole comment, but being the salesman I am I retorted with the following comments.
1) Selling a reusable bag actually shows your community that you actually care about the planet and the environment in general!
2) Selling a reusable bag typically comes with a 1 to 3 color logo. People come into your store with it and when they leave you get free advertising for as long as that bag lasts (typically 2 years plus).
3) You offer a .05 cent price break any time someone brings the bag into your store and from that day on you build customer loyalty!
The list can go on and on.
So I ended up talking him into the idea and he is looking to see some samples now. Other that that though my question goes back to this one.
What generation is going to step up and really actually get off their butts and really do this...FOR REAL?!?!
I have spoke about it with my father and he is completely clueless (as many baby boomers are) when it comes to anything that helps the environment. He thinks I am wasting my time on this fruitless crusade?
Do you?
I would like to hear any and all thoughts on this subject. Please comment and let me hear your voice?
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Comments: 4
I think a lot of people feel it's a hassle to have to remember your bags every single time - but even if you remember them 1/4 of the time, you're still saving 1/4 more resources then you would normally consume.