Hey folks...ok...so I do not usually do 'rant' posts and I'm sure by rant standards this will be mild...but I just had to.
I am not what one would call a 'tree hugger' or huge Earth Day fanatic. I believe in taking care of what God gave us and respecting it just as we'd respect anything we have the blessing to be in possession of. For me, many of my 'green' life decisions also happen because they are economical and I will be green as long as my pocketbook allows. I'm not strapping myself to trees a la Lisa Simpson but I will do my very best to leave the lightest carbon footprint around.
As I've said for some time, I was Green before Green was cool...back then it was called being Poor! (Like that? Feel free to purchase it in my
Cafepress shop!
So, I headed off to a local ahem, grocery store today for my weekly shopping. I was inspired by
Walkinthewoods to bring my reusable grocery bags which I've had for some time but had always seemed to forget! So I threw my bags in the car and off I went, toddler in tow.
I had my usual buggy full of groceries...and put my bags on the groceries so the cashier would realize I was using them. Mind you, two of them are HUGE sturdy ones that basically stand up on their own, they don't flop over, and one was a smaller one.
Remember, it's Earth Day.
She ACTUALLY calls another cashier OVER to bag for her! To HELP her bag! She asks this, loudly, in between shooting me dirty looks. I, normally a pleasant person (
ok, MOST of the time...) was not taking this nicely. I wasn't ugly or anything but I said, "Really, it's NOT a big deal, I will bag my OWN groceries. It's NOT THAT HARD." She never really responded to me and got her friend to come over. The friend basically said I'm not helping you bag..and proceeded to play with my baby (to make a point to her friend who was lazy or what I know not.)
So I ended up bagging my own groceries (no big deal but NOT my job...that's what THEY get paid to do.) and the cashier barely
communicated with me other than the dirty looks. I was trying to casually explain how much more I can fit in the big reusable bags and what not. Nope, nothing. Just ticked off that I dared to bring in bags and not use their plastic bags!
Okay, so I realize it is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it was really bad
mojo on Earth Day of all days!! I know that where I live, they are WAY behind on
eco-friendly, modern, or new ideas. However, if one thinks about it, LOTS of green ideas have been around for a
LOOOONG time...reusable bags, handmade soaps, laundry detergents, etc. These are not new ideas! So I hope one day that cashier realizes that A) it is not evil or an
inconvenience for your customers to use reusable bags B) that how you treat your customers reflects a lot..I will never go in her line again C) do good and good will come to you....be ugly to people and you will get ugly back!
Okay, rant over, I told you it was mild, I just thought it was ludicrous to whine over using reusable bags...
Oye.
HAPPY EARTH DAY everyone!! :)
