Do You Want Your Milk in the Bag?
So here I am, posting late again today. But I am posting. And there's nothing earth shattering here. Never is, you say. But today's post is really trivial. So if you would, bear with me, 'cuz I'm going to rant about one of my more recent pet peeves.
I don't know if it's the same all over the United States, but since coming back from Brazil I've encountered a little irksome trend when I go grocery shopping. When the clerks would go to bag the stuff, they would ask if I wanted my gallon of milk in the bag. So usually I'd just say yes, please. No big deal. I mean, I didn't understand the question. Why would I NOT want my milk in a bag? But lately it's gotten worse. Now they don't even ask anymore. They just don't bother to bag the milk. Sometimes, depending on my mood, I just grin and bear it. Well, bear it, at least, without much of a grin. But with single digit temperatures outside right now, (we do the Snoopy Dance if we manage to get above 10 degrees, these days) I do NOT want to be holding on to the very cold handle of a plastic milk bottle. At these temps, gloves don't help a whole lot either. So what's the deal with this? Is it just that way in the liberal area where I live, or is this going on all over the country? And what's the reason behind it? I understood the "paper or plastic" deal. Paper is more environmentally friendly. But it's not like carrying my milk outside the bag is going to save the baby whales or whatever else we need to be worrying about (other than the unborn humans, of course, but that's a whole other issue). Even in warmer months, it's a whole lot easier when you get home to drag in the groceries when EVERYTHING (including milk) is in baggies with handles on them that you can hang over your arms, around you neck if necessary, and grab bunches in your hands.
Just so you don't think I don't care about the environment (if that's even the reason for not bagging the milk...I don't know...I suspect it's that the supermarkets have just gotten cheap and want to use fewer bags), we do our duty for recycling. Most things, anyway. We store all our plastic and glass bottles, and soda cans etc, and when we have enough trash accumulated, we take it to the recycling centers at the grocery stores. And although taking it isn't a big deal, storing trash in an apartment that was made for mice (meaning it's very small) is a big deal. At least for me, because staying organized is a constant struggle. But that, too, is a whole other issue.
All in all, I think I have a right to have my milk in a bag.
Anyone else have this annoying little problem?
I don't know if it's the same all over the United States, but since coming back from Brazil I've encountered a little irksome trend when I go grocery shopping. When the clerks would go to bag the stuff, they would ask if I wanted my gallon of milk in the bag. So usually I'd just say yes, please. No big deal. I mean, I didn't understand the question. Why would I NOT want my milk in a bag? But lately it's gotten worse. Now they don't even ask anymore. They just don't bother to bag the milk. Sometimes, depending on my mood, I just grin and bear it. Well, bear it, at least, without much of a grin. But with single digit temperatures outside right now, (we do the Snoopy Dance if we manage to get above 10 degrees, these days) I do NOT want to be holding on to the very cold handle of a plastic milk bottle. At these temps, gloves don't help a whole lot either. So what's the deal with this? Is it just that way in the liberal area where I live, or is this going on all over the country? And what's the reason behind it? I understood the "paper or plastic" deal. Paper is more environmentally friendly. But it's not like carrying my milk outside the bag is going to save the baby whales or whatever else we need to be worrying about (other than the unborn humans, of course, but that's a whole other issue). Even in warmer months, it's a whole lot easier when you get home to drag in the groceries when EVERYTHING (including milk) is in baggies with handles on them that you can hang over your arms, around you neck if necessary, and grab bunches in your hands.
Just so you don't think I don't care about the environment (if that's even the reason for not bagging the milk...I don't know...I suspect it's that the supermarkets have just gotten cheap and want to use fewer bags), we do our duty for recycling. Most things, anyway. We store all our plastic and glass bottles, and soda cans etc, and when we have enough trash accumulated, we take it to the recycling centers at the grocery stores. And although taking it isn't a big deal, storing trash in an apartment that was made for mice (meaning it's very small) is a big deal. At least for me, because staying organized is a constant struggle. But that, too, is a whole other issue.
All in all, I think I have a right to have my milk in a bag.
Anyone else have this annoying little problem?
Comments
I take care of the problem by bringing canvas bags to the store with me... they can hold A LOT more than the stupid plastic bags, and my store actually gives me money back for using them (only a nickel a bag, but I was going to do it anyway, so it's an added bonus).
Go invest in some cloth bags and you won't have to worry about it anymore :-)