Bag Shaming Has to Stop.
It takes time to shape new behaviors
Yesterday, I was “bag shamed” as a result of the new law in the state of Oregon that went into effect January 1, 2020. Bags are no longer provided to retail customers when they check out. This new law is called the Single-Use Bag Law (HB 2509) and it was passed in the 2019 Oregon Legislative session.
The law prohibits retail stores and restaurants from providing single-use checkout bags to customers and places restrictions on other checkout bags they may provide such as reusable or recycled paper checkout bags. In certain cases, the store must charge for them: five cents per bag.
Oregon has made this move in order to reduce the number of bags that are used once and thrown out, while addressing a significant problem: plastic bags. Plastic bags have been an issue for the recycling program and even endanger the safety of workers who must untangle them from recycling equipment. Eliminating plastic bags is a step in the right direction in addressing the large amounts of plastic debris in the oceans. I get it.
I am FOR this law. This is a good thing.
However, the “shaming” that is happening inside retail stores needs to stop. For some reason, I have noticed it more with grocery stores. I went to my local, large, grocery store yesterday and had a shopping cart filled with groceries for my family when I pulled into Aisle 6 checkout. My bill totaled over $200. I didn’t count items, but I had over 50 easily.
THE DRAMA: I FORGOT MY BAGS
I remember to bring my reusable bags into the store about half the time. That’s 50% better than I used to be, so I’m learning. But it is NOT a habit yet. And I’m ok with paying 5 cents per PAPER bag if I forget my reusable bags. Every time I have to pay for a bag, it provides “training” for my brain to develop that particular neural pathway. By the way, I have been grocery shopping for over thirty years, and up until twenty-nine days ago, I was always offered a bag for my groceries without paying for one. That is a significant amount of past training to overcome.
My point is that changing behavior takes time, and it is not something we will get right every time while LEARNING to change. I am committed to this change, but I am human, and I forget, or I am busy and get distracted. I will not remember my reusable bags every single time, at least not until this new memory “muscle” is built.
THE PROBLEM: SHAMING THE CUSTOMER
What I find not helpful in learning my new behavior is the SHAMING that is happening in retail, again, for some reason, I notice it with the grocery store. Here is the conversation I had yesterday with the woman at Aisle 6 checkout. I call her the Shamer.
Shamer: “Did you bring your bags with you?”
Me: “No, I’m sorry, I forgot them this time.”
Shamer: “You know we can’t give you bags.”
Me: “Yes, but you can charge me for paper bags, right?”
Shamer (she actually glared at me): “Are you sure you need bags at all?”
Me (laughing thinking this was a joke, I had over 50 items!): “Uh, no, I don’t think I can carry all of this in my arms.”
Shamer (dead pan expression): “Well, you could just put it all back in the cart and wheel it to your car.”
Me: “You mean you think I should carry each grocery item out to my car, load them all individually into the trunk, and then when I get home take each item into my house?”
Shamer: “Yes.”
Me: “Just give me the bags.”
Shamer: “You know they cost right?”
Me: “Yes, please charge me. No, wait, I change my mind, just put it all in the cart and I will deal with it when I get home.”
Shamer: “You should have brought your bags.”
Have you had this happen to you? Even if you don’t live in a state with a similar law, you may have had this experience with someone in retail. This woman was shaming me for not remembering to bring my bags. And her brazen suggestion that I carry each item out to my car for loading was [almost] funny. Not the best customer service experience I’ve ever had.
I want to do my part and protect the environment. I am trying, but this habit of taking my bags to the store has been very hard to learn, and I am not doing it consistently yet. It will become second nature, but only with a lot more practice.
PLEASE STOP THE SHAMING
In the meantime, I would implore the owners and managers of retail stores, especially the grocery stores to please train your checkout personnel to demonstrate some empathy for those of us who are “in training” to remember our reusable bags EVERY SINGLE TIME we shop at your store.
If you believe that “shaming” will get us to change our behaviors, you are right, it will. But it won’t be the change you desire, because the change you will see us make is shopping somewhere other than your store. I have been to some great retail stores who show kindness by offering a cardboard box for my groceries when I forget the bags or give me a store branded reusable bag for free. Or, simply without the attitude, let me know there will be a charge. Until I master this, I will happily pay the surcharge for my learning curve. This can be a “win” for everyone, but please, let’s stop the bag shaming.
