On July 4, 2009, First Alternative Co-op will begin charging 5¢ for every new paper bag used at our checkout registers. This charge is an environmental initiative meant to lessen our dependence on disposable bags and encourage the use of reusable shopping bags. A survey conducted among our customers earlier this year showed overwhelming support for a bag charge.
• An owner survey will determine how the Co-op uses the proceeds from the bag charge.
• Our Beans for Bags program will not change, and customers will still receive one bean for every bag reused at checkout.
• Only the paper handled bags at the registers will be charged for, not the smaller paper bags used for produce and bulk items.
I have been using one of the Blue Co-op Bags for a couple months now. It’s even made from recycled plastic!
I tend to forget my co-op bag, or more likely, decide to stop at the store on the fly…. and I don’t see the 5-cent charge changing that habit, both because it’s so small in comparison to the cost of food there and because I support it. Is this odd?
Odd … no. [stifles impulse to reply, “It’s not odder than you are, Dennis”]
I also tend to stop at the Co-op unexpectedly, sans cloth bags, and the bag charge is just a tiny little incentive to KEEP A CLOTH BAG IN THE DAMN CAR – something I should do all the time anyway, not just for shopping at the Co-op.
So … good luck!
MIchelle – that would be the obvious solution. I’m trying to be a little creative here, OK?