Recently, I made my regular shopping trip to West Plains Walmart. I noticed, however, a shocking change at the produce section: no more free clear bags are provided for itemized fruit and vegetables. Yes, you read that correctly! For my handpicked oranges, tomatoes, or peppers, I could not use individual bags. These items went into the same cart as my meat. What’s going on?
Here’s What Happened
When I went to Walmart to select my plum tomatoes, I noticed that the bag rollers were all empty. Upon noticing this, I asked an associate to re-fill them. Her response stunned me: “We no longer offer them.” What was she expecting of me then? Is it to chuck my fresh fruit and vegetables into the same grocery cart as my meat? The same cart where dirty toddlers sat? The same cart with ant poisons? Fresh greens alongside fresh plants spilling dirt?
Why
Surely she’s joking. But she’s not. The bags are gone. The move is aimed at becoming more environmentally friendly. Environmentalists claim that we can reduce 345 million pounds of single use bags in a single year [1]. But how many people will get ill? Getting us sick with salmonella? How many people really wash out their reusable bags after every single use?Is that the way our country is heading?
Other Solutions
One elderly person helped himself to other bags from the self-service cash registers. Clever. Personally, I do not plan on shopping there for any perishable item in the near future. Nearby, I can spend my money at Aldi, Harps, or Ramey’s. They take money and all use individual bags for produce or other shopping needs.
Notes:
- ^https://www.eatthis.com/news-wegmans-walmart-plastic-bags/ (go back ↩)
