LETTER: Local Resident Says Cities That Ban the Bag Lose Her Business
Campbell Patch encourages the Campbell community to share its voice, opinion and thoughts through Letters to the Editor.
In a "Letter to the Editor," Sharon Woolsey offered up her thoughts on the current plastic bag ban in San Jose and the upcoming meeting this Friday to discuss a potentially similar ban in Campbell.
Here is what she had to say:
This ban is annoying in San Jose. After 62 years of shopping it is engrained in my head that I can simply shop and get my purchases in bags. I constantly forget to bring my own and have to carry items individually in San Jose (I have thought of transporting purchases with the store's hand basket and just leaving it in the parking lot where it will get flattened or stolen - costly for vendors).
Yesterday, I had to wait and wait to be rung up while a lady before me was rung up, forgot her bags, and took five minutes to go to her car and get some. Why couldn't they void the purchase, ring me up and make her get back in line. Be prepared before you get in line!!!! This happens constantly.
As far as Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, etc. go, I now boycott San Jose stores and shop in Campbell, etc. because it is easier (difficult to bag your own, put stuff on the counter, pay AND watch the monitor). I figure YOUR cities getting more business because I try not to shop in San Jose anymore. Instead of Luckys at Camden and Union, I go to Safeway at Union and Los Gatos-Almaden Road. Los Gatos wins, San Jose loses business. If you ban I will shop in Saratoga where I work.
Suggestion - offer paper bags and a bigger discount for using/bagging your own and I might reconsider going back to San Jose to shop. I wonder if others are doing the same - see if your sales have increased due to San Jose's idiocy. I use my plastic bags for multiple purposes and do my own recycling.
Upon further thought about this, I notice if there is a ban on bags for groceries, dollar store purchases, etc., how hypocritical that they still SELL plastic bags. A bag is a bag - Whether it's free or paid for, it's still bad for the environment. What's the difference?
Perhaps these business should stop selling plastic trash can liners, zip lock bags, freezer bags, etc. Wouldn't the manufacturers of bags be a bit peeved? California is a big market. This whole idea seems to be a way to recoup businesses' packaging costs from those who forget to bring their own bags (most of the patrons, so far, I notice), and are willing to pay .10 cents per bag.
The stores are certainly being opportunistic and taking advantage of the laws. One has to wonder if they lobbied in favor of that law for that very reason.
Ironically, that's my .10 cents worth. I refuse to pay for a bag, and I will continue to shop in Campbell and Los Gatos as long as the bag law is not in effect there. If/when it DOES go into effect there, I'll go back to the closest, most convenient location, that being San Jose.
Linda Bishop
2:22 pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Well, I completely disagree with the above comments. I have been taking my own bags to the store for 25+ years, long before it was required. Disposable bags are wasteful of natural resources and a recycling nightmare. This is a common practice around the world. Quit being lazy. Put some bags in your car and get over it. If you forget to get them your car, go back and get them. You don't forget your purse do you?
Just Dandy
5:24 pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The level of sanctimony & condescension by those telling their neighbors what to do & how to live, has reached a fevered pitch. Enough of the insults hurled at people who disagree with you & happen to like using plastic bags. If you don't like plastic bags, don't use them, but my private sales transaction at a store is not your business. I don't threaten legislation to force you to conform to my moral code, quit trying to force yours on me. The judging and the preaching is obnoxious.
RSmall
7:57 pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
I, too, have been bringing my own bags and always had the luxury of not worrying if I did leave them in my car. The hardest part for me is trying to figure out how many bags to bring to grocery shop. The second hardest part is remembering which stores you need to bring them to. For example; there is no Target in Campbell. There is one at Westgate and one on Hillsdale, both in San Jose. The city of San Jose should have offered the citizens help in figuring out how many they need for various situations. Or even better, offer a kind of "bag pass" for folks who don't want to bring bags. You pay so much for a monthly or annual pass and bring it with you. Doing away with plastic bags is a good idea, but I think there were missteps in the rollout. I can only hope Campbell and other local cities learn from San Jose's mistakes.
Dawn
7:23 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
At some point someone realized that plastic bags are an absolute HORROR to the environment. If people try to realize that this is a SMALL step to help the environment and perhaps it's bigger than an individual issue maybe they can get on board with it. I personally don't see how everyone is not thrilled with this, but my guess is, there are plenty of folks who just don't care what the end result is, they care how it affects them.