Tantrum over bag tax

[Lace Neil Singer]

For the benefit of those who don't know about the recent law making it so everywhere charges 5p for a bag... read here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34346309

Anyways, I was waiting in a line to pay for my shopping when the man in front started bitching up a storm cuz the cashier charged him 50p for the ten bags he'd just used to pack his shopping in. He was screaming that he'd never come back to the supermarket if they carried on charging such an extortionate (?) amount for bags. That's when my inner smartarse appeared and I said, "Um, it's the law. Everywhere's gonna charge for bags so you'll starve to death."

He glared at me, grabbed his trolley and stomped out. Well, there's one way to make sure you never pay for bags... bring your own!

[notalwaysright]

*hug* People are fairly used it here, but we still get the snarky remarks... Here the thin plastic bags are banned, it's paper only with some exceptions. Of course, it's not a law in the whole country, just some cities and California. I'll hear people complaining about how one town over they can get their precious plastic bags. Jeez, it's not the store's idea people!

[Lace Neil Singer]

Plus, those crappy plastic bags used to tear like nobody's business and to pack anything heavier than a loaf of bread, you needed to double up. That's why I always take big shoppers whenever I go to the supermarket.

There was also an incident where a woman dropped eight bottles of wine in the car park; she was too stingy to pay for a bag so tried to carry the bottles to her car in her arms; she dropped them when attempting to open the car door.

[bainsidhe]

Well on the plus side, those greedy customers that always snag a stack of bags (without asking!!) to line their trashcans and to clean up after their pet, will now have to pay for them.

[flyonthewall]

WHAAAA WHAAAAA. Ebil government is makin me pay a teeny tiny amount in a effort to save our planet from downing in plastic bags. WHAAA WHAAAAA. I'ma call my member of parliament right now and screaming until I'm horse! You hurt my feelings! I'm telling my mummy!

[LoTech]

My picture is out there on a web page holding the reusable shopping bag from a environmental giveaway at a fair.
But I somehow still never remember to bring them anywhere but the grocery store. Not even to the dollar store, where the plastic bags are virtually worthless.
Old habits are hard to break.

[RealUnimportant]

I saw something similar earlier in a charity shop; the dumbass in question wanted his purchase discounted to negate the price of the bag & just would not accept no for an answer. Sigh...

[Monterey Jack]

Anyone who can't afford a nickel for a damn plastic bag is a cheapskate of the highest order. I dread the day when they start charging for plastic bags in my state.

[bhskittykatt]

Here plastic bags are banned and you have to pay 5-cents for paper. I usually remember at the grocery store but other retail stores I forget (I try to keep a spare in my purse, but if I use it I tend to forget to replace it). Whatever, it's 5 cents. It's pretty sorry to whine about 5 cents at checkout when most people wouldn't even take the effort to pick up a nickel off the ground.

[Monterey Jack]

It's pretty sorry to whine about 5 cents at checkout when most people wouldn't even take the effort to pick up a nickel off the ground.

^ This, so much...it baffles me when I see so much change scattered around in parking lots...not just pennies, but plenty of nickels, dimes, even quarters. How does change fall out of your pocket in the parking lot? I mean, I understand it happening when you're paying for your purchase at the counter...pull out a handful of change, lose a few coins on the floor. But unless everyone is constantly engaging in strenuous pocket pool at all times, it confuses me how much random change I find in parking lots and on sidewalks. Just today I found a nickel and a dime in the lot at work. Is it fashionable to walk around in pants with intentional holes in the pockets?

[Golden Phoenix]

Is it fashionable to walk around in pants with intentional holes in the pockets?

When I was back in high school it was "fashionable" for a few months to throw your small change (1p, 2p and sometimes 5p) on the floor as "annoying" or "not worth it".

I think the idea was to show that you had more money than other people and could afford to just dismiss a handful of cash and throw it on the ground.

I thought it was sheer lunacy and waited until they left and collected it myself. I put it into a jar at home, by the end of term i treated myself to a new DVD with what i'd collected.

[Blue Ginger]

I thought I was the only one that used to collect the 1 & 2p's that were always lying around the office and lunch area.
After 2 years in London, I had almost £120 worth. Paid for my excess luggage on the way home.

[RealUnimportant]

Back to the bags, I just witnessed the same sorry sequence repeated 3 or 4 times...

SC #1: Why are there no bags at this SCO?
Cashier: Because of the new charge, we have had to remove them to prevent people grabbing handfuls & running off. (SCO at this store is right by the doorway.)
SC #1: But I need one! Blargle!
Cashier: *hands over a bag* Just remember to enter how many bags you've used at the end.

SC #2: Help! I can't get this machine to let me pay!
*SCO is asking how many bags were used*
Cashier: Just tell it how many new bags you used so it can work out the charge.
SC #2: But I didn't use any! Blargle!
Cashier: Then tell it that.
SC #2: *smug or confused look* How, there's no button for None!
Cashier: *losing the will to live look* Zero is a number.
SC #2: *as stunned as the Romans when they first heard about the same concept*

Go back to SC #1, and start over.

After seeing this play out twice, just in the time elapsed since I joined the queue, it was time for a bonus round!

SC #3: Hi, I don't need any myself, but I just wanted you to know your SCO has run out of bags.
Cashier: Yes, we know, it's intentional. Thank you.
SC #3: No, you don't understand. I don't need any, I brought my own, but there's no bags at the SCO. It's run out, you see.
Cashier: No it hasn't, we have removed them to prevent theft. But thank you for saying something.
SC #3: Aren't you going to DO something about it?
Cashier: There is nothing to be done, the bags have intentionally been removed...
SC #3: *wanders off in confusion*

[Monterey Jack]

I think the idea was to show that you had more money than other people and could afford to just dismiss a handful of cash and throw it on the ground.

Christ...I've never felt "above" stooping down to pick up a stray coin I find on the sidewalk. A lot of the time, I end up having exact change for whatever I'm buying that day because I always pick up pennies, nickels and dimes I find outside. I won't pick up a coin I find on the floor of a public restroom, but anywhere else? Fair game.

[Aragarthiel]

How does change fall out of your pocket in the parking lot?

If you're like me, you shove your extra change in your pocket to sort through later, and if it happens to be the same pocket as your keys, when you pull them out to unlock the car it's not unusual for the keys to drag a few coins with them.