One of my pet peeves is the way my groceries are usually bagged at the checkout counter. It doesn’t matter which grocery store or where the store is located, ever since stores started using plastic bags, my groceries have gone to hell in a…well….plastic bag.

When I was a teenager, I worked for The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, aka The A&P. We had to take a half day class on bagging and were supervised our first shift on the floor. We also used paper bags.

The kids today receive no training at all. I know, because I’ve asked.They’re taught the fundimentals of the cash register and that’s it. As for the groceries, take the item out of the cart, scan it, toss it in a plastic sack regardless of what else is in the sack, throw the sack back in the cart, all while chatting with the friend behind them. God forbid I should ask for paper or try to bag my own groceries. I risk a 911 call for creating a disturbance. More than one disinterested checker has received a lecture from me on proper bagging. I know it’s not rocket science, but it does require some thought.

I also know I tend to be a little anal about this, but doggonit, they’re MY groceries. Since I do most of the cooking, I do most of the shopping. I like to shop, and I like things fresh, so I go to the store 4 or 5 times a week. And I want things packed a certain way. Is it unreasonable to expect the meats to be packed separately, or the vegetables together? I’ve had eggs placed on top of bread, a six pack of coke on top of a pie, canned goods in with the veggies, and the thing that really makes me nuts, raw chicken in with lettuce. I also end up with a gazzillion plastic bags. I have enough “bathroom trash liners” in the broom closet to last until 2050.

The last impression of a grocery store is the one I take with me. And that impression is made by the checker/bagger. Store managers hear me out! I’m tired of leaving your store PISSED OFF! GIVE THESE EMPLOYEES SOME TRAINING!

Ok. I feel better now. In an effort to go a little greener and cut down on the number of plastic bags in the broom closet, most of which will probably end up in the landfill because the store where I do most of my shopping does not recycle plastic bags, I went to Wally-World yesterday and purchased a couple of these:

They were $3 on sale, marked down from $5. I know it’s a beach tote, and it was made in China, one of the world’s biggest polluters, and the instructions say Do Not Wash, which means the icky puce color will run faster than Usain Bolt, but it will get the job done. And at least the checkers who know my proclivities (Oh, no….not THAT guy again) will be able to see me coming from further away and have more time to close up and go on break.