I’ve been reading about the California Assembly passing legislation prohibiting pharmacies and grocery, liquor and convenience stores from giving out plastic bags. My first thought was how many freaking bags a Wal-mart cashier requires to pack-up $100 worth of items. My second thought took me back to those good ole’ days when my family operated a grocery store in the burg.
We used paper sacks at McKain’s Market, (heck, my brother and I knew bag sizes by their pound numbers before 1st grade), but I still have to wonder what my Dad would’ve done if he were living and operating a grocery store in California today. When Edna bought cat food because she couldn’t afford to buy lunchmeat to eat, would he have taken her nickel for a sack to carry it home in? When Henry came at his regular time on Saturday with only a minimal amount of money to buy groceries for a very large family, would Dad have taken one penny from him that could’ve been applied toward the purchase of another loaf of bread or gallon of milk?
Is there anyone left that cares about the Edna’s and Henry’s in this world anymore? Or have we simply replaced knowing who our customers REALLY are?