paper or plastic...

So, I finally made it to the store yesterday (the grocery store for those who might require clarification). And since it had been awhile since I was last there, I dropped a nice chunk-o-change. Again, I was reminded of how frustrated I am with Kroger for rearranging their stores to compete with HEB and the likes. There was no improvement, just longer aisles and less logic as to the location of items. The longer aisles is particularly maddening because it's just that much longer until you can get away from the (other) annoying patrons. And I HATE smelling baby diapers whilst trying to select my cereals.

Now, as I pull up to the check-out lane, I am amused by the overfilled basket of groceries I am struggling to push and the fact that there are only two people who reside in our house. How do we go through all this food?

Pretending to be a typical patron, I position myself behind the counter to watch my selections make their way down the conveyor belt toward the sacker. This is where I begin to get very anxious for a number of reasons.

First, the sacker neglects to ask if I want paper or plastic. This is always a debate for me. I don't like plastic bags (Target bags, however, are the reusable). They allow everything to roll around in the back seat or trunk or cargo area and by the time you get home, you have to re-sack everything. And there are always fifty million of them so that you have to carry five in each hand, which proceeds to cut off the blood flow to your fingers. Then there's the dilemma of what to do with them after you've put everything away. I have recently taken to sneaking them into the Walmart plastic grocery bag recycling bin ("sneaking" because I do not shop at Walmart) because I cannot find a recycling center in Houston that will take them. Plus, I can't help but feel like it's wrong to use so many petroleum based products when gas is so expensive.
And there are so many things going for paper bags. You can fit more in them, they don't slide around, and I can use them to store the recycling products that I take to the recycling center where they can then be recycled.

So, as the sacker has started putting my groceries in said plastic bags, I choose not to protest hoping for the best. But the little voice at the back of my head (who really needs to learn to speak up), is screaming at me, "You know this is not gong to work out for the best!" I hate it when she's right.

My second issue with my grocery store outings is that the sackers these days don't know how to sack anything properly. The problem is that I used to work at grocery store. I've been on that side of the register and IT'S NOT THAT HARD!! Please separate cold items from dry goods. Please put more than two items in a bag - which just adds to the fifty-million-plastic-bags woes. And please don't put my bananas or bread or tomatoes at the bottom of the bag! I sat and watched the disaster happen for about 30 seconds before I was on the other side of the counter "helping" sack groceries.

What else can one do in that situation? If I had more gumption, I'd shoo off the sacker and do the job myself. But I don't spend that much money to have to do everything myself. And as sure as I do, another one will show up to help.