I read an opinion piece ^[1] in the Seattle Times by Jerry Large that perfectly demonstrates the unwillingness of the average person to learn new ways of every day behavior. Here are the key points and my suggestions/opinions for his “argument”.

In the case of Seattle’s effort to get rid of disposable paper and plastic grocery bags, there are many, one of which is that dog owners may have to pay for the plastic they use to scoop up what their pets are returning to nature.

There are now biodegradable pet waste bags that likely will not be taxed.

As customers try to stuff more into fewer bags, his members have to lift heavier loads. And if some shoppers bring unsanitary bags with them, clerks will have to touch them.

Clerks touch grocery carts, baskets, door handles, and other unsanitary items at the grocery stores all day long. Perhaps they should have hand sanitizer at their stations?

Worse, I show up at PCC with Safeway bags in the trunk. Carrying a PCC bag into Safeway is no biggie, but the other way around is socially embarrassing. Someone might think I buy white bread and produce that isn’t organic.

“Oh no! Someone might think that I’m too low on the socioeconomic ladder to shop at PCC based on brand name of the reusable bag that I am using!” No one cares what the brand name of your bag is, as long as you use one.

There’s a Whole Foods near work. I’d sometimes pick up lunch there, so I bought one of their reusable bags, but I always leave the office without it, which means I can’t buy lunch at Whole Foods.

If you’re buying so much at one time for lunch that you can’t carry it back to the office (one loooooooong block away from Whole Foods), then something else is likely wrong. There’s no shame in carrying a few items by hand in case you forget your bag. I’ve done it, I see others doing it all the time. Just carry the receipt with you as you leave the store in case a clerk wants to verify that you paid for your purchase. It’s easy.

As quotes in the article: “People will learn how to bring their own bags in the same way we learned to buckle our seat belts and the way we will soon learn to drive without talking on a cellphone.”