hmmm...
What you have to understand, in New York we have a supermarket bag recycling law. You will never hear a cashier ask you "Paper or plastic?" Shoppers are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags. If you don't bring a bag, the store will be very happy to sell you a paper bag at a cost of $.05. You will never be offered a plastic bag.
So I was in the supermarket parking lot the other day. I saw a young woman come out of the store with her arms full of groceries. Clearly she had forgotten to bring a bag and declined to pay for one. She walked to her car and reached into her purse to find her keys...and dropped half of the groceries.
Including a large clamshell container filled with what looked like a very expensive salad.
The container popped open and most of the salad spilled out, onto the asphalt. She lost an expensive salad because she didn't want to pay a nickel for a bag.
She put the rest of the groceries in the car, then picked up the salad container and her receipt, and headed back into the store.
I'm guessing she planned to complain about the container and ask for a replacement salad. I'm sure the store will accept responsibility and replace the salad.
But should they?
I'm sure they will take the loss, just to keep a customer. Should they? In these days, sadly, I would say "yes". First, inside, they wouldn't have witnessed what happened. But, more realistically: the smallest things can quickly escalate into something where the employee or other shoppers could get hurt. People are so on edge right now.
ReplyDeleteI would never have the nerve to do something like that if it was my fault. They probably did replace the salad, but I don't think they should.
ReplyDeleteWhen the bag law first went into effect in my city (so this was like 10 years ago), I was putting my groceries into my car next to a woman who was doing the same. I had bags. She was putting her individual items in piece by piece, complaining the whole time about the bag law. And bitching that she could have gone to the next city over (with no bag ordinance at that time) for her groceries.
ReplyDeletePeople are weird. I could totally see this woman going back into the store for such a refund.
Here they don't ask that.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe
Oregon had just passed a plastic bag ban when the pandemic hit, and they put it on hold. I think it still is. The grocery stores have paper for 5 cents, and Walmart had those and heavy plastic that last a long time, now they have their cheap-o plastic. I was just getting used to re-usable tote bags, so I have a bunch in my car and use those.
ReplyDeleteThe store will give her another salad, and later talk about her! I worked retail, so know they want to keep a customer happy (for the small price of a salad) and employees get a lot of lunchroom talk about things like that!