How Can a Local Store Run Out of Grocery Bags?

Sometimes I lay awake at night and wonder what it would be like to live in a world without grocery bags. Those nights are over.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we didn't have plastic grocery bags in the world? My guess is you never had those thoughts.

The truth is, neither have I. Nor have I laid awake at night thinking about such things. However, I did catch a glimpse of that world this past weekend.

I made two trips to the grocery store, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Both times I experiences I have before. There were absolutely no grocery bags to be found anywhere. Not a single one! A sign on the front door acknowledged the fact the store was out of bags and offered an apology, but no explanation.

I was one of the lucky ones, at least on one of my trips. I only had three items to carry, so I didn't need a bag. Had there been bags, I certainly would have used one. To the store's credit, they were doing their best to provide boxes to customers in place of bags.

My second trip wasn't so easy. My hands were full, but, at least I didn't drop the eggs, which I've done before.

This experience made me think about two things.

Perhaps it's time for me to make the switch to reusable grocery bags and reduce my plastic contribution to the Mesa County Landfill. The biggest challenge is remembering to put them back into my vehicle so I have them the next time I shop. That seems like an easy mountain to climb ... but will I?

Having no grocery bags at the store made me think about other things that I take for granted each and every day. For example, that device that we cling so tightly to and depend on so heavily called a smartphone. Can you imagine your life without one? Yes, we could live without one, but we don't want to.

Here's one we all take for granted - until it doesn't start and we're stranded somewhere. We all depend on our car, truck, or SUV each and every day. It sure is nice to walk outside and climb into the car and get wherever you want to go in a timely fashion. Yes, we could get ourselves to a GVT bus stop or call a cab, but, for a lot of us, that would be extremely inconvenient and costly. We could live without a car - plenty of people do - but we don't want to.

It sure is nice to be at the grocery store and have plastic bags provided to carry our groceries. That little-thought about, the under-appreciated plastic bag makes shopping much more pleasant. Free grocery bags are a convenience and a luxury we take for granted. Yes, I could live without plastic grocery bags -- but I don't want to.