Publix, China and enviro-socialism

It's Tuesday, which is traditionally our "Publix Day". I look forward to grocery shopping because - it's a guaranteed outing :) and because I always get to spend money, not just window shop! Plus our Publix is particularly nice, mostly because of the EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE - a trait I've seen in most Publixes. I have not yet discovered how Publix is able to provide service superior to basically every other grocery store I have ever been to.

Going to the grocery store today reminded me of going to China. When I went to China, it was impossible not to notice the chaos on the roads how different the roads are to here in the US. The basic rule of the road is simple - if it is bigger than you, get out of its way. For example, instead of having traffic going in different directions on opposite sides of the road, whatever is biggest, just drives down the middle of the street. The other Americans who were with me (fearfully trembling inside) all laughed at how backward that was compared to how we do things over here...except, I have now noticed, at the grocery store. Now that I have two small kids, I need to use the giant grocery cart - the sort that accommodates 3 children - at least. Once you get it going, it's work to get it to stop; so basket toting shopper, beware - I rule the aisles now!

Otherwise at Publix, and I suspect at your grocery store too, they are marketing new eco-friendly, "green" bags. They are 99 cents each. I'm sure someone is buying them, but I haven't seen anyone using them yet. I think that's interesting considering how popular environmentalism seems to be these days. Maybe it's because, once you get to the checkout, you realize that the plastic ones are free.

Although I have never considered myself an environmentalist, I do love nature. I don't like how they build luxury townhomes on every square inch of grass they can find. I don't litter and I recycle. I even recycle those free plastic grocery bags (they have a bin outside of Publix). Every time I come home from Publix I have at least 15 new bags (which is another reason I haven't bought the green bags, I don't want to have to buy 15 of them and I don't want to have to take them back to Publix every time I go.)

Still I don't see very many people bringing basically weightless empty plastic bags back to Publix to recycle either. I'm starting to think whoever is pushing the anti-grocery bag wagon is going to need a new tactic.* If being "green" is the latest fad, well, I'm curious to know what the next color will be.

I am fully convinced that you cannot make someone do what you think is right and make them like it. That is, in a nutshell, why socialism will not work.

*I think it would be fun if they offered an incentive to bring the bags back. My idea is to offer a store coupon for each pound returned. They could make a machine similar to a coin machine that accepted the bags and weighed them, then you could get a custom printed coupon based on the amount you returned (for example 1lb=$1 off, so 8oz.=50 cents off.