Does plastic bags increases the shopping experience?

I went to the shopping mart to buy groceries, i am proud to say that in India we have copied the way we buy groceries like – soap, whole grains, daily bread, cookies, vegetables etc from western countries but forgot to imbibe the go green mantra, no to plastics.

Let me illustrate how we used to buy groceries 10 years back in most of the Indian cities. We used to go to a common market where vegetable hawkers, farmers used to sell vegetables fresh from their farms. Or we used to go to small street shops and buy the grains, pulses, wheat etc.

Plastic bags and shopping experience

I think people are more happy when they buy items in paper bags,the paper makes them calm.Paper carry bags looks more elegant and aesthetic than plastic bags. Then why plastic bags are more in use.Sleep on the above question.

For groceries we used to visit similar shops as shown above

Good points of the above methods of shopping

1. We used to carry our cloth bag to buy vegetables
2. We used to carry our cloth bag to buy groceries

Now Smart, Reliance, More etc have successfully copied the retail market from western countries very well, and it is also successful in India, but they missed the paper element in that.

When i was in UK and USA, and went for shopping vegetables, groceries etc.The stores like Sainsbury and Whole foods used to sell products in paper bags not in plastic bags.

What can we do

1. Carry your own cloth bags when you go for grocery shopping's
2. You can even use a plastic bag for grocery shopping, but make sure that you use it many times
3. While buying vegetables do not pack them in separate bags, use a single plastic bag to carry them.
4. Buy from local hawkers if possible, since they give already recycled plastic bags

What retailers should do

1. Stop giving plastic bags and use paper bags
2. Initiate a program to return the plastic bag with some offers
3. Reuse the plastic bags
4. Use recycled plastic bags

 

What govt should do

1. Ban use of plastic bags in the shopping malls & implement it harshly and cooperation.

If you feel that the points i am making is important, please leave a comment and suggestions.

You can write to me smartsanjaykumar@gmail.com