Bag Law Effects: First Impressions

Here are my first impressions of the bag law. At first, I felt like I would be treated inferior because of it. I was sort of right, and sort of wrong. At the end of this, you will see why.

I went two places so far to shop today. Planned with or without the bag law in effect. I went to Goodwill, but didn't find anything to buy that was a good purchase. So I cannot tell you yet how the bag law effects Goodwill Shopping.

Then I went to Fred Meyer. Part of the shopping was because of the bag law, the hooks for my wall. However, the other part, I would have done with or without it. I wanted to sit and have a diet coke and visit with my frineds and do some work on this computer. Thus, I picked out hooks and a diet coke.

My first realization, as I was preparing to go to these places, was that shopping must be more intentional for me now. Unless I have the extra $.05 per bag to buy the bags with, or lots of help to do what I was going to do, I have to think about whether I plan to buy anything while I'm out or not, and what I might buy. I don't have to dwell on it, but I have to think about it.

Then, if I determine that I'm going to buy something, I have to take my backpack with me. This means it's not as easy on my back, but it's the easiest way to carry a few empty bags. I need to think about how to pack it, because I don't want to pack it with useless things.

The next thing I have to do, is I have to think about how to carry the bags around the store. I don't want to do lots of uneccessary work that is hard on me, so leaving the empty bags in my backpack is good until they get full. But once they are full, I want to have an easy way to carry them until I can repack them for my final time before leaving the store.

So what I do, is because I have my backpack, I always get a shopping cart. Probably I'm not going to use a small basket very much in the average store anymore. I have to get a full size shopping cart. Then, I stick my backpack in my shopping cart while I shop.

This has repercussions too. This means, I cannot go to the table and leave my backpack and then get my diet coke and bring it back to the table where my bag is. I have to bring the shopping cart with me, and buy my stuff. Only then can I package it how it goes, and then go to pick out a table.

What if I am in the middle of shopping and need to use the restroom? Well, there is a rule that says you can't take unpaid merchandise into the bathroom. This means that I will have to bring my shopping cart near the bathroom door, and then if I have a coat, leave it and the unpaid merchandise in the cart. Then I can use the restroom and reclaim my cart. This can be as much of a security risk when shopping alone as leaving a bag on a table. I have to take a risk of someone coming along and stealing my whole cart, money, merchandise, coat and all and leaving or paying for the merchandise and then leaving with all my stuff This is more of a risk than leaving my stuff on the table in the deli area.

When you pay, I for one DO feel a little like a second class citizen now, just because I'm on SNAP. I checked, and either the law leaves room for interpretation, or the law requires that you only get the bags for free if you pay with SNAP or EBT in some way. There was talk, that it might be the case that it is given if you show the card, but that does NOT seem to be the case. Or, like I said, the law isn't specific enough to even tell them that it's their discression which way to do it.

So, if you are paying with EBT, what you do at Fred Meyer in Ellensburg, is this: You make sure that you are paying for part of your stuff at least with EBT. You have to tell them you are paying with EBT. Then you request how ever many bags you HAVE TO HAVE to carry stuff out, and make sure you are just requesting the minimum possible.

Then they bag or let you bag the items, and you finish checking out as normal. And this is the part that makes me feel inferior: You have to tell them you are paying with EBT, and make sure your cashier has special training to handle that or train them on the spot. Already when paying for starbucks it feels this way. But up until now, it was a normal annoyance. Stores need to have STANDARD EBT training in applicable stores, and the very least. They should either be able to tell from their machine that you are paying for EBT, or they should ask the question, "Are you paying with EBT today?" They should ask it to everybody who might, not just people who look like they are disabled or they need it for some reason. This is how you be inclusive to people in a way that is respectful. I think even though we disagree about things like gay rights as a country, we all agree on those kind of discriminary laws.

However, it should be noted that it wasn't as big a hassle as I thought. As I learn, perhaps more to come on the new bag law.

--- Dennis Earl Smiley ---