Going Green...or Not

So, when I go shopping, I like to use my reusable bags. I will occasionally get paper bags instead since I use them for lots of things including the preschoolers I teach. I wouldn't say that most Americans are "green", but I would say that most are reasonable. Today I found one strange old lady who could not fit into the "green" category if she tried.

As we were checking out at Raley's, I glanced over at the lady checking out in the line next to us. She was old. Skinny. Gray hair twirled into a bun on top of her head. I was completely confused as I watched her loaf of bread slide across the scanner. Not because it was bread, but because it was bread in a bag, wrapped in a produce bag and tied with a green twisty-tie thingy. Seriously. So I glanced at her cart. I couldn't look away. Every single item was wrapped in one of those thin produce bags and tied with a green tie. No joke. Everything. She also had about 10-single gallon containers of water. I looked up and noticed that several other people were watching her as well.

It didn't end there. As we were driving away, the lady comes running through the parking lot pushing her shopping cart. She runs all the way to the far side of the parking lot and stops next to a man with a long ponytail. He looked about 20 years younger than her. They were talking as we drove away. It was strange.

I wish I could have counted how many bags she wasted today. I'd bet close to 50 total. Ridiculous.