My 2 Second Shelf Life

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

Recently, I've noticed that a lot of merchants have taken the lead of many supermarkets, and now charge .05 for a plastic bag. Not only does this give them the opportunity to help the environment, but also rewards them for doing so by letting them make money off of the bags they do sell.

I think this is a good thing.
But, then...I've been using cloth bags for a long time now, and while it was hard to remember to bring them with me into the store in the beginning, it's not a problem now.

That's why what I witnessed yesterday morning in a local shop shocked me.
A woman was cussing this poor guy behind the counter off because he was charging her for a bag. She was an older woman, so hearing her cuss like a soused sailor over a plastic bag seemed just wrong somehow. That's not how granny's supposed to behave!

The man behind the counter just stood there quietly, not saying a word while she called him all kinds of names...(including the politically incorrect names that she wouldn't like to be called). She snatched her purchases off of the counter (ironically, all Canada Day celebration items)..and cussed all the way out of the store.

I walked by the counter and told the man how impressed I was with how he kept his temper. He didn't say anything.

Just smiled.

When I got to the counter with my items, he tilted and lowered his head, looked up, smiled and asked sheepishly: "Would you like a bag?"...