To be GREEN or not to be GREEN

So normally I do my shopping at Winco, Walmart and Target. Yes I am frugal, but mostly I'm just broke and well, because that's what I can afford. I mean I would love to shop at Raley's ALL the time. I mean who wouldn't, have you been in that place? I think it blows Whole Foods out of the water (at least the one in my area does). WOW, the variety of different foods, and man they taste so good, but going there is always far and in between for me (except of course when I need Lemon Curd).

So since I sit in a car for 4 hours a day commuting (152 miles a day), I have to fit in where I can all my errands. Trader Joes, like Raley's use to be a store I went into for specialty items not normally found in the regular grocery store. However, due to its very convenient location, right across the street from my work, I have found myself going there on my lunch quite often to pick up the 1 or 2 items I need to complete my dinner. Well I'm all for going green, and I have to say I am so far from perfect that it makes me sick, but at least I admit it. However, when I do get the green bug up my butt I try to do my part, I mean every little bit helps rights? Not in this case. This one lady at Traders Joes, come on now seriously woman! Sometimes you have to just draw the line. Sometimes the whole bit about "every little bit counts" washes itself out and it becomes null and void.

So back to me being Green (of course because life's always about me), when I go there I do spend $.99 on a re-usable bag, because I always forget mine at home, or I'm using the previous one I bought for something else like storing my crochet blanket. Being as Green as I am, which is very little, it still annoys me when I shop there because EVERYTHING they have is wrapped in plastic. Most of the time I only need fresh veggies and ALL of it is wrapped in plastic. WHY? What's the point? This makes you so UN-GREEN, that I don't get how they can give you a coupon if you bring your own bag in? Hypocritical don't you think? Sadly, I buy it anyway (like hundreds of other people out there in the world) mostly because I'm in a hurry not by choice (Yes we all have a choice, but back to my busy schedule). I don't have time nor do I want to get back in my car even for another 10 minutes to drive to a large grocery store just to buy 2 items. It doesn't make sense to me to waste even MORE gas then I already do. I did though get rid of my gas guzzling car (17 MPG) for a civic (40MPG), so I do make my own sacrafices here and there but I'm not anal about it. Okay I did not trade cars to be more green, even though being greener did cross my mind and I truly am now, but to be honest I mostly did it because I couldn't afford the gas anymore and well over all it just made more sense. Here I go again, back off track, now back on. So I'd rather walk across the street to Trader Joes then spend another minute in the car, to be short and blunt.

Sorry about that I tend to wander off track, so stay with me. Or I need to stay with it and not wander, or yeah okay anyway.

So this lady in front of me, who has a whole cart full of groceries. I am talking $176 dollars worth to be exact, is trying to stuff all of her groceries into 4, yes count them 4 re-usable bags. She is taking her sweet time, trying to organize and re-organize the items. In the bag they went, out the bag they went, into another bag they went, out that bag they went, all because she didn't want to use a paper bag or purchase another re-usable bag. So there I stood, having flashbacks of last Saturday as my neighbors and I sat and drank coffee while watching our other neighbor pack and unpack his car till everything fit just right for their vacation. Only that was funny to watch, this not so much. I tried SOOOO hard to bite my tongue, "It's not all gonna fit lady, buy another bag!"

Okay wait for it, here's my point to all this:

Does this crazy lady even realize that EVERYTHING she just bought is wrapped in PLASTIC? Is this really happening? Is she really worried about using 1 or 2 paper bags or spending another $.99 on another re-usable bag, when all of her food is wrapped in PLASTIC and she just spent $176? I mean SERIOUSLY lady, if you're as green conscious as you are acting right now, then you wouldn't be spending $176 at Trader Joes! A place that is the LEAST GREEN store around. I don't care if they sell Organic or Local or what have you it's all wrapped in plastic. Take your little re-usable bag and go be green at the farmers market if you're going to be this ANAL. Buy local, buy fresh, because yes you had a lot of Veggies in your cart and this is not the place to buy them if you are Green conscious. Otherwise stop wasting everyone's time and either bring more re-usable bags with you (I know you've done this before, learn woman, learn!), buy another re-usable bag or just bite the bullet and use the paper ones provided by the store for free.

Oh, what happened in the end? Well she made most of it fit, the rest went back loosely into her cart and she walked away. When she get's home, I'm sure most of her food will be squashed, that's her karma.

It's people like this that hold up grocery lines and traffic for hours. People like this who I just want to B**ch slap across the head and tell them "WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE!" Seriously, don't fake the funk. I'm not one to talk but at least I admit my faults where ever they may be, and I know I'm anal, but Lady "Seriously!"