Since the City of Toronto implemented its plastic bag by-law in June, grocery store chains have left a patchwork of bag policies across other jurisdictions, making the simple act of grocery shopping an agonizing experience.

 It begins at the check-out, when customers must in some stores guess whether they will be charged for bags.  If there is a charge, the customer must estimate how many bags will be required to contain their order.  This is further complicated by whether the clerk will bag or not, and if so how efficient the clerk will be at filling the bags.

 Since the advent of bag fees, it seems that bagging can no longer be assumed, even when a bagging policy is in place.  Superstore abandoned their bagging service after offering a reusable bag.  Fortinos claims to bag, however experience dictates that it depends on the clerk that serves you. The same goes for Sobeys.  In the early days, Metro was still solidly bagging; however this policy appears to be slipping, as are the pleasant smiles and chitchat, while Longo’s continues as usual with their complementary bags and bagging service.

 It needs to be said that the cashiers have been left ‘holding the bag’.  It is they who have been saddled with the unpleasant task of asking a customer if they would like to purchase bags, a question often met with a snide retort.  They are also left to awkwardly fumble with whatever style of bag a customer may choose to supply.

 So who benefits?  Stores offering five cent plastic and reusable bags make a healthy margin, while customers leave the store stressed and frustrated with their check-out experience, and front-line workers suffer from lower job satisfaction.  According to Health Canada, food placed in reusable bags may even be at risk of contamination. 

Loblaw, recently citing the poor economy for slower sales volume, vowed to keep their market share by offering discounts.  While we all like a bargain, it would appear they have failed to grasp that for the customer, time is significant consideration.  Many customers can’t afford the time to shop at multiple stores in search of deals, hunting down their list of items in foreign isles. 

 Customer loyalty translates into significant revenue for a grocery store.  If a customer spends an average of $200 per week on groceries, it translates into $10,000 per year in revenue.  Compare this to $15.00 in annual revenue from plastic bags, or the one-time $6.00 or so from reusable bags.  These token bag charges are more than just money to the customer; they represent shameless opportunistic profiting by stores in the name of the environment; reusable bags as yet another thing to remember; and the bagging stare-down at the check-out as just another uncomfortable situation which the customer is happy to avoid.

 In the middle of all of this angst, Wal-Mart and Zellers, the new entrants into the Canadian grocery market have taken a different tact, offering complementary bags and bagging service, no exceptions.  Their customers leave satisfied.

 Years ago, grocery stores would take your order, retrieve the items, and if you wanted, deliver them to your home.   Since then, selection has infinitely improved while service has all but disappeared.  A time-honoured method of attracting and keeping customers is customer service.  Canada’s grocers would do well to reinstate their bagging policy and offer complementary compostable bags, which can intern be reused in our municipal composting bins.  Sadly, a quarterly earnings-focused myopia has rendered some grocery chains incapable of see their customers’ torment.  Customers are destined to wander in the grocery store desert, searching for the store that cares about them.