A small grocery chain has created a large uproar, over the simple issue of its grocery bags. At a time when many retailers are looking to reduce their reliance on single-use plastic bags, and many states and localities have outlawed them altogether, an Oklahoma City favorite has cheerfully announced it’s doing away with its retro paper bags and replacing them with the very single-use plastic bags that have already fallen out of favor most everywhere else.
“We appreciate your loyalty and want to keep you informed about some important changes coming to Crest Foods,” the ten-store Oklahoma City area chain announced in a note to shoppers yesterday. “Due to rising costs, over time we will be phasing out paper sacks and moving to plastic bags.”
Oh, but don’t worry, because “we’ve added recycling bins at each entrance to make it easy for you to recycle your plastic bags,” the statement goes on. The reasons for the change, Crest explained, are “to help you save money” and to provide “a fast and friendly checkout experience, just as you love!”
The change in bags will also allow Crest to eliminate its bagger positions. Cashiers will now bag groceries themselves, and baggers will be “transitioning to new roles.”
“We’re committed to enhancing your shopping experience while helping you save!” the message continued, before concluding with “thank you for your continued support as we adapt together!” followed by a green heart emoji. A green heart, incidentally, is described by one online emoji encyclopedia as “representing feelings of gratitude, nature, freshness, and eco-friendly love.”
Eco-friendly, indeed!
Within hours, the announcement earned nearly a thousand responses on social media, almost all of them opposed to the change. And then overnight, the message was deleted from the retailer’s website and Facebook page. Crest has not responded to requests for comment about what to read into this.
“Very disappointing. The great customer service & paper bags were part of the appeal that made me go out of my way to shop at Crest,” one commenter wrote on Facebook before the post was deleted. “With paper bags, I can get a week’s worth of groceries in 8 bags. With plastic, it takes about 20. How is this saving money?” another asked. “This world needs LESS plastic bags and we all know that the majority of them still end up in a landfill,” another commented.
The move from paper to plastic comes as many others are moving in the completely opposite direction. 12 states and hundreds of counties, cities and towns across the country have passed legislation prohibiting single-use plastic bags at restaurants and retail stores. Many of those stores now require you to bring your own reusable bags – or purchase paper bags, just like the ones Crest is eliminating.
Other retailers are taking matters into their own hands. ALDI eliminated plastic bags from all of its U.S. stores last year, and Kroger announced several years ago that it planned to do the same by 2025.
But there’s also been a backlash to plastic bag bans. 20 states have passed laws banning any jurisdictions within the state from imposing any plastic bag bans at all. Among those states? Crest’s home state of Oklahoma.
That certainly could have had a little something to do with Crest’s decision to switch from paper bags to cheaper plastic ones. Other customers are pointing the finger at the nearly century-old grocery chain’s third-generation owner.
“What a shame that the last bastion of excellent grocery service is following all of the other ones down this path,” a commenter opined. “Crest needs to set itself apart by doing what’s right instead of what benefits the bottom line,” another wrote. “I know it’s the direction the world has moved but we have enough Walmarts in the world and that’s what it seems like now,” a third commenter added.
Others lamented “corporate greed,” pointing out that cashiers will now be “doing two jobs” and saying “we know the savings won’t be passed to the customer.” Yet another commenter sniffed that Crest is “a multimillion-dollar company worried about a cost of a bag.” And one shopper who said they’d be shopping elsewhere told Crest to “have fun with your minimally increased profit.”
Many shoppers in other parts of the country whose stores switched from paper to plastic decades ago may wonder what all the fuss is about. So, too, might shoppers whose stores don’t offer either anymore. To Oklahoma City residents, though, the change will take some getting used to. “What will my kids do when we make their book covers for school?” one shopper asked about a favorite repurposing of Crest’s traditional brown grocery sacks.
They’ll have to come up with some new uses for plastic Crest bags instead. Unless, that is, they make do on the threats many are making and end up doing their grocery shopping somewhere else – regardless of the type of grocery bags offered there.
Image source: Crest Foods
