Every week I head down to the grocery store to pick up more food for my kitchen experiments. Here in Austin the local H-E-B (Howard E. Butts) grocery has all the common staples at good prices. I like the quality and selection. A weeks worth of groceries fills up about a half a shopping cart. After spending an hour loading up I proceed to the check out. Then it hits me like a swift punch in the gut and a feeling of dread washes over me.
I forgot my bags again.
Why is this a problem? Just have the clerk bag your items at the checkout. That is not how it works in Austin. There is a local ordnance prohibiting what the local government has termed single use bags, primarily targeting "T-shirt bags" made of cheap plastic.
“Beginning March 1, 2013, no person may provide single-use carryout bags at any City facility, City-sponsored event, or any event held on City property. Beginning March 1, 2013, a business establishment within the City limits may not provide single-use carryout bags to its customers or to any person.”
This ordnance was put in place to protect the environment and reduce litter in the city. Sounds great but I still need to find a way to get my food home. H-E-B of course has a solution. They offer slightly heaver plastic bags for purchase, $0.50 per bag.
It's a classic conundrum. I came to H-E-B to save money, not spend $2.00 on 4 bags that I often forget at home. Instead of buying bags I have the clerk ring everything up and put the groceries back into the cart. I proceed to push the cart into parking lot where I put all the loose food items into my trunk where they are free to roll around until I arrive home. I walk into my apartment and dump the gym clothes out of my duffle bag and return to my car where I stuff everything into it. The neighbors are either laughing hysterically or calling the police to report a robbery when they see me rummaging around in my trunk and swearing while looking for lost items.
There must be a better way. I wonder if Austin has a Pack mule ordinance?
