What the Supermarkets Don't Know...

I've noticed a lot of cloth bags being sold in supermarkets, which is a nice environmental trend. Hopefully it can cut down on the amount of paper or plastic bags being used. Usually I see the branded cloth bags being sold for a dollar each. That likely makes it a pretty high profit item for the stores.

Think about it: The bags probably cost a few pennies to produce and take up very little space. They're not all that big so it's likely that a family would end up buying several of them.

This got me to thinking whether the cloth bags are being marketed properly. Should a store make a customer pay a buck to walk around with a bag featuring its logo? Perhaps the supermarkets could require consumers to do something in order to get one of the bags for free. Every time you spend $50, you get a bag. It could build store loyalty, give people a reason to go above a pre-selected price point, and perhaps get some people to start using the cloth bags who otherwise wouldn't have paid for them.

What's in it for the stores to change their business model? Besides the environmental reasons, the more cloth bags that are given away (while supplies last), the less paper and plastic ones the store has to purchase, ship, and store. The grocery store also gets some free advertising and perhaps some increased brand loyalty. Would I shop at Albertsons if my cloth bags says, Publix?

Good for the Environment... Bad for My Hand

I recently heard a talk about reducing the amount of waste that goes into the local landfill. It was good to hear that more and more items (like all kinds of cardboard) can be recycled. At the same time, in my area at least, products with aluminium foil can't be reused as is the case for styrofoam. It can be a challenge to remember it all.

Perhaps as a way to encourage us all to remember and embrace the rules, everyone in the room received a special pen. A pen made out of recycled materials. The shaft is made of cardboard, the top and bottom seem to be recycled plastic, and clip appears to be made out of the same kind of wood you see on a tongue depressor.

It appears to be an impressive feat of engineering and I was quick to grab one. But my enthusiasm faded when I tried to write with the pen. It might be the most uncomfortable pen I've ever used. The weight distribution of seems off and the tongue depressor cuts into my skin. What appeared to be a smart bit of marketing, is painful to use.

Some may want me to relax and not be so critical of a giveaway. But I feel that if you're going to make something out of recycled materials to promote your cause, it need to be functional. Simply engineering a piece of junk does not achieve this.

Perhaps the only good thing about the pen is that it would never be stolen from my desk.