Reusable bags cause physical injury to cashiers
In Australia, the shop assistants' union is fighting for laws to protect cashiers from injury caused by reusable shopping bags. The union claims that 11.3% of all cashiers have been injured lifting reusable bags. Why? According to the article, and I assume the union, reusable bags can carry up to 40 percent more than plastic bags, making them heavy. This is a particularly urgent matter for the union, as Australia is expected to ban plastic bags next year.Having worked as a cashier in more than a few places, although before the days of reusable bags, I can sympathize with the cashiers on this one. And from the reader response to this article here on Green Daily, it seems that cashiers can sometimes get a little grumpy when shoppers present their reusable bags.
Reusable bags are a great alternative to plastic shopping bags, but no cashier should be injured because of them. What kind of laws, if any, would you propose to solve this problem of reusable bags injuring store cashiers.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-18-2008 @ 1:28PM
Elizabeth said...
I hurt my shoulder earlier in the year while carrying in a very overloaded Trader Joe's bag like the ones pictured in this post. A better solution than legislation might be for the cashiers to load the bags to a reasonable limit, then offer paper (or sell more reusable bags) for the remaining groceries. Also, there's no reason to put gallons of milk in grocery bags. No reason at all.
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4-18-2008 @ 1:29PM
Patricia said...
Thanks for your comment!
I agree on the gallons of milk. No reason to put those in any sort of bag at all!
And cashiers shouldn't overload them.
4-18-2008 @ 2:44PM
Chris Carpenter said...
Exactly - education and training is the solution, not laws. I was a bagger back when paper was still the standard and they taught us how to bag for stability and how to not overload a bag. It's not rocket science, but it is a conversation that needs to happen between employer and cashier (both for the sake of the cashier and the customer who will be lifting it into and out of their car).
Laws encourage regulation, oversight, enforcement and ultimately will shift our government's already limited resources away from something else that might need the funds a little worse than a bagging commission...from your resident Libertarian - don't involve the government if you don't have to - it's expensive and doesn't guarantee a solution.
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4-18-2008 @ 2:48PM
Nicole said...
I ask the baggers not to fill the bags full. Works pretty good. :)
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4-18-2008 @ 9:10PM
Rick said...
I seriously doubt that carrying a bag with handles will cause more injuries than carrying a paperbag the same weight waste high. If cashiers paid attention to the bagging as opposed to just throwing items into a bag to finish the task, this wouldn't be an issue.
What cashiers even lift the bag? At most, they slide it to the end on the counter and I have to pick it up??
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4-18-2008 @ 9:11PM
Jodi said...
I always shop with hubby, and he will tell the bag person he'll do it and send them on to the next checkout. When we had 2 kids under age 2.5 and lived in a 2nd floor apt. he started bagging things on the heavy side. He didn't want to make a lot of trips. hehe And he's never gotten out of that habit. And I agree, milk and large bottles shouldn't be in any sort of bag. I hate seeing people ask for a bag for a gallon of milk.
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