Supermarkets should charge for plastic bags

Dear Editor,

In most businesses it is the employees who determine the efficiency of the enterprise and thus its success.If employees fail to make a customer feel special, the customers will go elsewhere, perhaps to never return.  Many stores in Georgetown have employees that leave a lot to be desired, sometimes when two or three are gaffing I feel uncomfortable asking them for assistance. However, there are some exceptions, and I would like to share my recent experiences at Nigel’s and Bounty supermarkets; the quality of the service I receive at these two supermarkets is beyond words.  While recently shopping at Nigel’s supermarket, I approached the cashier, Ms Winette Hamilton. Winette knows her customers and their likes and dislikes. In my case she remembers that I don’t like plastic and bring my own shopping bag. Once I observed how she interacted with a young child giving his young mother a tough time; Winette put the child on a stool by the cash register and he stopped crying and cheered up immediately.  Once when I was short a few dollars on a cash purchase, she went into her pocket to pay the difference. When I saw her boss, Mr Nigel Johnson, I didn’t hesitate to compliment him on Winette’s winning customer service style. While shopping at Bounty Supermarket I have been equally impressed with the courtesy and helpfulness of their sales staff, in particular Mr Rupert Dean and Ms Donna Rodrigues.
It is employees like Winette Hamilton, Rupert Dean and Donna Rodrigues who help make these two businesses the success they are.

I would like to close by asking the managers of all retail outlets to encourage shoppers to bring their own reusable shopping bags. One way of doing this is to have the cashier ask the customer if they want a bag and if they say yes they are charged for it (say $5). The earnings could go into an environmental fund to finance Georgetown clean-up activities. This will help to reduce pollution in Georgetown and perhaps save the life of sea turtles that may consume plastic bags in the water mistaking them for food.

Yours faithfully,
Syeada Manbodh