The Co-op Food Stores of New Hampshire and Vermont

Question of the Week for August 22: The Co-op currently gives five cents back for every bag that shoppers provide for carrying out their groceries. Would you support having that five cents automatically go to the Co-op’s Green Energy Fund, rather than being refunded to the shopper?

A Sampling of Member Responses

• While each individual may benefit little from the five cent refund, the Co-op must give out at least $100 collectively in bag discounts per day. This money could be better spent as a pooled donation, in which case it may make a noticeable difference. I would hope that most customers bring their own bags for personal reasons and not to save themselves a nickle!

• The bag credit is an important incentive and should be left as-is. Nonetheless, I strongly support the energy fund. Funds should be allocated using some other means: perhaps shoppers could be asked at checkout if they would like to make an extra contribution to the fund, or a general premium on purchases could support the fund. But we shouldn’t neutralize one environmentally important program (the bag credit) for another (energy fund).

• No, we would NOT support having 5 cents go to the Green Fund. However, we WOULD support charging people 5 cents per bag. The Green Fund and the bag refund are not at all related, in our opinion. The 5-cent rebate (or fee if you were to flip the focus) encourages people to re-use bags. Diverting their reward to the “Green Fund” does the opposite by not rewarding people for bringing a bag. It seems obvious that doing so would absolutely decrease the number of people who do take the effort to bring their own bag or other container. What is your goal? Increase your “Green Fund” contribution, or decrease the number of plastic bags used by your members? You are deceiving yourselves if you believe you can do both by this action.

• I would support that as long as people don’t go back to plastic or paper because they don’t get the money in their pocket. I have been bringing my own grocery bags long before it was popular, money is not really an incentive for me!

• I like being able to say “ I want to donate it to the green fund” as a positive, active action. I bet a youngster is thrilled to have the nickle, so let’s have it stay voluntary.

• I would rather receive the money back currently as the economy is poor and every little bit back in my pocket is helping me. If the economy starts to pick up I would ask this question again.