02-08-2013, 02:31 AM
quote:
Originally posted by csgray
Grocery stores switched to plastic because it was cheaper and they take up far less space, you can stack 1000 plastic bags in the space that would hold 100 paper bags. The retail industry really doesn't care about "saving trees" or any other environmental considerations, it is all about the bottom line for their investors.
Carol
I suppose that is true. Nevertheless I do recall in the 70's people were talking about a paper shortage and the need to conserve paper and trees. If you're old enough, you can remember when they used to double bag all the canned goods and heavy stuff. That's around the time when they started switching to plastic. I'm sure the public's perception that paper bags were hurting the trees had some effect on the decision to switch. If you are over 50, you must remember that environmentalism, saving the trees, whales, etc was all the rage.
Maximizing profits is the ultimate goal of all corporations, that is true. But how the public sees the company can cut into their bottom line. A bad public image means less customers. That's why they all have public relations departments. Walmart and other big retailers spend loads of money on PR.