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How to sell Green- by Greg Strid

I went to C-town on Jersey Ave in Jersey City a week ago.
As soon as I walked in, I saw bright green “Earthwise” reusable
bags hanging on a display rack. Only 99 cents; I grabbed 2 along
with some half and half and Murphy’s Oil Soap before checking
out- please don’t speculate as to why these items were purchased
together.

The cashier took off the plastic price tag- shame on you greenies-
and to my surprise, the bag opened up at the bottom to a width
of about 6 inches. It has straps that are stitched to the sides, running
to the bottom, but they are two separate pieces- a relatively minor
fault that takes away from the bag’s overall strength.

The bag held about 10 pounds of odd things with no signs of
stress. I felt good about not taking any unnecessary plastic home.
I brought a back pack, which carried items from a small grocer on
Newark Street- I was so green that day; I felt like giving Al Gore a call.

I realized that these bags probably wouldn’t sell that well at
C-Town. This store caters to urbanites of moderate means; people
who have more pressing concerns to deal with, such as budgeting for
food and paying rent and utility bills. I don’t think feeling good about
the environment is that high on their list.

Don’t pardon me if I sound like a snob. I believe that the self-
congratulatory, politically correct crowd at upscale grocers such as
Whole Foods care about the environment because it is a leisure-time
activity- all of their pressing needs are taken care of.

A way to sell more of these “green bags” would be to cross-promote
them. Producers of American processed food and drinks should offer
coupons and discounts to shoppers who buy these bags- and offer
incentives to use them on a regular basis. After all, government
subsidies make their key ingredients artificially cheap; I feel that
they would want to give something back in order to boost their
standing in society. (Just a few feet past the green bag display was
a rack filled with 2 liter bottles of sweet, syrupy soda that were
priced at 99 cents- cheaper than most bottled water.)

I bought a bag because 99 cents is much less than I pay for a cup
of coffee, and it made me feel good about myself. To many of the
shoppers at C-Town in Jersey City, 99 cents buys a large bottle of
soda, a can of Speggettios, a bag of chips, etc. People that are
concerned about having enough money to survive would be more
likely to be environmentally aware if there was an incentive attached.
(By the way, my new green bags are still sitting in my kitchen; they
have not left the house for a return trip to C-Town, or any other store
for that matter.)

©Greg Strid 2008
Here is link to the Earthwise site:
http://www.earthwisebags.com/

© 2008 Splendid Marbles.