As an H-E-B employee, I know that current cashier training involves offering customers an extra plastic bag at checkout for any raw meat in their purchase. It makes sense; there are real health risks that come with raw meat mingling with other foods, and you wouldn’t want any blood getting on your items (or your car) on the way home.

However, does a customer really need to be offered a thin, white bag when their meat is already wrapped in a thicker plastic bag? HEB offers much sturdier yellow bags in the deli, and they’re freely available to all customers. If you’ve got one of those on your meat, you’re good to go. Regardless, we are still required to ask if they would “like an extra plastic bag.”

This unnecessary waste could be easily avoided by changing the specific phrasing of the question cashiers ask their customers. Switching the question to “how would you like your raw meat bagged?” changes the game. Especially if the meat already has a bag on it. 

The new phrasing presents is great for three reasons:

(1) It presents the customer with more choices than just “yes” or “no.” They could opt to leave the meat out of any bag, or ask to put it in the bag with their cold items.

(2) If someone doesn’t know we offer extra plastic at the register, they won’t ask for one. That’s one bag saved. And they decide where it gets bagged so there’s no anxiety about health risk on their part. 

(3) If someone feels like they need an extra plastic, they can ask, and we will provide. If a customer would like a wrapping for their meat, I am more than happy to provide them with one. 

The bags are still there, but we use less of them this way. It sounds like common sense, but I made this petition because this should be coming down from the managers, not up from cashiers. #reduce.