Letters - Paper bag, plastic bag, bring your own bag, Trader Joe

A recent letter to Trader Joe about their efforts to get people to bring their own shopping bags - feel free to cannibalize and plagiarize -


Hello Trade Joe,
I am writing about TJ's efforts to get people to bring their own bags. At the check out counter recently, the shopper at the next register commented to the cashier that she always brings her bags, has done so since BEFORE the raffle program started and has yet to win the monthly raffle. Overhearing her, I commented that I had just expressed the same thoughts to my cashier!
First off, I suggest TJ discard it's raffle program for people who have brought their own bag and replace it with a program that many other grocers have - 5 cents off per bag used that a shopper brings. Be honest - when I bring my own bag, I am saving TJ money. Yeah I know, TJ's reflects it in the price but the point is you have bought the bags already - bringing my own, I am making your stock of bags last longer, thus directly saving TJ money. A raffle is nice - but at 4 bags per week, I would save over $10 per year. That encourages me much more than a remote possibility that I might win a $20 gift certificate in a monthly drawing. I know TJ's has some bean counters somewhere who think TJ's prices are the only thing that matters but if that was true, you wouldn't have samples.
Second, cashiers need better training regarding bagging cloth bags. Recently I brought a bunch of my own bags, more than needed to pack all my groceries. I did so to be able to separate items. The cashier though was determined to pack the wine bottles in individual paper sacks (like that will keep a wine bottle from breaking but my applesauce jar is ok without extra bagging) and frozen items in plastic bags. From my view, a customer who brings their own bags can be identified as a customer who is trying to avoid bringing plastic and paper bags home. From my varied experiences with cashiers when bringing my own bags, it appears to me that TJ's does not have consistent training on the subject.
Let me know if you would like specific ideas that would improve the bagging process.