Bag of lies.....samsoon-ing again...

Today, I had an "argument" . Well it was almost like an argument. And it is because....
since the store was quite empty, and I did not get any RED points again (and again and again), I turned back to the cashier and said....

"err, I think am supposed to get a red point here".

Damn ah neh. He told me that I had to bring a TEXCO Bag for Lies. I thought he made a mistake and pointed out to him it should be "any bag", and he insisted it wasn't, until I pointed out the big advertisement right in front of him. Then he changed tactic. No, it is any plastic bag! I looked again?Where got plastic?

(the picture just acts as an illustration, as the exact wording happen to be the same as this company's.)

Any plastic bag??? It is any bag, not any plastic bag!

He pointed to the pictures!!! Then he got the cheek to say that my handbag is not a "bag" (what is it then? I wish I could say, you are right- It is an LV, not a "bag"! too bad, not LV :P....), I don't need a bag etc etc. I showed him- 2 pints of milk, 1 big loaf of bread and 1 big sinful packet of biscuit- I would have needed a bag if I did not put them in my handbag. I was thinking, "you expect me to pile them high on my head and sashay home, is it?"

I was very angry , but swallowed my anger. I did not know the exact wordings of the green club card thing, and he might be really right. So, either he got the rules wrong, or the rules are really not according to what seemed to be advertised, which is not his fault. Even if he got it wrong-bad training? Not his fault too.

I had been a cashier for 2-3 months before my A-levels, and know what it is like to be a cashier. There are many abusive customers in this world, who would bully people like cashiers. Therefore, never in my life, had I been rude to cashiers or sales assistants. I know sometimes they have to follow stupid rules. And I would not want him to lose his job or something. (yeah, that is me. I know his name, but I am not mean enough to do something that endangers his rice bowl).

So I told he guy,

".....well, it is ok. It is not your fault if the rules are that way...".

I turned and was going to go off, but he was not about to let me off so easily. As I type this, i am telling my husband he reminds me of A, my ex-housemate. He was exactly like that.

Imagine Wong fei hong (if you don't know who he is, time to watch some Cantonese films) and some thugs. Thug in the wrong, but wanted to fight with Wong fei hong. Wong fei hong won the fight, but let thug off. Like all villains and cowards in films- the moment Wang fei hong turned his back, the thug crawled up and tried to stab Wang Fei Hong from the back.

I had my Wong Fei Hong moment.

He thought he was winning the "war", and had the cheek to tell me that i was not helping to save the environment because I did not bring a plastic bag, and recycle it. His colleagues stood around me- arms folded, or on the waist, putting on pressure. All darker, taller and meaner looking than me-of course. I can recognize the pressure tactic. .. Expect me to run off?

That made me really angry!!!

I was like... are you saying customers like me, who makes a point not to take a new bag whenever possible and would rather walk home with their milk and bread in hand not saving the environment? If we put the purchases into our bag, and not a "recycled" plastic bag, we are not saving the environment? We are saving a plastic bag whenever we do this!

I tried to leave, while he continued provoking me, winning, because he was not giving me a point, and his colleagues stood next to me with hands on the waist pose. It was aggressive. It was bullying. One stupid woman told me that I got it wrong, my hand bag is not a bag. Finally, a man, seeing me "surrounded", asked me what was happening, and I told him all I did was asked about my point, and I was given all those "reasons".

He looked at my stuff, my biscuit jotting out of my bag, and told them off! Ridiculous! They were "thieving".. blah blah blah.... and told me that this is a situation where people would have yelled "fuck you!!" to them. haha. He really got tactic. Say it in a way where they can obviously hear, but cannot complain that he is an abusive customer. And the dogs? The dogs were wagging their tail and smiling when a moment ago, they were so aggressive. 1-2 years ago, I would have cried, feel helpless, being bullied. But now, I recognized that it was a bullying tactic. I don't want to get into trouble, but don't want to break down and cry either in front of them either. Gosh, did I grow up, or just got old?

Hubby is really worried about me now. Because the man would have angered them, and might want to take out their anger on me. Sigh. He was in a TXXXX when someone argued with a cashier (the man was quite abusive), and they pulled down the shutters, dragged the man to the back. Anyway, glad that he was not there. He thought that he might not be able to withstand that kind of provocation, and got into trouble. Yeah, I know, many people that I know would have.

I know this is a foreign country. I should stay out of trouble. But at the same time, I know that if I were to just cry, or worse still apologise when I am not in the wrong, the moment I am bullied-every other gal or woman of my same built or skin color will get the same treatment from these beasts. I cant win them, I know, but I am not prepared to take this shit without saying a word either. They should know once in a while, there will be a crazy woman like me who would have told them off.

Enjoy their "any bag" promotion here. Again, TEXCO being very small, don't have any website where I can do a link. So, you can see a similar promotion here

Texco said:
"We all know we are using too many carrier bags. That's why from now on, we'll give you a RED Clubcut Point* every time you re-use a bag. It really doesn't matter what kind of bag it is. As long as you're helping the environment by not using new carrier bags, we'll give you Red Clubcut Points in return."

Any lawyers?
Can my big hand bag be considered a bag?

Any English Teachers?
If my hand bag is not a bag, what should I call it then? It is brandless, so I cannot call it "my LV", or "my Gucci".

Any environmentalists??
Am I helping the environment by not using new carrier bags if I carry my milk in using my bare hands? Would I burn calories this way and therefore release more CO2?