July 12, 2012

A question on paper.

As I tend to be quite outspoken when something is amiss at a shop or restaurant in ‘real’ life, I don’t like to talk about it on this blog for the most part (and since men are not a shop or a restaurant so they are excluded from this rule). Yesterday though something came up while I was shopping and now I do want to talk about it here and maybe just get an idea of how everyone else feels about it.

I am the first to admit that I am no green fairy. Yet ever since I got involved with Greenpop I am at least becoming more conscious of the environment and what could or shouldn’t be done to live a bit greener. I think after getting blisters on my hands and cracking my back by planting trees, I just get really irritated when I see paper being wasted. It seems to make my blisters and hurting back simply pointless. I have realized in the last couple of weeks that companies make it incredibly difficult for one to save paper. Take my Click’s Card for example: it comes with a little magazine every three months via mail. I have never ever opened the magazine, but just taken my reward points and tossed everything else. I eventually decided to call them and ask them to send me the points on their own. What did they tell me? That it wasn’t possible. How can that be and why would a company want to waste paper = money on me if I won’t make use of it? After a long back and forth and speaking to a manager, I am now able to get my points and updates via email. Thank you very much and why was that so difficult?

Two weeks later I found a big glossy magazine from Greeff Properities in my mailbox. It contained a mix of properties in the area and general lifestyle articles. I wondered whether they have done any research as to whether I am even interested or eligible to buy. Upon emailing them to ask (and complain … yes, yes, that’s me) they wrote that the system of dropping unsolicited magazines into people’s mailboxes apparently works well for them. Mh, great. And good for them, but the waste of paper, judging by the bin overflowing with Greeff broschures in our building, still irks me. Especially when combined with the line “People who don't wish to receive a hard copy often request an online version and provide their email addresses for this purpose”. Well, I wasn’t asked if I want to receive either version.

Yesterday I wanted to indulge my sweet tooth and as it comes out rarely I allowed myself a little tart and a macaroon (alcohol something, hazelnut something, funny name – to die for, get one now!) at Cassis. Before I continue let me say that I adore Cassis’ purple boxes. Over the years I have received and given many little birthday cakes in a purple box and I think they are perfect for a special occasion. I also love the fact that one isn’t being charged extra for them if such an occasion arises. Yesterday was different though. Please just put them both in a little paper bag. The sales girl puts the macaroon in a clear plastic bag. Um, or both in the plastic bag. She starts folding a little card board box and is about to put the tart in it. NOOO! Can you please just put them both in the plastic bag? At this point I get a blank stare from her and start to feel like a bitch as I obviously don’t let her do her job. She looks at me like I am a crazy person, but very slowly complies and I just wonder why that was so difficult. Am I not the customer who can decide how my overpriced treats are packed? Unlike her I know that I am so starved for something sweet, it will take me less time to eat tart and macaroon than it took her to wrap it all up. There is no time or reason to make it pretty and to waste a box on it. Considering that I am not paying for the box that should also be in Cassis’ own best interest? Non?

So all I want to know – is it just me being silly or are companies making it extremely difficult to save on paper and packing materials when it should be in their own best interest to do so to - read slowly – S-A-V-E M-O-N-E-Y??

7 comments:

  1. I agree with you 100%!! I am continuously throwing away fliers, marketing magazines, etc without taking one look at them! I feel relieved when I toss them into my recycling bin, but even then recycling wastes water, time, energy, man power, and so forth. I get so frustrated when companies will not listen to our simple requests, especially when they can save their money and time, as well as help our beautiful environment! And on a side note... who gave anyone permission to put their flier under my windscreen wiper? The side of my door is FULL of pointless fliers that I have no interest in looking at what so ever!
    Big ups to you Annika!! All that I can do is refuse to take those pieces of paper at the traffic lights and continue to put my 'junk' mail into my recycling bin!! - Robyn de Jager

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    1. And the worst part is the flyers on the car when it starts raining and then stops and becomes glued to your window...

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  2. Great post! Till receipts really bug me, there should be at least an option to decline or go electronic, imagine how much paper is wasted in stores around the world just to be thrown into a bin on the way out! Maybe we should do something about it?

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    1. Or ATMs - Standard Bank doesn't even give you the option of decline a receipt!
      Yes, let's do something about it - my legs still look shocking after a week of planting and I don't want them to look like that in vain :)

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  3. Great post Annika. I agree with you completely and I think if more people follow suit and put pressure on companies to reconsider their paper usage (or waste) things could change. But it will take more complaining and awareness from the everyday consumer...but here's a step in the right direction. (p.s we also received that huge magazine from Greef)

    xx

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  4. good to know you are on the band wagon. I have been fighting a somewhat pointless battle like this myself for years. What has always irked me the most about wastage is companies that 'greenwash' by speaking all eco and being the opposite. As far as overpriced treats, I love occasionally getting some nice fresh and organic produce from Woolworths every now and then, but they use about three times the packaging for everything and then have giant posters saying how super ecological they are.mph! But yeah recycle as much as you can and maybe you could come up with a template to mail to companies saying how you are fining them x amount of trees for for all their waste paper spam.

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    1. I like that idea, Adam! It bothers me even more that even a shop like Wellness Warehouse hasn't found a greener way to package. But maybe I get to easily fooled by the name Wellness too.

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