Supermarket Uses Embarrassing Plastic Bags So Customers Will Think Twice About Using One

• East West Market is taking a step against single use plastics.
• The independent grocery in Vancouver has launched three plastic bag designs to shame their customers about using plastic bags.
• The funny pollution solution has since gone viral online.

With the world’s worsening plastic pollution, we just need every little bit of solution out there. If people can at least somehow minimize their use of plastic, then we’d all gladly consider that an improvement over our current situation.

A Vancouver-based supermarket is taking a unique approach to the problem by using humor – and they’ve gone viral because of it. As you can see in the photos below, East West Market has been using hilarious slogans in their single use plastic bags, all in the hopes of encouraging their customers to bring their reusable ones instead.

Would you carry this plastic bag around?

East West Market launched three different designs for their plastic bags bearing the slogans ‘Into The Weird Adult Video Emporium’, ‘The Colon Care Co-Op,’ and ‘Wart Ointment Wholesale.’

You definitely wouldn’t want to be seen using these plastic bags!

In a Unilad article, we are told that East West Market is hoping that these embarrassing messages “will encourage shoppers to bring their own reusable bags from home, with the overall aim of reducing plastic pollution.”

Moreover, the grocery is charging an extra five cents for each of these plastics.

According to David Lee Kwen, owner of East West Market:

“The message is, we should make a conscious effort to save our planet one step at a time. [Plastic bags] are a big problem, and every step helps.”

Of course, there are some customers who have been getting the bags as “fun novelty items”, reported Unilad. But Kwen defends it has overall increased awareness about the problem so it’s still a good idea. Also, it’s ther contribution to Vancouver’s Single-Use Item Reduction Strategy, an initiative where business establishments are encouraged to come up with their own solutions toward decreasing plastic bag usage.

As Kwen put it:

“It’s certainly generated interest in what we’re trying to put out. Once you start a conversation, it will skyrocket from there, I think.”