Micro Center embraces woke capitalism by banning single-use plastic bags
If you are a computer builder, there is a good chance you have heard of Micro Center -- one of the last major brick-and-mortar computer retailers. You can walk into the store and walk out with things like motherboards, solid state drives, graphics cards, and more. It's a really cool place to shop.
Unfortunately, starting July 1, you can no longer walk out with your purchased items in a single-use plastic bag -- at some Micro Center locations at least. Yes, the company has decided to embrace what some refer to as "woke capitalism" by forcing consumers to either bring their own reusable bag or walk out with their bought goods loose in their arms.
ALSO READ: PATRIOT launches VIPER VPR400 RGB M.2 PCIe Gen 4x4 SSD for gamers
"Americans use billions of plastic bags each year, and nearly all of them end up as waste in landfills or litter the environment. Micro Center aims to help the planet by eventually eliminating plastic bags from all 25 stores. The rollout will be in phases, starting with five stores, including Denver, Chicago, Fairfax, Sharonville, and St. Davids," explains Micro Center.
ALSO READ: Kingston releases hardware-encrypted IronKey Vault Privacy 50 USB flash drive
Ralph Gilson, Senior Vice President of Operations at Micro Center further says, "We know our customers are used to having plastic bags at checkout, and moving away from them will require some getting used to. We appreciate our customers' support and understanding during this transition as we focus on doing what’s right for the environment. By working together, we can eliminate over 4 million single-use plastic bags every year."
ALSO READ: IOGEAR GUV302G Upstream 4K USB-C HDMI capture card has HDCP switch
While reducing humanity's dependance on plastic is definitely a good thing, and I applaud Micro Center's intentions, I am not sure taking away consumer choice is the correct approach. For instance, many people reuse the "single use" plastic bags for things like bathroom garbage cans. By banning these shopping bags, consumers instead have to buy single-use bags specifically for their bathroom garbage cans -- plus a reusable bag for shopping. This arguably creates more waste.
Are you upset that Micro Center is taking away your choice, or is it the correct move to protect our planet? Please tell me in the comments below.
Image credit: alejomiranda/depositphotos.com