Supermarket Culture

Chennai, the place where I am living at present, has seen the rise of supermarket culture and is home to Spencers, one of the oldest supermarket chains in India. For working professionals like me supermarket is a suitable option to grab necessary things under one roof and finish our marketing as early as possible. The only problem that we tend to face is that some times we fall prey to impulsive shopping which makes us pay through our nose. But then also we return home happily for a purchase of a hefty sum of money we get a gift, which we were better off without having. In the blind aping of the west we tend to overlook the major problems that come along with the supermarket culture.

Personally, I feel the foremost drawback of supermarket culture is the piles of polythene bags that you bring home with your stuffs. Whether it is food grains, milk, fruits, vegetables or meat, everything is packed in polythene bags. I am myself struggling to get rid of the piles of polythene bags lying in my house. I don’t know where and how to dispose them as I know whatever I do it will be harmful for the environment. Also, we are not able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, thanks to these supermarkets. I fail to understand why these supermarkets do not start using green bags? Also, they can use recyclable paper bags for packaging purposes. Milk pouches can surely and effectively be replaced by bricks or bottles. This way a lot of pollution causing materials can be pulled out of the system.

A few days ago I just went to a supermarket to buy some groceries and vegetables. A foreigner was also getting her things billed at the same time. When the staffs started putting her things in a polythene bag, she asked them to stop and pulled out a cotton bag and asked them to use that. I feel people need to start inculcating these practices into their daily lives. Hats off to that girl and millions others who are following this trend!!!!!!

- Kumar