So we are doing our part in saving paper. However there is a difference in saving paper and being cheap, or stupid. This tale comes from the drug store involving an emailed coupon. These days retailer like to electronic mail coupons to their customers. That way they can send them up to date coupons and deals throughout the year.
Here’s the set up. A customer is getting ready to pay for her stuff at the counter and she starts to present her wad of coupons to the cashier. The first coupon she pulls out is a very odd one. The cashier asks the customer “whats this?” She explains to him that she wanted to save paper and decided to write down the coupon information on a piece of notebook paper instead of printing out the coupon. She also expressed how she thought that its ridiculous that companies force their customer to print out coupons to bring to the store and that it’s a waste of paper.
The cashier got their supervisor to deal with this lady. She was told that they need an official coupon to send back to their office in order to receive the credit for it. She didn’t understand. It was explained to her that just about anyone could write down a coupon like this. She continues to say that she wanted to save paper….if she wanted to save paper they why did she write down the info on a PIECE OF PAPER? Why didn’t she write it down on her arm or a shoe? It was explained to her again that if they excepted this coupon that the cashier and the supervisor would get in trouble. Each of them could possibly loose their jobs and they were not going to take it. The customer freaks out, throws the coupon on the counter and storms out. Of course as she storms out she ranting about the waste of paper.
Here’s a question. Is printing out a coupon that you would use at the store a waste of paper? The piece of paper does serve a purpose. Even if you grabbed a blank piece of paper and crumbled it up into a ball and used it to take shots at a trash barrel, you’re not wasting it. You just played a game and the paper served a purpose.
I think a real waste of paper would be grabbing a blank sheet from a ream and throwing it out.
