The Environment Stops At The Border

A few years ago, around 2015, I went on a school trip to NYC with my classmates. While I was out shopping, I went into a department store and decided to buy some clothes and a new watch. I went up to the cashier and paid for my purchases. Then, things got a little weird.

Me: “And could I also have a bag, please?”

The cashier looks at me in shock.

Cashier: “A bag? Like for your shopping?”

Me: “Um, yes.”

Cashier: *Relieved* “Of course, you can have a bag, sir. You don’t have to ask for one. You always get a bag for your purchases.”

Me: “Okay, thanks. It’s just that, in Canada, you usually ask for a bag because they cost five cents each.”

Cashier: “That’s crazy. They charge you for bags? Why?”

Me: “I guess it’s for the environment.”

Cashier: “Well, we don’t do that here.”