How happy are you? Andy Whittaker’s plastic bag test.
You can pay a fortune on psychological testing. But if you want a simple and free way to test your levels of happiness, do what I did and stand at the end of the isle in Sainsbury’s for half a day. All you have to do is watch how folk respond to the new 5p carrier bag levy.
I won’t bore you with the hours I spent queuing and documenting the reactions, but here are a few of my favourites:
Woman (age 46): “It’s totally disgusting, just another tax by the Tories,” and she stormed off, leaving her trolley and items. Presumably she will have gone home, collected an armful of bags and returned? Or maybe done her shopping online?
Woman (age 60): “What next?” before refusing to pay for a bag and juggling 12 items, dropping them on the way out. She was cursing loudly throughout.
Woman (age 55-60): “This wouldn’t happen anywhere else,” as she paid 10p for two bags. She told the cashier that she’d not be coming back so presumably she’ll be taking her custom to Tesco’s where the bags also cost 5p.
Are these people merely having a bad day or are they locked in a way of thinking? A debate that interested me took place between a gentlemen in his mid-60s and a young lady of teenage years. The bit that really made my ears prick up was the difference in their attitude. The older gentleman got to the front of the queue and said, “It’s disgusting this charge.”
The teenager tried to explain, “But it’s to save the planet so our kids can have a bright future. And the money collected goes to good causes.”
“I’m not bothered. I haven’t got any kids,” replied the man, saving himself 5p by stuffing two bags of Werther’s into his pockets and clasping some Rich Tea’s and a carton of milk. This guy clearly hadn’t grasped that your happiness is linked to those around you and by contributing to the greater good, you gain purpose and have a better chance of accessing great feelings.
After watching people’s responses for half a day, my time was up. I needed to do a bit of shopping so I trawled the isles and filled my basket. As I bleeped them through the self-service checkout you’ve guessed it, I suddenly realised that I hadn’t got a bag. Dilemma! I was almost enjoying the irony as I leant towards the ‘add a bag for 5p’ button and the lady behind me chirped up, “Don’t worry, I’ve brought a spare.” She opened her plastic bag and inside was another, Russian Doll style. My eyes widened at her simple act of kindness. I took it, grinning and thanking her profusely.
I left the store with a spring in my step. My experiment had taught me more than I’d ever imagined.
Thank you