The end of common sense?

I came across a bizarre and illogical store policy today while shopping at Savemart, Upper Hutt. I had browsed around the store for a while, intending to buy myself a pair of track pants and while I was browsing Vivi and I passed the second hand toy bin. I found what looked to be a brand new teddy bear and handed it to Vivi as she sat in the front of the trolley. We headed up to the main service desk to pay for the bear and leave. I put the bear on the counter and the clerk entered in the amount and then went to put the bear into one of the enormous Savemart plastic bags.

'I don't need a bag, thanks' I said 'I'm going to give the bear to my daughter'.

'I have to put your purchase in a plastic bag' she informed me. 'Its our store policy'.

'But I've got heaps of plastic bags at home and don't need any more' I replied. Wanting to add that surely I was doing her a favour by saving her the job of bagging up a purchase and not only that but saving the store money by not using a bag.

'I don't care what you do with the bag once you leave the store', she continued, 'but you have to take it in the bag. We also have to tie the bag like this' she demonstrated, tying the handle of the bag. 'It's because people come back into the store and shoplift.'

This didn't seem very logical to me. What I objected to was:

1. Clearly, I did not need the bag, as I had said at least two times.
2. Giving someone a purchase in a plastic bag does not deter anyone from shoplifting - if anything having a access to a bag from the store would mean someone would be free to re-enter the store and put other stuff in there, regardless of whether or not the bag had been 'tied' by the person at the counter.

What irritates me is that this just seems to be another example of people mindlessly following 'policy' set by those in authority, without using any common sense along with it. It is a kind of sheepism that suggests to me a dumbing down of society, and not letting people come to a conclusion themselves, rather being pleased that they blindly follow what is said to them.

It reminds me of a time when I was a student working at McDonalds, many moons ago. We had a policy of asking customers whether they were paying in cash or eftpos. That was all well and good except that a situation arose where I was being appraised by my supervisor and a young boy came up and asked to buy a 50 cent ice-cream. He placed a 50 cent coin on the counter and I said 'that'll be 50 cents thanks', before taking his money and putting it in the counter. Later, I was reprimanded for my actions by my supervisor who marked me down on customer service because I had not asked the boy 'if he was paying by cash or eftpos'.

'But he was clearly paying in cash as he had the coin on the counter right in front of him and it was the exact amount he needed to pay.'

'It doesn't matter. It's our policy to ask if a customer is paying in cash or eftpos and we have to do this in EVERY situation' was the reply.

Ugh, I feel for the 'intelligence' of the human race.... maybe I should go and make myself feel better with some quality TV like the 'GC' or 'Keeping up with the Kardashians'!