Change

Don’t remember when this particular betrayal occurred.

Possibly the day I compared a “new-and-improved” name-brand plastic bag against an older, thicker one that I’d washed and used many times.

The facts were undeniable.

The…thing I held in my hand had to be a half inch shorter  — and the sealing strip!

Instead of the smooth, trouble-free motion I had appreciated so well, I discovered yet another way in which to drive a person insane.  The ends didn’t seem to match up and it kept coming apart at the seams.

Yes.  I called to complain.

Cussed tumor service:  Thank you for calling Best Bags. My name is Bea.

Me:   Why did you make your plate-size bags smaller, thinner, and impossible to close?

Bea:   I don’t understand.

Me:    Well,  last week I was able to cover a luncheon plate with a Best Bag, seal it without a problem, and put it into the fridge.  I opened a new box, and guess what I found?

Bea:  A plastic bag?

Me:    If you want to call it that.  When I tried to slide a plate into it, the sides ripped.  I retrieved another bag, put my lunch into it and tried to make it seal.  Fortunately, I save bread wrapper ties, or the D@#$%d thing would still be open.

Bea:   Which size did you buy?  the quart bag or gallon bag?

Me:   The one that holds 1.8 pints with a sealing strip on it that could drive God insane.

Bea:   Would you like a refund?

Me:    No. I’d like the old-and-better bags back.

Bea:   All I’m authorized to offer is a coupon for a free box of our newest new-and-improved bags.

Me:    That’s like taking a bad tire off my car and replacing it with a rubber band.   No thanks, I’d rather have old-and-reliable.  If I wanted cr@ppy bags, I would’ve shopped at a dollar store.

Fast forward a bunch of years

• Cars became computers on 4 wheels.
• “Disposable” replaced quality while, at the same time, people were screaming, “Save the environment,” and
• I’m still using a pair of jeans that I purchased in 1985 that look better than a pair I purchased 3 years ago.

Some day, quality and common sense will be fashionable again.  I’ll believe that when people stop buying 50 cents worth of coffee in a disposable cup for $5.00.