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Office Max coupon isn't part of a green campaign
 
By Judy Steffes RSS Feed
Special to OnMilwaukee.com

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More articles by Judy Steffes

What is a blog?  For us it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Published March 13, 2008 at 11:51 a.m.
Tags: recycling, office max, paper, menard's

In an era where recycling is en vogue, grocery stores are encouraging cloth bags and plastic bags are taking over landfills, it's interesting to note Office Max's marketing campaign.

Through the end of this week, Office Max is running a 20 percent off coupon on a brown paper bag that was an insert in the local newspapers.

Bring in the brown paper bag, fill it with Office Max merchandise and receive a 20 percent discount.

The interesting thing is that the bag is then surrendered at the time of checkout and customers' purchases are placed in a separate plastic bag to take home. "It's a one time use bag, you can't take it home," said West Bend Office Max manager Stefanie Kressaty who didn't think the process wasteful.

"Customers can only use the 20 percent bag coupon once," she said. When questioned, why not just put a black slash through the bag to indicate the coupon had been used, Kressaty gave a wide-eyed look and said the "bags are surrendered at the checkout."

Menard's is another franchise that uses the brown paper bag coupon, however customer's purchases are left in the bag and that same bag used to carry the merchandise home.

Asked why not just use a simple paper coupon similar to a grocery store ad, Kressaty said people put their items "in the bag" and that's how the clerks determine how much merchandise is covered by the 20 percent discount.

Many grocery stores are adopting green campaigns, trying to steer clear of loading landfills with plastic bags. Kressaty said they recycle the brown paper coupon bags, by stacking them in a bag and throwing them in the recycling.

Office Max runs its brown paper bag sales twice a year, and Kressaty indicated she was not aware of any pending changes to the process.

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EastSlider Maybe somebody could convince the OfficeMax folks that they'd save the hassle ...
ChateauDweller I wish this blog was available in print because I'd use it to wipe my rear. ...
imouse Office Max could also save themselves some money by letting people leave the ...
custom123 My head is going to explode! If this truly bothers you may I suggest self medication ...
Luke I like pointing out things that are not 'green.' I also drive a Prius and like ...


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