A couple of weeks ago I got a nice (bulk rate) letter from the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), requesting that I fill out a survey form for them, and asking if I would consider becoming a member. If I joined, they promised me a number of wonderful benefits, among them, a free tote bag. This one, appropriately green, came with a zippered case that you use to fold up your bag when not in use. I thought it looked, to use Wyldth1ng's word, "nifty." What do you think?Today in the mail, I got a flyer from my local J. Jill outlet, announcing a mid-May summer sale, and letting me know if I came in and bought a certain number of items during their sale, they would give me -- guess what -- a free tote bag!
And come to think of it, at our church's synod assembly a couple of weeks ago (the one where I went home sick), I received, like everyone else who came, a free tote bag from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. It's blue, and was tailor made to carry all of the information we would need for the assembly. We also got a free plastic water bottle.
So, what I want to know is: what's the deal about free tote bags? And, how many do we REALLY need?
Apparently, some people in marketing think that tote bags are really desirable -- just the thing to push us over the edge, just the tool to make us think, "You know, I really want that!"
We love to tote.
Me, I love to tote books. They're heavy, though, and I have to watch that. Others might prefer toting cosmetics, or CDs, or first aid kits, tools or toys. Maybe we're toting all of the things we just bought at the mall.
Sometimes, my back hurts. From all the things I tote back and forth to the office and home, all the things I carry. I could learn to travel light, I suppose. My doctor told me to carry a lighter purse last year. So I did. Now I have a small purse: and a tote. So I'm not yet really learning to travel light.
Sometimes, my back hurts, or my head hurts, or my heart hurts. From all the things I carry, not all of them physical, but some of them heavy. I could learn to travel light. Or, I could get a free tote.
What about you? What do you carry?
