With gas surpassing $4 per gallon, I thought that now might be a good time to jump on that going green bandwagon. I've been taking baby steps by switching to energy efficient light bulbs, walking to work more often and carrying reusable grocery bags. Have you noticed that some places like Whole Foods actually charge for paper grocery bags now? Bags are a paltry 10 cents, but in terms of gas per gallon, it actually adds up.

So, last weekend I was shopping at Trader Joe's in Whitefish Bay and I bought a couple of red, branded, reusable grocery bags made from recycled plastic. I was so excited about the convenience of these spacious bags with long handles to sling over my shoulder, I failed to notice that they were just one more scam to pray on the new converts to the green lifestyle like me and promote brand loyalty. 

Trader Joe's is mostly a specialty foods store, so I went to Pick n' Save on my next shopping trip to restock the essentials. Trendy new red bags in hand, I flew through the aisles and when the cashier muttered "paper or plastic?" I proudly and politely replied, "Oh, I brought my own bags." The cashier took one glance at the large, logo-clad bags and donned a sarcastic smile of pure annoyance.

It suddenly dawned on me; had i just committed a major faux paux? Was it an unwritten rule that you shop at one supermarket and one supermarket only? More important, was I rubbing it in their face by bringing better bags from a different store?

It was as if I marched into my regular salon and deliberately occupied the chair next to my stylist, tipping his associate twice as much and showering him with praise on my new avant-garde hairstyle. All the while, I was just trying something new or following my conscious.

"So much for going green, I am a sucker," I resigned, and hid my red bags under the sink until the next time I shop at Trader Joe's.