Sir, - As someone who used to work in a retail business, may I give some advice? If one says to a customer "Would you like a bag?", the answer is a Pavlovian "Yes." However, if one says, "Do you need a bag?", as I did when I worked in the Body Shop in England, many people decide not to take one. This can be said in a perfectly polite tone of voice, but the change of verb does get people to think. If, as a customer, you just get into the habit of saying, "I don't need a bag, thanks", then you won't be over-burdened with them. - Yours, etc.,
Anne Hallahan, Fonthill Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.