The difference of 5 cents

Washington, D.C., adopted a 5-cent bag tax on paper and plastic bags from grocery stores, restaurants, convenience stores, etc. It went into effect at the beginning of this year. This doesn't affect my grocery shopping since I live and grocery shop in Maryland (plus, I often bring reusable bags). But I have run into a few annoying circumstances in D.C. For example, I bought a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts on my way to work one day and had the option of carrying the greasy, glaze-laden box on the metro with no protection or paying 5 cents for a bag. Another day, I stopped to get a muffin and orange juice on my way to work and had to decide whether to carry it in the open air for two blocks or pay for a bag.

The Washington Post ran an interesting story this past weekend about the bag tax's effect on some people's behaviors and our lack of rationale when it comes to 5 cents.