Drury,

I have to say that I agree whole-heartedly with John in this argument. However, an interesting subtext to your voice card, in its tone of hurried, rushed, overworked annoyance is that many businesses just don't feel they have the time to start the process John describes, even though it would be more efficient in the long run. Still, I think it would behoove us to try.

Now on to other things: You bring up the noble profession of bag boy (I think the pc term is bagperson, by the way ). Here is a little poem about a bag boy by a little-known poet named Herb Scott. Enjoy :

BAG BOY

Bag Boy whips
the sacks open
with one flick
of his wrist,
moving his body
like a matador,
a little dance
he does
free of charge.
He is the best
and knows it,
using both hands,
the cans leaping
into the bag
in perfect arcs,
an item for every space,
the bag packing
straight and solid,
frozen foods separate,
the bread on top.
Customers love Bag Boy.
He lets them crunch
their own potato chips.

And just one more literary Baggish Boy note: the best fiction I know on this noble subject is a short story by John Updike entitled "A&P." I exhort you to go find it. Cheers.