Lift the plastic bag ban!

Just an idea... If you were to bag the groceries yourself, rather than expecting the cashier to do so, the need for the cashier to touch your bags is eliminated.

Common sense people! Could we all learn to live in this new normal with grace instead of anger?

I came here to make the point several others already have: Unless you have some sort of injury or disability that prevents you from doing so, bag your own purchases. I've done so for years. Not only does it address your hygiene concern, it helps move things along faster, which is all the more important when lines stretch around the block and stores may not have enough staff to manage crowds, disinfect regularly, keep shelves stocked, ring up purchases, AND bag for otherwise able bodied customers who stand around twiddling their thumbs.

To that I'll also add: If you don't have your own bags, or didn't come prepared with enough bags for your purchases (are you panic buying toilet paper in bulk?), use paper bags! The plastic bag bans are just that: Bans on one type of bag. There are others that are still allowed (paper bags, "reusable" plastic bags over a certain thickness that some electronics stores use, etc). I've yet to visit a single store that doesn't provide some sort of bags for customers, even if they aren't the old style thin plastic bags.

Also: When stores are struggling to keep up with demand, why would we make their lives harder by telling them to order a type of bag they likely no longer have in stock, and which their suppliers & warehouses may no longer have in stock, either?

Pro-tip: If you do need to use store-provided bags, you can still bag your own purchases! That's what I do if I forget my bags: I grab a paper bag from the stack awaiting customer purchases, and start bagging!