Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • December 7, 2011 Glen Rock Shop the Rock bags deemed substantial success by John Koster The Shop the Rock program held just after Thanksgiving was rated a major success by local merchants who said that giving out monogrammed long-life shopping bags not only pleased most customers but actually seemed to have improved business. “It was the best Black Friday I’ve had since 2007, and I didn’t have a single customer request a plastic bag,” said Geno Paolucci of Glen Rock Hardware. “Let’s just hope the momentum continues.” “It was a very busy day,” said Dee Stevens of Grow-Cery, a toy and game store.”I still have some of the bags, and I give them out to customers as they come in.” “The ladies -- they loved it,” said Jaye Park at the Verizon Store on Rock Road. “Since that time, I have seen two or three people carrying the bags, and I saw one in a car.” The bags were distributed through the cooperation of the Glen Rock Chamber of Commerce and the Glen Rock Environmental Commission, which located outside funding from two different ecology groups and obtained 3,000 strong plastic-fiber permanent bags at no cost to the taxpayers. The bright yellow plastic bags, with a cartoon logo donated by Glen Rock cartoon artist Hy Eisman, promote the concept of not using disposable plastic or paper bags, which lead to environmental clutter and generate pollution when they are manufactured. Shoppers appreciated the environmental concern, and they liked the convenience of the bags, which have a large capacity, collapse for storage when empty, and are washable and reasonably tough. “Anybody who saw it was thrilled with the idea and the concept,” said Paul Duggan of Mail & More. “Overall, the reaction I saw was very positive.” Duggan, a Glen Rock resident, printed the promotional material designed by Eisman and posted the cartoon in his store window, as did about 40 percent of the businesses on Rock Road. Stores with bulkier items reported that people were delighted to use the bags to carry their purchases, while those who sold smaller items said people wanted the bags for their own sake. The initial concept of giving bags to those shoppers who bought $25 or more was honored more in the breach than in the observance and no one who asked for a bag appears to have been turned away -- but most merchants said that sales were brisk. Kilroy’s Wonder Market used up its whole inventory of bags by the weekend, but now has more. Staff members report that shoppers like the bags and some shoppers have already brought the bags to subsequent trips to Kilroy’s. An initial concern that the Shop the Rock bags might be written off as disposable appears to have been refuted. The plan was good, and it was well received,” Paolucci concluded. Jaye Park with a Shop the Rock reuseable shopping bag. The Glen Rock Jaycees will hold the organization’s 44th Annual Christmas Tree Sale next to Wilde Memorial Park. The sale will include trees, wreaths, and roping. The sale will be open weekends through Dec. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Glen Rock Jaycees, a registered Jaycees hold Christmas Tree Sale New Jersey not-for-profit organization, has been actively involved in the Glen Rock community for decades. The Jaycees provide support to many organizations and charities in Glen Rock and the surrounding community and host many children’s events in Glen Rock throughout the year.