Thank You, Have a Nice Day

B — There you go 

A — Thank you brother, have a nice day 

B — *acknowledging nod* 

A — Actually, bro, lemme get that bag as well please

B — *puzzled nod* 

A — *takes a hold of it, feeling weird for asking, walks out the shop* 

I first saw these bags in Egypt before noticing them in the UK. Leaving the shop, I was more interested in the plastic than what was inside. When the bag was empty again, I didn’t throw it away, or use it to store rubbish. Instead, I meticulously folded it and put it away in my luggage. Confused by my own intrigue but certain I’ll have some use for it.

Months later, taking note of the clear box I used to store that bag, and others like it, I had the impulse to use them in my paintings. A commonplace item, ubiquitous, yet so overlooked.

It’s just a bag at the end of the day, but I’ve come to like what it represents. I feel it speaks to an impersonal politeness, commonplace in our society now. Thank you, have a nice day - a rule of civility or do we actually mean it? The same way asking someone how it’s going as a way of saying hello and goodbye at the same time. Or maybe it’s survival. I mean, to a large extent, the survival and growth of your business is dependent on how well you treat your customers, the likelihood of their returning, or recommending you to others. It’s better coming from a human but when weariness takes over, give the job to an inanimate object. 

Really though, it’s just a bag.