The .Plan

Others, however, decry the essence of Costco. Teri Franklin, a mother of two in Seattle, said that Costco fed American consumerism and waste. “Instead of a single board game, you’re offered seven shrink-wrapped together,” she said. “You’ll probably end up playing with a couple and the rest will sit in the closet. But you really only wanted one.” She said she was not tempted to buy anything beyond bottled water and diapers at Costco.
–Julie Bick, “24 Rolls of Toilet Paper, a Tub of Salsa and a Plasma TV”, New York Times, January 28, 2007

Of course, tap water is not so abundant in the developing world. And that is ultimately why I find the illogical enthusiasm for bottled water not simply peculiar, but distasteful. For those of us in the developed world, safe water is now so abundant that we can afford to shun the tap water under our noses, and drink bottled water instead: our choice of water has become a lifestyle option.
–Tom Standage, “Bad to the Last Drop”, New York Times, August 1, 2005