Do you use reusable bags for grocery shopping?

[redqueen]

I do and I love them. I have a freezer bag for cold stuff, and use canvas for everything else.

They're bigger than plastic and stronger than paper, and they save energy!

Every time I'm in the store, and I see people using the regular bags, I want to tell them about these things and why they should use them.

[blondeatlast]

1. Regardless of where I'm shopping, I take a canvas bag.

I've pissed off several boutiquyes and department stores, but oh, well.

[redqueen]

10. Heh.

Good on ya. :)

[Irishonly]

22. They Get Fussy

I have had to leave them at the counter and remind them they are holding my resuable bags hostage. Our local grocery stores recycle plastic bags, so I recycle all of the plastic I seem to get anyway. They don't fuss when I take vegetable (potato) bags and bread bags.

[orleans]

71. same here (i must say i don't do boutiques but i've annoyed

target and a pharmacy, and a book store.

one thing i've noticed...people aren't as annoyed as they used to be.

i've been taking all these canvas bags with me for over a year i guess. and when i first got some the local grocery stores weren't selling them. i went to a craft store to buy them. and they drove everybody crazy.

now that the grocery stores sell them they seem to have been very accepted and (hopefully) far more common.

[wryter2000]

79. Pooh on them

If they won't sell their own bags, I'll use the ones I have.

I use my Safeway bags at Costco all the time. No one's ever said anything to me about it. Costco needs to sell their own bags.

[orleans]

104. well, i really think employees are getting used to seeing this.

i remember calling and talking to a manager, insisting they train store employees to use canvas bags without throwing a fucking bitch fit because of a clerk that was having a hissy fit over the canvas i brought--even tho i told the clerk i would help bag (and i did).

so, the employees seem to be getting a lot better. they don't look at you like you're some fucking weirdo anymore.

[taterguy]

2. I occasionally get plastic bags for dog waste

Otherwise canvas bags are generally more convenient.

[redqueen]

9. Yeah... when I forget to bring mine in... or when I get them from stores

where I don't bring them in, I use those as trash bags.

[liberal N proud]

3. When we can remember to put them back in the car

Or in my wifes case, she tries to keep one in her purse

[canetoad]

85. Found a way around that

I put a coat rack on the hallway wall, near front door and hang empty shopping bags on it. Reminds me to fling them in the boot every time I go out front door.

[tularetom]

4. My wife does. I prefer the plastic bags because

I use 'em to clean out the cat box.

:shrug:

[leftofcool]

8. They can be recycled for bathroom trash cans too...the little ones

[Freddie Stubbs]

18. That's what I use them for

[Javaman]

33. you can get biobags...

http://www.ecoproducts.com/Home/home_biobags/home_index_biobags.htm

[hlthe2b]

5. Shouldn't the question be "reusable bags?" Mine are nylon...

[redqueen]

11. Fixed.

[blondeatlast]

12. Actually, so are mine but I voted "yes." Most canvas is made of nylon now anyway. nt

[Eurobabe]

6. Yes, because the country I live in charges you for grocery bags

it's not much, but enough to make you stop and think - do I really need this bag?

[redqueen]

14. Ikea does that...

it's a great idea. :)

[BonnieJW]

7. I don't because I shop at a store that recycles

plastic bags.

[redqueen]

13. That's what I meant by energy saving...

the energy used to recycle that stuff... unnecessary when you switch to reusable. :)

[Ichingcarpenter]

15. I love them, One bag can hold about 4 plastic bags.

So carrying my groceries from my condo garage to my unit, I can make it in one trip!

[redqueen]

17. Hehehe... yes, they hold much more...

but... as a result... the loads are way heavier!

Have you had this happen yet? You pick them up out of your trunk thinking "Yay! All in one trip!"... and then halfway up the stairs, you're thinking, "WTF was I thinking?!" :rofl:

[Breeze54]

16. I have 2 canvas bags and one of recycled heavy plastic

I love the recycled one the bests. It has a hard flat bottom and
folds up and snaps shut for easy storage and it's royal blue! ;)

I paid .99 cents for each at my local grocery stores.

[redqueen]

28. Mine are royal blue too...

love that color. :)

They have a little plastic insert that slips down to help at the bottom... but no snap! I'm jellis! :P

Mine cost the same, too. :thumbsup:

[Starry Messenger]

19. I use reusable

crocheted from plastic shopping bags. My husband and I are famous at our trader joes as
"the bag people".

[redqueen]

29. Neat!

Did you make them yourself?

[Starry Messenger]

40. Yes.

I was looking for a picture on my hard drive but I don't have one. They are fun to make. But it is hard to resist the temptation to collect more plastic bags in different colors to make interesting patterns for more bags.

[redqueen]

45. Hahahah...

well maybe you could ask your friends for colorful ones they have clogging up cupboards... and make some up for them?

I can be really pushy sometimes, I know. :P

I'd love to see a pic sometime!

[Starry Messenger]

91. let see if this works

I've never posted a picture

http://picasaweb.google.com/mpkartist/Craftyness/photo#5207743308909092386

All my friends use their bags too! I made the mistake of teaching them how to crochet x(
This should be a pic of one of the ones I've made. See if you can guess here the bags came from!

MPK

[susankh4]

20. Yes. As often as I can remember to bring them.

Which amounts to about half the time.

[lonestarnot]

25. That is a problem I have resolved. Keep them in your vehicle. Make it a habit

that as soon as you unpack new groceries, run 'em to the vehicle.

[susankh4]

31. Good suggestion. But....

I don't always drive the same vehicle. And I don't always know when I will decide to drop by the grocery store.

Any more, I try to combine trips as much as I can to save gas.... so I will stop in on the spur of the moment if I am near a Trader Joe's and have a few minutes to spare...

I guess I need to keep a few bags in each car, at all times....

[redqueen]

37. That's what I do... leave them in the trunk.

It's gotten to be a habit that the morning after I unload groceries, I take them right back down to the car, and right back into the trunk they go.

I've gotten so bad that I've even started buying them for friends and family, and nagging them about using them, too. :crazy:

[lonestarnot]

58. Catching on.

[Longhorn]

81. We bought 30 of then and keep half in each car.

As soon as I finish unloading the groceries, I at least lay them on top of the trunk (in the garage) so that I'll remember to put them in the trunk before I leave again. I got mine at www.onebagatatime.com several months ago but now my grocery store has started selling them and they have signs out in the parking lot that say, "Remember your green bags!" That helps me to remember to take them into the store with me. I hang them on the seatbelt for toddlers so they don't get in the way.

[Gormy Cuss]

73. That only works if you always use your car for shopping.

Those of us who commute by walking or mass transit find it less convenient to do that. There are some nice very light weight options though, like these: www.chicobags.com.

We do keep canvas bags in the car for big shopping trips, and you're right: get into the habit of returning them to the car right away and they're always in the car when you want them.

[varelse]

106. I use those too

they have a very small "footprint" and are easy to bring along when we walk to the store.

[sazemisery]

21. The sackers look at me like I'm nuts!

They get annoyed I brought my own so I usually end up sacking the groceries myself which I prefer anyway. We used to have a store that didn't hire sackers and had a large sign that said, "We have the best sackers anywhere!"

[Breeze54]

24. Why in hell would they be annoyed?

:crazy:

[TreasonousBastard]

27. It screws up their routine. n/t

[W_HAMILTON]

23. This is one switch I haven't made

But I do have a recycling bin when I store all of them, then when it gets full, I'll probably take it to Wal-Mart or some other place that recycles them.

Is that a bit better?

[Breeze54]

Not at all. Why aren't you using them and why go to Wally Fart?

:crazy:

[redqueen]

30. Of course it is!

MUCH better than people throwing them out like trash... which I'm sure happens more often than not.

But the energy used to recycle those... that's what I was referring to in the OP... with reusable, you save that energy. :)

[Breeze54]

53. But plastic bags and such will be in landfills 4 EVER!!!

:(

[redqueen]

54. Not if you recycle them...

which I thought they said they did. :shrug:

[Breeze54]

63. But most people don't bother, imho, they just throw them away but

yes, I agree recycling them is better than throwing them way but not using them
at all would be the better choice. How much oil does it take to make plastic bags?

PS. I have a very colorful hammock made entirely of recycled plastic bottles and bags. ;)

[redqueen]

69. Exactly! The resources used to recycle

would be better off saved, IMHO.

I have a t-shirt made of recycled bottles. It's soooooo soft. :)

[JerseygirlCT]

98. Listen, I'm no recycling hero. I use the reusable ones

because it's easy. They work well.

[TreasonousBastard]

26. Have you seen the one at Home Despot? It's...

huge and stretches to fit as a "liner" for a shopping cart. And only a buck.

And it seems sturdier than the other dollar bags the stores around here are pushing.

[redqueen]

32. Hah... neat idea...

but I get into enough trouble trying to carry too many small ones! :P

Seriously, it's a safety issue. I nearly fell over backwards on the stairs once. Learned my lesson!

[KarenS]

34. I use 3 kinds of bags for shopping,,, all shopping,,,

Canvas/nylon bags ~ an insulated bag for cold stuff ~ and a bag I made from a knit shirt to carry the crushable items (breads & chips).

Putting bags back in the trunk of the car is part of putting the groceries away.

and,,,, when purchasing one or two items from other kinds of stores, I always just request "no bag",,,,


We just purchased a couple of bags for the back of my Husband's car,,,, we rarely use it for shopping excursions but we were out this past weekend in his car & needed some bags :) so for 99 cents each at Safeway ~ I thought they were well worth it

[MuseRider]

35. When I finally run out of

all the plastic I have collected over the years I will. Until they are unusable I will be taking them back to the stores with each trip for refilling. We buy huge amounts so we do not have to drive into town more than once a month to shop so I will be needing BIG bags;). I do have a big freezer bag and I love it.

[redqueen]

39. That's still reusing!

:loveya:

[Kceres]

36. How do you remember to take them out of your car?

I use canvas bag about half the time because the other half of the time I can't remember to bring them in the grocery store. I keep them in back of my car, out of sight, out of mind. I remember them when I'm standing in the check-out line. It's getting better, though. At least I recycle the plastic ones.

[bunkerbuster1]

41. My problem too.

The grocery store even provides helpful stickers for the inside of your windshield to remind you to bring the bag. doesn't work as often as it needs to though.

I guess I'll get into the habit so that it becomes second nature soon enough, but I have only about a 33% success rate so far.

[redqueen]

43. Habit... like you said it's hard at first.

Heh... one time, I remembered halfway through shopping, and I just left the cart at the checkout for a moment and ran out to get them.

After forgetting and going through the hassle to go get them a few times, you'll start remembering more often. :)

And good on ya for recycling the plastic ones. :thumbsup:

[Longhorn]

82. When our store started selling the bags, they also put up a sign

that says, "Remember your green bags!" That has helped me a lot! :)

[bikebloke]

38. String bags

The grocery story clerks hate them. Though I use them to carry my groceries to my bike, where I pack everything into my pack. Fragiles are left in the string bags, which tie nicely onto the bungy cords holding the pack down on the rack.

[redqueen]

46. I got one of those as a gift.

(Heh, I know!)

But I couldn't get used to them... all those holes make me nervous. :P

[SteveM]

42. Anybody have a picture of a purpose-built re-usable shopping bag?...

The little tote bags I have are too small. Perhaps a luggage-type duffel would be better (and would keep cold stuff longer). Sometimes these luggage bags are plastic-lined and can be easily cleaned.

An invention waiting to happen?

[redqueen]

47. Heh... design one, and call that annoying salesman guy from TV!

:P

[flvegan]

44. Yes, religiously.

I have 6 or 7 of them, which I keep in the car. I have so many because inevitably, I'll bring my groceries into the house, but forget to take the 2 or 3 bags back out to the car. Then, I find I'm at the store again but didn't put those bags back. Aha! Got a stash in the back.

I overplan some stuff, I guess.

[redqueen]

49. No way! I do the same!

:loveya:

I only have 5... but I don't buy much stuff usually. :)

[clyrc]

48. I just bought some last week

but I forgot to use them today! It will take some time to get used to using them.

[redqueen]

50. Woot!

:yourock:

Don't worry... it does take time... but you'll get used to it. :)

[shanti]

51. yes

when i can remember to! i have about 5 of them from different stores, but usually forget to grab them before i go shopping.

[redqueen]

57. I used to do that when I first started using them...

but after a few times asking a cashier to watch my cart so I could go back out to get them, I started finding it easier to remember.

Sometimes I still have to turn around and go back to the trunk when I'm halfway to the door... but it does get easier. :)

[BlooInBloo]

52. I completely FAIL the leftier-than-thou membership test.

[redqueen]

59. Defensive much?

It's not a test... it's a question... and a little suggestion, too. :)

[BlooInBloo]

65. Well thank you for the suggestion.

[redqueen]

68. Thank you for being a liberal!

Even if you don't think you're as liberal as you might be... any amount of liberal is better than nothin. :hug:

[Dogtown]

55. Hemp tote bags

strong, light, and washable.

[KansDem]

56. How do you handle meat items?

I have three canvas bags I take with me, but sometimes if I buy some meat it has to be put in a plastic bag so if any juices leak out the canvas bags won't get dirty.

Is there a better way of packing meat in canvas bags?

[taterguy]

60. If you're concerned about the environment you don't buy meat in the first place

Got any more silly questions?

[Wizard777]

67. That's not true. Cow farts are extremely damaging to the evironment.

I'm trying to eat as many cows as I can before they fart again and wipe out the ozone layer.

[AngryAmish]

76. great googly moogly

[redqueen]

61. I might use a produce bag or plastic bag for leaky items...

those can be reused or recycled anyway... and it's not as if you're using dozens per week. :)

[Wizard777]

62. I reuse the plastic grocery bags as trash bags for small trash cans.

That way I don't have to buy plastic bags for the lil trash cans that will only have one use. Any extra grocery bags are returned to the store to be recycled.

[redqueen]

66. That's how I used to do before...

then I thought about the energy used to recycle and distribute the paper & plastic, and switched.

Good on ya for recycling the ones you don't reuse! :)

[Wizard777]

72. The store recycles any bags returned to them. I think it's like 80% of the new plastic bags they use

are recycled from the old bags. So there's really no telling how many uses the bags have gotten before my final two uses.

[annonymous]

64. I shop at stores that charge for bags, ie Aldi and Save A Lot

I have several canvas bags and one made of jute.

[redqueen]

70. Sweet!

I had never heard the word 'jute' before. Thanks. :hi:

[annonymous]

77. Jute is a coarse fiber usually used for rope

It is also used for carpets. The jute bag I have is very old and came from Mexico.

[GoneOffShore]

74. We use reusable bags for ALL our shopping.

I turn down plastic bags and tell the cashier that I can't wait for the day that they're illegal.

[dysfunctional press]

75. i LOVE the plastic shopping bags from the store, and usually double-bag everything to have more...

we use them for garbage bags, for cleaning up dog crap, cleaning out the cat's litter box, general storage, winter-time boot liners, etc. etc. etc...

[wryter2000]

78. I love the canvas bags

Even if it weren't a matter of saving resources, I hate accumulating plastic bags (paper bags in previous years).

[pansypoo53219]

80. i reuse the bags. big paper in the garbage bin.

IF i get damned plastic, i use it for packing material. tho, i do use a reusable bag for estate sales.

[Indenturedebtor]

83. I don't because we're renovating our house and use them

We use them as small trash bags etc. But we both try to never take them when we can carry things with our hands.

[IndianaJones]

84. I like the plastic. nt.

[City Lights]

86. We recently made the switch and I was pleasantly surprised to see how

much they hold.

[applegrove]

87. I need those plastic bags for my kitty littre. I suppose I could buy some

paper bags somewhere.

[damntexdem]

88. Not enough options: sometimes, when I remember to take them.

And I bought a really-nice one recently that holds 40lbs. But I still forget.

[LSK]

89. where do I get them and what do they look like?

[Critters2]

93. All of the bags I use for shopping are from resale shops.

Just big canvas bags, large purses, things like that. I have one bag that was made specifically as a grocery bag, that my brother gave me. Otherwise, they're just large bags from resale shops. My motto: Never buy anything new but food.

Besides, all the canvas shopping bags I've seen are made in China, which raises other environmental issues.

[Breeze54]

95. You can buy them online or ask your store to get them!

http://www.reusablebags.com/store/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=%28shopping+or+tote+or+basket%29&search_in_description=1&x=55&y=8&categories_id=2&inc_subcat=1&pfrom=&pto=&dfrom=&dto=


$8.95


ACME Bags™ - Dual Handled Lightweight Hemp Tote
$6.95 and up

Click for more... Need Assistance? Call 888.707.3873

More at link. I got mine at the grocery store and they were only .99 cents.

[lapislzi]

90. Get this:

My local Hannaford (ordinary supermarket) gives me a $0.20 credit for each reusable bag I bring in--so my $0.99 bags pay for themselves in 5 weeks. However, the Whole Foods (whole paycheck) only gives you a $0.10 credit. Their reusable bags are smaller and way more expensive. Go figure.

Love my reusable bags. I feel as though I am setting a good example for my daughter and other shoppers.

[Kceres]

92. Wow! You're lucky.

Where I shop we only get a five cent credit and you have to remember to ask for it which, of course, I never do.

[newmajority]

94. I have them

But sometimes I forget to bring them to the store. :(

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

96. I use one of the myriad Trader Joe's bags I've collected from California

We don't have one here, but I carry the bags anyway, and invariably someone gets excited and says, "IS THERE A TRADER JOE'S HERE???" Sigh.

[JerseygirlCT]

97. They're great!

They hold lots, and since they have a shape, they pack better than the plastic. And they don't break on you halfway to your door.

[Jazzgirl]

99. I love using reusable bags.

I don't need as many bags as I used to. When I did major shopping I always got paper because they held more. Seems like I can put even more in the reusables because they're stronger. I never need more than 3 bags. They're great and I get .5 cent discount for each bag. Every little bit helps!

[TeamsterDem]

100. I had always planned on buying them and always forgot

But your post reminded me so I just bought some on the internets. Thanks for the reminder.

[FloridaJudy]

101. I love my reusable cloth bags

They have broad straps, so I can hang them on my shoulders while I grope for my house/car lock (try that with a bunch on those flimsy plastic bag hand-holds cutting off circulation to your palms). The bottoms don't suddenly give way, anointing my doorstep with marinara sauce. And they're colorful and cheery.

[question everything]

102. I do, however, I had to stop for a while and start again with paper bags

Why? Because we reuse them, too. They go to the trash can in the kitchen and then to the trash container that gets collected once a week.

I use them to put newspapers that is later put in the recycle containers that is emptied once a week.

[qanda]

103. I can proudly say that last night I bought six reusable bags for my shopping

They are absolutely perfect. In fact, I think I'll buy them for gifts to give out at Christmas time. The only thing that kind of bothered me is that they were made in China, but what isn't these days?

[knitter4democracy]

105. I do until I need paper ones.

In our area, all paper for recycling has to be in paper grocery bags in the recycling bin, so when I run out, I get paper bags from the store and am good for awhile. We're down to almost no plastic bags in the house, and when we do have them, we use them as trash bags.

[WillowTree]

107. I do and I love 'em.

The Meijer stores in the Chicago area have the best ones. They're larger, made of sturdier material, and they have a pocket on the outside and dividers on the inside to keep your bottle of soda from falling over on your bag of chips. And they cost no more than the smaller, flimsier ones that other stores have.

I'm a big soda drinker and I just put the 2-litre bottles back in my cart after scanning because I live in a third floor condo and have to put them in my little folding cart to get them upstairs when I get home anyway. No need for a bag of any kind at all.

The only time I take plastic bags are when I've got meat or, as yesterday when I bought a wedge of watermelon that might leak.

After awhile, you do get used to grabbing a few out of the trunk on the way into the store. Frankly, I find it easier to remember that than I did when I had a bunch of plastic bags in the car to take in for recycling. I'd often wind up chauffeuring those damned bags around for a couple of weeks before they'd finally make it back in to the store.