I stood in line at the grocery store the other day behind a lady who was paper bag happy. Â She had purchased 3 boxes of take out fried chicken from the deli and a boxed cake from the bakery. Â Even though each of these were already in a container and didn’t even need a bag (the chicken boxes even had handles!), she insisted on a separate brown paper bag for each item.
This is on top of the other grocery items she purchased, which I did not notice as I had walked up in line just as the discussion about “the right way” to bag the chicken was going on with the bag boy. Â Is there a “right way” to bag take out chicken, by the way?
Just wondering.
In total, there were at least twelve brown paper bags in that shopping cart, each only about half full of items.I must have been unknowingly staring in disbelief at the situation unfold because the checkout girl looked at me and said, “Is everything ok?” Â Â I shook my head and said to her, “Wow, I hope that lady is going to recycle all those bags!”
Fact is, even if those bags do get recycled (they probably won’t be), it is still a disgrace to use that much disposable material just to carry your shopping home from the store. Â Â It takes a lot of energy in a pollution spewing factory to recycle all those bags when use of them can be avoided entirely just by developing the habit of bringing them yourself.
A number of years ago, my New Year’s Resolution was to start bringing my own bags to the store. Â I had been using brown paper bags over and over again for awhile (and then recycling them when they got tattered), but I decided this was still not good enough and I needed to get reusable bags for all my shopping instead. This included not just the grocery store but also Home Depot, Target, and other shops I went to.
I was actually quite surprised at how challenging it was to develop this very simple new habit.
I forgot over and over again to bring the bags into the store and even scratched my head as to what to do with the bags when I got into the checkout aisle. Â Was proper etiquette to hand the bags to the cashier, or do I nonchalantly toss them over into the bagging area?
An “easy” resolution that I thought would be such a quick success turned out to be a 3 month ordeal of relearning my shopping habits entirely! Â I persisted despite the frequent setbacks and here is what I learned (I am now very comfortable with my new habit, I’m happy to say):
7 Tips for an Easy Transition to to Reusable Bags
- Buy enough bags! Â I made this mistake for several weeks before realizing I needed about 5 bags in the car. Â The reason is that when I go shopping, I usually make all the rounds at once. Â I typically use 2 bags at the grocery store, so if you only have two bags in the car, you won’t have any for the quick trip into Target or the department store.
- Put bags in both cars! Â Another mistake I made was only putting the reusable bags in my car. Â It took me several misfires before I realized that I actually do a lot of shopping using my husband’s car because mine is already in the garage after dinner and his is typically still in the driveway. Â I like to shop after dinner sometimes which means I would prefer the convenience of using his car as I ran out the door.
- Keep the bags in the car, not in the house! Â I can’t tell you how many times I arrived at the store only to realize the bags were at home sitting on the kitchen table. Â Keep them in the car at all times as you never know when you are going to need to run a quick errand.
- After you unload your purchases in the house, take the bags right back out to the car! Â Or, at least put them right by your keys, wallet, or purse so you don’t forget to take them back out to the car the very next time you go somewhere.
- Don’t be ashamed to say to the cashier – “Oops, I forgot my bags, let me run out to the car and get them!” Yes, it’s true. Â I actually did this a few times purposely embarrassing myself and making the clerk wait for me so that I would not forget to bring the bags into the store from the car again!
- Have bags that are for produce and meats and other bags for “clean” items like clothes, shampoo etc. Â Â Â Different colors or designs on each bag helps with telling which bag is for what purpose.
- Don’t forget to wash the bags every now and then. Â Â Reusable bags can get nasty bacteria in them after only a few trips to the store, so make sure to wash them in a mild detergent every week or two. This may seem incredibly obvious, but surprisingly, most people do not seem to realize the importance of doing it.
If you haven’t yet made the switch to reusable bags, I would encourage you to consider it. Perhaps these tips can help you avoid some of the surprising pitfalls I encountered as I made the transition.
And, please don’t use the excuse that you somehow need the bags given out at the store. The plastic bags at the store are made from petroleum that takes centuries to degrade and the paper ones are made from trees that take decades to grow. Â If you must have bags for use at home, buy biodegradable eco-plastic ones instead.
It really is a lot easier using reusable bags than dealing with the stacks of brown paper bags or plastic bags that needed to be recycled. Â I don’t claim to be perfect in this area as I occasionally need one bag here or there due to an unforeseen circumstance, but I have definitely eliminated 99% of my need for store bags.
Believe it or not, this is much less stressful way to shop once you get the hang of it!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
These are some great tips; after all, if you’re planning to transition to reusable bags there are a few things to keep in mind. I particularly like that you recommend keeping the bags in the car. That way you’ll always have them on hand at the grocery store instead of forgetting them at home.
One tactic I have seen that to remember your bags is for the store to put up a sign out front or in the parking lot to remind customers “Don’t forget your reusable bags!”. You may have to ask, but most store owners will consider putting a sign out front of their store or in their parking lot- especially if they can use it a “promotional tool”, by adding their logo on it.
I like that you suggest to leave your reuseable bags where you can easily see them or get to them when you go shopping. I can see why leaving them by your keys or inside the car would be a good way to remember to use them. My mom always leaves hers in the trunk of the car. I think that after a while it became a habit for her to use them.
Instead of holding up the line while you run out to get your forgotten bags, why not have them just load the groceries back into the cart and then you can transfer them to the bags once you are back at your car? We’ve done this many times.
For department stores, we just leave one of those fold up bins with handles in our trunk and put all the items back into the cart, unbagged and then transfer them to the bin. Easy to carry into the house as well. Then it just collapses and goes back into the trunk.
Thank you.This is a lot of helpful information. Sadly I am completely new to reusable bags. I am working hard to be better at it. I do have a few questions and hope someone can provide some insite. I have both reusable plastic type & cloth bags. I tend to do all my shopping ever other week and try to do it all in one shot. At first I filled my bask as normal and realized my large bag of reusable bags took up much needed space in my cart. I figured next time I’ll hook the bag of bags to the handle out side the cart but have not tried it yet. I then noticed that since I do shop large I needed more bags than I anticipated. I then start to feel uncomfortable after I load up the belt. I feel like I’m holding everyone behind me up. I even asked a manager if they could have a lane for those who bring bags. Similar to self check out. It was awkward try to help the cashier. I tried setting up my bags on the turn table so she could fill them but that was a blunder for her and myself. I have played with the thought of just using my cart and fill it up again instead of bags. I have plastic bins in my car I normally put my groceries in to keep the bags from rolling around. But some stores won’t let you take the cart outside the store. I have even tried bagging my things as I shop but the cashier told me I was not aloud to do that. Can I get help with some form of technique… Ty in advance 😉 mk
The cashiers that are upset about using reusable bags are horrible!!! I am a cashier and I am incredibly grateful for the reusable bags. I hate using the plastic. It is so flimsy that even the softest of items will tear the bag at a high ratio, so I am constantly throwing away ripped bags or double bagging even some of the simplest of items because of the torn bags. Customers put their items on the belt without a thought about how it is going to be bagged. The cashier is expected to bag items in as quick as manner as possible, with the added factor of not putting softer items with heavier items, etc. So it can be a sort of tetris to the cashier, looking down the belt at the items and the customer wanting them bagged a particular way.
Several customers expect their items to be bagged particular ways, and always buying items in plastic containers already. The store insists that we also not to bag certain items with other items. Meat items are to be bagged all in their own bag, at no exception. So people who bring in their own bag, I am happy to fill up their bag, and at my second nature to bagging their meat in a plastic bag, I do receive some scowls at times. Its just my being used to the rules of the store, not my preference really. But I would rather my meat items in another bag personally, but I would not mind that bag with mixed items in a larger reusable bag.
As a customer the reusable bags are superior, you can put more in these bags, making for less trips from the car unloading. If you get in the habit of always bringing bags, you will find it is much easier in the long run. I did agree with this philosophy of the author. The reusable bags are much more efficient to bag as a cashier, and I always loudly thank my customers for bringing these bags. It takes me almost 20 seconds to unfold a paper bag and prepare it for use, and the reusable bags, once you have a few items in them are pretty solid and easy to pack.
People should always bring a few for every shopping trip, and especially people who insist on paper bags, try a reusable and see what a difference it is lifting that into your car, a million times easier.
Do you turn down the store bags as you are paying money for plastic garbage bags. How illogical. I use all my store plastic bags for garbage and other storage uses instead of paying for what I could get for free.
Store bags aren’t biodegradable. If you need plastic garbage bags, buy the bio-ones.
I have recently been following your blog and have found it to be very interesting and informative. I really enjoy it! This post however has been my least favorite. I wonder what the people are saying when I am at the store with all five of my young children in tow. This does not happen very often I might add because it is a lot of work. Maybe the person behind me in the check out went home and posted on her blog about population control. I believe the earth was created to bless us. I feel we have stewardship over it and must take care of it lovingly and wisely. We also are to use its resources to bless us our lives. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt.
I have been using them for years now, after living in NYC and realizing that they double bag EVERYTHING (due to people walking home long distances and them breaking) But the cashiers have gotten so into the habit that they will double bag a bottle of shampoo without hesitating. I bought those portable bags that look like they are made of parachute material and fold up really small in a tiny pouch and leave them in my purse at all times. I love the look on their faces when I want to throw my beautiful new dress in a tiny crumpled bag rather than use a fancy paper shopping bag they wrap in tissue. Now that I don’t live in the city anymore, I more often than not just use my purse. That gets the best looks 🙂 I’ve been known to forget my bags for quick grocery trips and I just nonchalantly throw them back in my cart after checkout, totally unbagged and make sure I walk out with receipt in hand, just in case they inquire! They never have 🙂 I just need to get to my car and then to my house, so the cart works, and then my hands, no problem! My real problem though is trying not to get mad at my extended family for their wastefulness when I shop with them, they think I’m annoying when I un-bag groceries and put them in other bags just to fill them up more. I just try to pretend its not that annoying hahaha