Question Of The Day, Sunday, March 4, 2018

[micknsnicks2mom]

good morning!

today i'm curious about choices at retail store(s).

for today's Question of the Day......



When shopping at stores (in-store, but any type of stores -- for example, department stores, cosmetics/bath items stores, grocery stores, pet supplies stores, and etc), what type of bags do you choose (if given a choice)? Do you bring your own bags (canvas, or other), use the plastic bags at the store, use a box, or other?



i'll start!

i do use the plastic bags at the stores to a limited extent. most times, if the cashier is automatically putting things into plastic bags, i'll let her/him.

if given a choice, i really don't need the plastic bags. i bring a cart, either one of those fold up carts with wheels or one of my garden carts with boxes in it. i just pile everything into the boxes.

i do prefer to have meats/poultry, frozen items, and refrigerated items like milk and cheeses in plastic bags though. in the warm/hot weather, they get slippery from the condensation that happens on them.

i used to reuse the plastic bags, as trash bags in small (indoors) trash cans, but they always seem to have holes in them -- at the seams of the bags. that's a big problem if you're using them to put litter box scoopings in!!


how about you?

 

[Katie M]

I always get plastic bags because I can reuse them when cleaning the litter box.

 

[neely]

i used to reuse the plastic bags, as trash bags in small (indoors) trash cans, but they always seem to have holes in them -- at the seams of the bags. that's a big problem if you're using them to put litter box scoopings in!!

Exactly! Nothing worse than using a plastic bag with a hole in it after you scooped up the litter.

In the city they charge you for a plastic bag which encourages you to bring your own. Most of the burbs have not done that yet but some stores will give you a small credit for providing your own bag.

The plastic bags you do get are so thin and flimsy that they don't hold anything heavy or substantial. I keep my own recyclable bags in the car. In the hotter months I use a thermal bag to keep groceries cool until I get home.

 

[Lari]

I bring my own bags. I started when Marianos started encouraging people around here to do it by giving five cents off a bag. And then they put in the bag tax in the city proper and are starting to do so in the suburbs. But since I've already switched I don't really mind - my reusable bags are much sturdier.

Edit: neely said it better than me.

 

[Brian007]

I've got gazillions of heavy duty reusable plastic 'bags for life' from Tesco, one of our main supermarkets. I always have at least one in my small backpack, plus I have another emergency cloth one that folds into a wee blue tit that lives in my bag too. The reason I seem to have a collection of 'bags for life' is because they are all either Star Wars or Spiderman ones. I would be drawn to other super pictures too. I also have a shopping trolley, which has a black and white art deco pattern.

I was brought up with a hippy for a mum and so have used reusable bags since childhood, long before they became the thing to do. There is a 5p charge for plastic check-out bags now in the whole of the UK. There are mutterings about charges for disposable plastic bottles and paper coffee cups too, of which I'm all in favour. I always carry a small metal flask filled with water.

If I do happen upon a disposable plastic bag I use them for lining the small bin in my bedroom. I use strong biodegradable dog poo bags for scooping cat litter.

 

[muffy]

I get the plastic bags but I like the paper bags if the store has them. I reuse the plastic bags as trash bags and recycle what I don't use. We don't have to pay for the bags yet. When we do I might bring my own.

 

[Kieka]

We have to pay for bags here. I usually end up buying them because I tend to do random stops on my way home from work that end up being bigger then I thought. I switch between paper and plastic depending on which we need at the house.

 

[Margret]

It depends what I'm buying, and what we need at home. Heavy items, like milk, I always try get paper bags for, because the handles of the plastic bags dig into my hands, not to mention that they tend to burst. We also have a "bag bag" hanging from the pantry door knob where used plastic bags go, but only after being checked for holes. Those get re-used for scooping litter. Paper bags get used for kitty fortresses and our recyclables go into paper bags, because the recycling center knows what to do with paper but not plastic film. When I'm just buying one or two small items I dispense with the bags altogether.

I've noticed lately that the cheap "reusable" cloth bags that grocery stores put next to the checkout stand have such narrow seam allowances that they pretty much disintegrate the first time you try to put a few cans of cat food into one! I have an old nylon bag that folds down into its own little wallet, however, which resides in my purse. I think it was made by Totes, and if I could get more of those I would, but they don't seem to be manufactured any longer. Hmm. I bet Totes has a website; I should check there...

Margret

 

[betsygee]

I bring my own and have for years, even before we started getting charged for grocery bags here. I always carry one or two of those little bags that fold up into a pouch and fits easily in my purse, and have several of the bigger plastic carry bags in my car.

 

[LTS3]

Depends. If the store is in a town where plastic bags are banned, I bring my own bags. Otherwise I use whatever the stores gives me. I try to keep a reusable bag or two with me whenever I go out shopping. Plastic bags are reused as trash can liners or for litter box waste. Paper bags I keep to take the recycling items down to the dumpster or to use as wrapping paper or as a filler for shipping boxes.

good morning!

i used to reuse the plastic bags, as trash bags in small (indoors) trash cans, but they always seem to have holes in them -- at the seams of the bags. that's a big problem if you're using them to put litter box scoopings in!!

I hate it when that happens I just make sure to check the bag before using it and have an extra bag on hand just in case I missed a small hole.

 

[Kreatorcat]

I only buy three items at a time,because I like to juggle them all the way out to the car. This becomes very frustrating when I am shopping for shoes.

 

[jcat]

I bring my own cloth shopping bag(s) and occasionally the "granny cart" (shopping trolley) I got last fall.

 

[DreamerRose]

I used to bring the reusable bags to the grocery store, but had to stop after my surgery because the clerks put too many things in them and the bags were too heavy. I use most of the plastic bags for litter and double-bag if they have holes. The rest I throw away. One of our grocery chains here recycles the plastic bags, so there's always the option of taking them back to the store.

 

[Winchester]

We bought a bunch of Trader Joe’s reusable bags and I take them to the grocery store. I still bag milk, meats, and frozen items in a plastic bag before putting them into my TJ bags. We do use plastic bags for cat litter, but I will also scrounge bread bags, cereal bags and the like for scooping boxes.

I’ll take my TJ bags to Target, too. We started keeping the bags in the car all the time now. I also have a special bag now for cold/frozen items now, too.

 

[Willowy]

I have reusable bags but I rarely remember them . So I just get the store's plastic bags. I put the plastic bags in one bag and take them to Walmart (they have a recycle box in the entry) or the recycling center.

 

[raysmyheart]

I like the plastic ones, I always use them for something, or lately I get the ones at the checkout for fifty cents or a dollar if I parked far away. I work in a store and will have to cashier from time to time and I can say from my experience that many customers who bring their own bags are super- particular how they want their bags packed that I often wonder why they don't pack them themselves like I do when I shop. Most people I help with the reusable bags want them packed super-heavy. (Not good for your shoulders).

Personally, I don't re-use even the ones that I do buy for a dollar because I have seen way too many very dirty reusable bags given to me at the checkout and it gets me thinking about the germs on them.

 

[Lari]

I like the plastic ones, I always use them for something, or lately I get the ones at the checkout for fifty cents or a dollar if I parked far away. I work in a store and will have to cashier from time to time and I can say from my experience that many customers who bring their own bags are super- particular how they want their bags packed that I often wonder why they don't pack them themselves like I do when I shop. Most people I help with the reusable bags want them packed super-heavy. (Not good for your shoulders).

Personally, I don't re-use even the ones that I do buy for a dollar because I have seen way too many very dirty reusable bags given to me at the checkout and it gets me thinking about the germs on them.

...it has never occurred to me to clean my reusable bags. Now I feel guilty about it!

I do like having all my heavy water bottles in one bag. Once they go from the cart to the car I leave them in there and pull them out one or two at a time as needed.

I wouldn't mind bagging my own groceries, but the baggers usually won't let you!

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I use the plastic bags and either recycle or use for scooping the litter box.

We have some of the reusable ones but I usually use those for hauling kid stuff.

I've seen collapsible crates that can be used for groceries. I like the look of those. They hold more and then you can stack them in the car.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

I always get plastic bags because I can reuse them when cleaning the litter box.

you prefer the plastic bags, and reuse them when cleaning the litter box!!! great!!

 

[Katie M]

you prefer the plastic bags, and reuse them when cleaning the litter box!!! great!!

I once ordered something from Etsy, and the seller used a ton of plastic bags as packing material. I held on to all of them