Question Of The Day, Sunday, March 4, 2018

[Draco]

Where I am, they recently started to charge for bags. Plastic or paper bags, they charge 5cents per bag. No matter what store you go into (grocery store, department store..)

Some stores (Target) will give you a 5cent discount if you bring your own canvas bag. Charge you 5cents if you use one of their plastic bags. and no discount/charge if you bring in your own plastic bag.

Most of the time I remember to bring my own reusable bag. If I forget it, I'll opt out of a bag if I can carry my items. if not, I'll pay the 5cents.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

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.

you keep your own recyclable bags in your car, and have a thermal bag you use during the hotter months!!! most excellent!!

yes, the plastic bags available here are very thin and flimsy too.

i haven't lived in a city for years, so they might be charging for plastic bags in nearby cities here too, though i don't know one way or the other. Aldi's does charge for plastic bags, and i've never bought any from them.

i bought a couple food service hot/cold (delivery) bags recently, and a case of 10 reusable freezer packs -- they're about 5 inches by 10 inches, and 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. they really are great!

 

[Mia6]

I like the plastic because I use them for dirty litter.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

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.

you bring your own reusable bags!!! very nice!!

i'd never heard of a bag tax. i do have a couple tote bags with handles, small ones.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

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.

you have a good collection of heavy duty reusable 'bags for life', as well as an emergency cloth bag that folds into compact!!! awesome!!

and very cool that your bags for life are all Star Wars or Spiderman themed! you have a shopping trolley too!

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

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.

you get the plastic bags, but prefer the paper bags!!! great!!

and you reuse or recycle the plastic bags too! yes, if all the stores in my area were to start charging for plastic bags, i'd definitely switch to bringing my own totes as needed.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

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.

you buy either the paper or plastic bags at the store!!! excellent!!

ahhh, that happens a lot! even when my shopping list is pretty short, it still almost always ends up that there's more than i can reasonably carry -- so i just automatically bring my cart with me.

 

[artiemom]

I collect the grocery store plastic bags. I used them for different things.. mostly for trash.
I used to put one in each small trash barrel; but since Artie has a plastic fetish, I had to stop doing so...

I still use them for trash.. picking up Artie's vomit or when i have to wash him.. and various other things around the house.

If I go to Trader Joes, or another store where they have the large paper bags with handles; I will bring my own reusable bags. Sometimes I take the paper bag, but only if I have a use for it. The stores seem to fill them too much with heavy items. The handles are not strong enough to hold up..

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I use their plastic bags from the grocery store or from Wal Mart. I have some cloth ones that I use if we go to Aldi's.

 

[Mother Dragon]

My husband made six very sturdy cotton duck tote bags and decorated them with various themes - dragons, space aliens, karate, cats, hot peppers, and southwestern (Kokopelli). They hold just enough not to get too heavy but are very easy to carry. We use them so much that he's making a bunch more. We also have two excellent and spacious thermal bags. When those are filled, we accept the plastic ones at the store. So far, there's no surcharge or discount at most of them.

Here are a few that he made. The last one he made for a friend. He's going to make one for us, too.

 

[Winchester]

Mother Dragon I love your bags! That dragon is awesome!

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

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

you prefer paper bags for heavy items, and plastic bags for other things!!! very nice!!

yes! those plastic bag handles do dig into your hands -- even with mittens/gloves on. before buying my first shopping cart, i'd always get my groceries double plastic bagged, because the bags were so flimsy that i was afraid they'd burst.

and that's great that you reuse both the plastic and paper bags! and your Jasmine gets some of the paper bags for 'kitty fortresses' too!

i'm glad you mentioned those reusable cloth bags that the stores are selling these days. i've seen them, but haven't bought any. after reading that they seem to be about as cheaply made as the plastic grocery bags, i won't consider buying them in the future. i think i'd buy some of those sturdy canvas tote bags with the canvas handles. LL Bean still sells them, as do sellers on Etsy dot com. i found the Totes website -- it's www dot totes dot com. i may have missed them, but i looked there and did not find any tote bags.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

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.

you bring your own bags!!! that's totally awesome!!

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

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.




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.

ahhh, it depends on where you are shopping -- so you either use the plastic bags the stores give, or you bring your own bags!!! and you reuse the plastic and paper bags you get too! excellent!!

yes, it's such a pain, and a mess, when bags holding litter box scoopings have holes or get torn. i use small 4 gallon trash bags for litter box scoopings, and though i'm careful there will sometimes develop a snag or tear in the bag. then it becomes a rush for me to get that bag into another trash bag, then clean up the mess (with Simple Green).

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

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.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

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

you bring your own cloth shopping bags, and sometimes will use the 'granny cart' you bought!!! that's great!!

those carts really do make things easier!

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

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.

you use the plastic bags from the stores, and reuse most of them for litter scoopings!!! very nice!!

my experience has been the same as @Lari 's, that the cashiers at the stores seem to insist that they bag the groceries for me. yes, they can do it faster, but they do pack some bags with heavy items together and other bags have had items smushed because they should never have been packed together. i'd much rather pack the bags myself.

 

[Margret]

i found the Totes website -- it's www dot totes dot com. i may have missed them, but i looked there and did not find any tote bags.

I found them, too. A site search on "bags" got me umbrellas! I'm now certain that this wonderful bag is no longer made.

FWIW, Trader Joes seems to have some decent bags (including insulated ones), and the cheap synthetic bags with heat welded seams and advertising logos on them seem to be pretty good. Frequently you can get them for free because of the advertising. Also, sewing, knitting, etc. shops tend to have some decent bags, intended for crafters so they can carry their current projects with them.

Margret

 

[Mother Dragon]

Soup to Nutz by Rick Stromoski

 

[DreamerRose]

yes, they can do it faster, but they do pack some bags with heavy items together and other bags have had items smushed because they should never have been packed together. i'd much rather pack the bags myself.

I once had a reusable bag filled with a quart of pickles, a half gallon of milk, a large bottle of dish detergent, and a quart of ammonia. The bagger put it in the car, but when I got home, I couldn't lift it out of the trunk. What were they thinking?