The Reusable Shopping Bag Topic

[Special K]

I have recently purchased a couple of reusable totes from my local QFC. They only cost about a buck and a quarter, and they're very sturdy. All of the area grocery stores have been carrying them recently. I think it's a great solution.

[snowangel]

I, too, love the TJ's buck bags. Unlike many of the totes I own, they have a bottom that is expandable.

Oh, and don't ever bag my groceries for me, unless you are one of my kids, and the rules have been drilled into them. I, too, pack very organized, and if I know that a bag o stuff is going to the basement for the extra storage space, it's in one bag. Stuff for the cabin or the deep freeze is in another bag. A big school fundraiser here is to hand a bucket and have a sports team bag your groceries. I always tell them that I will bag them for myself, but here's a couple of bucks -- could you please put it in the donation box?

Dave, I'd never thought about the roaches and paper bags because bugs aren't a problem up here, but I'm becoming far more conservative in my use of resources, and now that our recycle bins have covers, I don't need the bags for recycling, and I've made the commitment not to use trash bags. Simply dump the trash into the bin and a quick sponge out after I empty the trash (I compost a ton of stuff), and I figure I'm not only reusing and recycling, but simply not using! (I'm the person who maintains that Hefty has the greatest scam going -- convincing people that they need to purchase something for the express purpose of throwing it away).

Oh, and none of my kids will shop with me because I bring in clean, dry bags to the grocery for the produce that needs a bag.

[Rebecca263]

My car was broken into and my entire collection of cloth tote bags was stolen. That was ALL that was stolen! 20 years of collecting, gone in a moment. I would rather the thief had taken the stereo, it would have been far easier to replace. Now I am left with 2 totes, an immense black luggage fabric Tupperware tote, large enough to hold a car trunk worth of goods, and a slightly smaller Ikea tote, which I can say for a fact holds 18 boxes of Pepperidge Farm cookies, a frozen Pepperidge Farm cake and 3 boxes of tea alongside. (We're having a tasting- or should I say a critique of taste?). So, I have looked on ebaY, and there is a plethora of canvas totes up, with good prices, and of plain design, so they can be decorated to your taste. Hey, I'm a cheap date, ebaY is my go to shop. Perhaps, though, we eGulleteers can use this thread as an opportunity to support our beloved society, by purchasing THESE ! The eGullet-ote! I can't afford these lovely bags, but I know that many of us can, and they are beautiful!

[Lori in PA]

Give your opinion: I've seen two kinds of re-usable shopping bags at Trader Joe's. The $1 one looks like a plastic woven fiber-y material. The $2 one is nice-looking canvas. I was afraid the cheaper one wouldn't last. Who has experience to share? Are they durable? Is the more expensive one the way to go?

[baroness]

Give your opinion: I've seen two kinds of re-usable shopping bags at Trader Joe's. The $1 one looks like a plastic woven fiber-y material. The $2 one is nice-looking canvas. I was afraid the cheaper one wouldn't last. Who has experience to share? Are they durable? Is the more expensive one the way to go?

←

Both types are good; the woven plastic ones are better for damp items (or damp weather). . .

[andiesenji]

I use canvas totes like these:

blank canvas totes

I bought some at Michael's crafts, reasonably priced.

However, last year I was looking for something in Big Lots and came across stacks of large canvas totes 2 for a dollar, so I bought a stack. I still have a bunch. I have a van, center seat removed, so I have a large cargo area that contains an open tub, a foldable cargo organizer and a cooler that plugs in to the power sockets in the van.

I painted "FRIDGE", "FREEZER", "PRODUCE" "HOT-STUFF" on some of the bags, using fabric paint/dye I bought at Michael's.

TJs is no problem, they know to keep like things together. At other markets, I separate things on the belt and tell the checker and/or bagger to keep them separate. Sometimes I bag my own.

The bags with the cold stuff go straight into cooler - its deep enough to hold full bags.

Heavy stuff goes into the cargo carrier, that has dividers - stuff doesn't roll around. Everything else goes into the tub, heavy stuff on the bottom. If I have to transport delicate things such as pies, etc., I have a shallow tub that will fit into and hang on the top edge of the big tub.

I also have a couple of the collapsable shiny silver hot/cold zipped containers that are always in the van for keeping hot stuff hot. They are just the right size to hold one of the tote bags filled 3/4 or less.

Every swap meet I have visited always has a vendor selling blank tote bags, cheap! That is the place to look if you can't find another source.

TJs prices aren't bad but in some stores they are way overpriced.

[Tropicalsenior]

I just got back from shopping, which I only do once a week. My blood pressure can't stand the shock of the rising prices more often than that. I realized that I have developed a system of shopping that accommodates most of my weaknesses. When bringing your own bag became absolutely mandatory here, I bought a lot of inexpensive colored bags. Now when I get to the checkout counter, I have three requests of the checker. First and most important don't fill the bags too heavy, second, put all the refrigerated things in the blue bags, put all the vegetables in the red bags and everything else in the green. I make sure that I separate everything on the conveyor belt just to make it easier for them. Everything in the blue bags has to go in an insulated bag in the car just to get home because it gets so hot down here. 

Then when I get home I know that I have to put everything in the blue bags away first, then the red bags and then, if I'm exhausted, I can sit down with a glass of iced tea, put my feet up and stare at the green ones without any guilt.

[BeeZee]

Last year I bought some mesh reusable bags for produce, in part because of the plastic bag frustration. I still use the plastic bags for wet items like lettuce/greens since the supermarket insists on "misting" the greens to keep them fresh. Or packaged meat which may leak. We are going to "bring your own bag" later next year, the system that @Tropicalsenior uses is very smart. I separate items as I put them on the belt, but bagging does tend to become random if not monitored. I also "prioritize" grocery items for putting away, this makes it dead simple.

Edited December 9, 2021 by BeeZee
corrected thought (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

The store that I go to has something that seems to be unique in our area. It is a carousel that sits at the end of the checkout counter. The checker can hang five or six bags on it and rotate it to put things in the appropriate bag if necessary. I wish that I had taken a picture of it today. The people in this store are really something special. There is a store from this chain that is less than a mile from my house but I drive almost five miles to this one just for the service.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[chromedome]

13 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

The store that I go to has something that seems to be unique in our area. It is a carousel that sits at the end of the checkout counter. The checker can hang five or six bags on it and rotate it to put things in the appropriate bag if necessary. I wish that I had taken a picture of it today. The people in this store are really something special. There is a store from this chain that is less than a mile from my house but I drive almost five miles to this one just for the service.

We have those where I live, too. One chain (Sobeys) uses them, the other (Superstore) does not.

[Tropicalsenior]

2 minutes ago, chromedome said:

We have those where I live, too. One chain (Sobeys) uses them, the other (Superstore) does not.

I don't know why they don't all use them. It's faster, it eliminates the need for a separate bagman, it has a neat little area in the center to put items that need to go in last and it makes it so much easier to accommodate difficult people like me. They do it with a smile, at least I think they do. Hard to tell with the mask.

[Tropicalsenior]

41 minutes ago, BeeZee said:

Last year I bought some mesh reusable bags for produce, in part because of the plastic bag frustration.

I love that idea. I'm going to have to see if I can find any here.

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, BeeZee said:

Last year I bought some mesh reusable bags for produce,

I liked the idea so much that I went to Amazon to see what they offer and I found this

https://www.amazon.com/YIHONG-Produce-Reusable-Drawstring-Colorful/dp/B07G9T9JLK/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=mesh%2Bshopping%2Bbags%2Bfor%2Bproduce&qid=1639090328&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1

I can't order things on Amazon here in Costa Rica because of the cost of shipping but I've got a grandson that works at Amazon and he's coming to visit right after Christmas. This has gone on my wishlist.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

3 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

The store that I go to has something that seems to be unique in our area. It is a carousel that sits at the end of the checkout counter. The checker can hang five or six bags on it and rotate it to put things in the appropriate bag if necessary. I wish that I had taken a picture of it today. The people in this store are really something special. There is a store from this chain that is less than a mile from my house but I drive almost five miles to this one just for the service.

Walmart has those carousels, but you have to watch them, depending on how fast your checker is, to  make sure that each customer clears and gets all of their bags.  And that you retrieve all of yours before the customer behind you starts collecting.  

Edited December 10, 2021 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

My grandson just let me know that he has ordered my bags. He was kind of incredulous that I was asking him to bring plastic bags to Costa Rica but he's getting them.

Just the word from the horse's mouth, head office at Amazon, and this is a direct quote from him.

"Keep in mind a lot of this stuff takes longer to get to me because shipping #$%^ is messed up right now Prime shipping or not".

 It seems that right now about half of my wishlist is in jeopardy. If you want to order anything for Christmas, order it now!

Edited December 10, 2021 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

 

I nailed the family several days ago, told them that I did not have the capacity to "shop" for Christmas, ergo, they needed to line up and give me specific requests.    I must have scared them in submission 'cause by this morning i had a tidy list which I dispatched (Target, Macy's, Amazon) and actually have everything en route as we speak.     The most rewarding one was a tween granddaughter who wanted a "baking kit" from a fancy catalog.    I asked her if I could make up one for her and she was delighted.  So adding an American Test Kitchen kids' cookbook, I will box up some extraordinary cookie cutters and molds, baking tins, mini-cake tins, etc.   Eat your heart out, MndWare Catalog!

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

I asked her if I could make up one for her

That would be fun, and oh so easy to get carried away. Wooden spoon set, whisk, apron and oven mitts. Things that she will treasure forever.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

51 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

That would be fun, and oh so easy to get carried away. Wooden spoon set, whisk, apron and oven mitts. Things that she will treasure forever.

 

When she turns 21 a corkscrew.

 

[lindag]

18 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I just got back from shopping, which I only do once a week. My blood pressure can't stand the shock of the rising prices more often than that. I realized that I have developed a system of shopping that accommodates most of my weaknesses. When bringing your own bag became absolutely mandatory here, I bought a lot of inexpensive colored bags. Now when I get to the checkout counter, I have three requests of the checker. First and most important don't fill the bags too heavy, second, put all the refrigerated things in the blue bags, put all the vegetables in the red bags and everything else in the green. I make sure that I separate everything on the conveyor belt just to make it easier for them. Everything in the blue bags has to go in an insulated bag in the car just to get home because it gets so hot down here. 

Then when I get home I know that I have to put everything in the blue bags away first, then the red bags and then, if I'm exhausted, I can sit down with a glass of iced tea, put my feet up and stare at the green ones without any guilt.

How clever!

[palo]

I leave my bags in the car. I put things back in the cart after checking out and then out to the car where I distribute them to my liking - I have a collapsible cooler in the car for the cold. I return the cart to one of their shopping cart corrals in the parking lot. No more bread at the bottom of the bag.

Works for me.

 

p

[lindag]

When my friend and I go on a grocery binge we take our own bags.

However, it is not uncommon for us to leave them in the trunk when we go inside.

 

[TdeV]

I have many fabric shopping bags, like these

 

 

 

From Lee Valley Tools

[Shel_B]

Trader Joe's has, over the years, produced numerous stylish and commemorative bags.  Some have become collector's items and command very high price.  Here are some of TJ's creations:

 

eliminated duplicates

Edited April 30 by Shel_B
eliminated duplicates (log)

[liuzhou]

Lifestyle Advice

 

 

 

[Maison Rustique]

Whenever I go to Trader Joe's, I get asked about my bags, as many are from 35 or so years ago when we lived in California. Since TJs has only been in this area for fewer than 10 years, they've never seen them. I'll have to dig them out one day and take pix.