Do you bring re-usable bags with you to the grocery store?

[Flaxbee]

If so, do you always remember to bring them? Or only part of the time? Do you find it convenient?

If not, why not?

Just wondering. I see more and more people bringing their bags into the store -- I have yet to form the habit so I do it 100%, but I think seeing others do it will help reinforce my efforts.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. It's part of my routine, my dear Flaxbee...

Purse, list, bags.

I find it reasonably convenient, and besides, the store refunds me a nickel per bag!

[Flaxbee]

4. hey there CalPeggy... happy new year!

I must get serious about it. The plastic bags are convenient for kitty-litter disposal, but I certainly don't need that many ... I'd could use reusables for 90% of my purchases and get a plastic bag or two for the litter...

[LWolf]

2. Yes.

I usually put them right back in the car after I unload them, so they are always there.

Every once in awhile I forget.

[Flaxbee]

6. I"m pretty good about setting and keeping routines, but

DH is not.

I have a shelf right by the door on the way to the car, so I'm sure I could get a routine set pretty easily. A new year's resolution in the making...

[BlueJazz]

3. I like them because the bags don't rip apart and are MUCH easier to carry.

[Flaxbee]

7. Our store seems to offer the kind that look like small tote bags...and they look sturdy, too.

[freshwest]

5. Always, less for me to recycle/trash and look for recycleable packaging if can't buy without any.

Where I live we recycle, compost, etc. My real trash is the smallest amount I handle a month; the largest amount is recyleables, next largest are compostables. When one gets used to practicing that routine, it saves a lot of time and effort. No smelly trash that way, either.

[Flaxbee]

9. Another purchase for me this year will be a compost bin - I'll probably make one

I'd much prefer recycling the food scraps...

[freshwest]

18. It keeps the 'real garbage' cleaner. I make sure all my recycleables are clean, too. I'm lucky that

I have a friend who takes all my vegetable peelings, egg shells, coffee grinds, filters, etc. and puts it in her yard waste bin. The city also takes paper and cardboard like pizza boxes that will compost in a bin. it's about the same size as the real trash bin and the large bin is recycleables.

Where I live we have one dumpster for trash and another for recylceables. I put my veggie thing and coffee ground in a laundry type bucket with a tight fitting lid. No meat or anything like that.

We can take batteries and things like that to city offices and events to get rid fo them. It's been a long time since I've had a compost pile at home. It's just great for the garden if cultivated well. The city though takes more than most home compost piles would be able to work with as they add all kinds of things to make it hotter.

Some people have purchased those outfits that turn compostables into a vinegary sort of thing, with a closed anerobic method suitable for apartments. We're phasing out plastic bags at the grocery stores so some people are saving some of theirs at home for certain things since there will be less of them eventually.

Good luck on the compost pile!

[nadine_mn]

63. I don't have the commitment to compost at home so we bring our compostables to the

County recycling center. We make one trip a week (on our way to do other errands so its not wasting gas) to drop off our organics (not just food scraps but some paper food containers that can't be recycled, but can be composted) for free.

Our trash system is complicated - one trash can for organics, paper bags in the kitchen for recycling, and one trash can for other garbage. It took a bit for it to become a habit. The plus side our non-recyclable non-compostable garbage is maybe one to 2 trash bags a week. We are working hard to limit our trash.

[taterguy]

8. Oh great, another hater of hard-working plastic bag makers

Shame on you.

I keed,

I keed.

[Flaxbee]

10. You're just resistant to change, and would probably ride a horse and prefer vinyl records.

Oh wait, I prefer horses and vinyl, too.

[lost-in-nj]

37. me to....

horses and vinyl...


lost

[Aristus]

11. Almost all the time.

Every once in a while, maybe 1 out of 20 shopping trips, I'll forget to bring my own bags. So I make as part of my routine the return of my re-usable bags to the trunk of my car after putting the groceries away.

[Flaxbee]

13. How long did it take you to regularly remember to bring the bags with you?

The spirit is willing, but my memory is weak.

[Aristus]

17. Not long at all.

And when I do forget my bags, I always request paper bags instead. Then, after putting the groceries away, go right into the recycler.

[randr]

12. I carry them with me but often forget to bring them into store

I have asked the management to post signs in the parking lot reminding people to carry in their bags but to no avail so far.

[Flaxbee]

15. Gah! Yes, that seems to be my problem, too. Leave 'em in the car. My husband and I

often are together, and he'll drop me off to shop for groceries while he runs other errands, so it's not like I can run back to the car and get them...

[DogPawsBiscuitsNGrav]

38. Same here. We hang them on the door so we remember to get them to the car but

end up many times playing rock, paper, scissors for who's running back out to the car to bring them into the store.

[one_voice]

14. I do...

I use these and I love, love, love them...they make my shopping A LOT easier. They were worth every penny.

I don't have this exact one but one similar. Mine is a little bigger. I use one like this for my cold things, it's also good if you're going to a bbq or get together and you're bringing cold stuff...



http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/Catalog/Product/76/index.html


and one like this for other stuff....one trip from the car to the house. The hold a lot, and are easy to pack, and you can use them for other things too.



http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/Catalog/Product/28/index.html

[Flaxbee]

16. so you bought them separately from what the store offers?

Each store seems to have their own kind, now ... I'll check those links out. Thanks.

[one_voice]

26. Not through a store..

they're called 31 bags. If you go to the link, you'll see their catalog, and you can go from there. They are a little pricey, but I think they're worth it. My sister hosted one of their parties--yeah I know, I usually never go to those things but it was my sister. But these bags totally worth it in my opinion. I get so many compliments at the store, and like I said you can use them for other things too. They have all kinds of bags, they even have stuff for pets. Browse the catalog.

[fizzgig]

19. i usually do

i forget sometimes, but i try to make a habit of it.

[doc03]

20. I have them but forget them most of the time. n/t

[siligut]

21. Yes, we have several re-usable bags

One is very strong but thin nylon and it fits into a bag the size of a lime, I just keep it in my purse. Two are in the car, one is in the truck and the two I use all of the time are on a hook in the kitchen.

If I forget to grab my favorite from the kitchen or if I drop by the market unexpectedly, then I have the bags in the car. If I am out walking and need a bag, I use the one in my purse. In Seattle, you pay $.05 a bag if you don't have your own.

Good luck, soon I am guessing the whole country will go the way of Seattle and you will be prepared.

[hobbit709]

22. If I remember, but most of the time I forget.

May have something to do with the fact that the bags are in the kitchen and usually when I go to the store I leave straight out of the computer room.

[ellisonz]

23. Yes.

I remember most of the time. The only times I don't are because I wasn't planning on going to the store and then the bags are always put to good use i.e. dog poop.

[Arugula Latte]

24. I remember about 80 percent of the time, plus I keep two collapsable bags in my purse if I forget.

Bags like these are so handy:

[marzipanni]

27. Those look good... I got one similar but the design was bad

The handles were made so that the edge, not the flat part, rested on the hand or arm and was not comfortable. I got it in its little bag, marked down at the hardware store, now I know why!

[Arkansas Granny]

25. Yes. I have a couple of large ones that I take when

when I'm doing my weekly grocery shopping and a smaller, lightweight one that stays in my purse for small, impromptu shopping. I like not having so many of those plastic bags around.

[annabanana]

28. I have an "Air America" canvas bag that I use.

"Leaking the Truth 24 Hours a Day"

Also a motley assortment of the ones you can buy at the store that they give you $.05 refund for using.

[nolabear]

29. We have to buy paper bags now and there are no plastic. I sometimes buy them.

I do that because 1) I do forget the damned things sometimes and 2) we use paper bags for our recycling cans so need to have a couple a week.

Everybody here has bags, and it's a good thing. It has also given rise to the funny phenomenon of those bags showing up everywhere. Heck, when I go to writing retreats or some other non-flying distant place, half the people there show up with their weekend possessions in the nicer looking ones. We women look like very high class bag ladies.

[marzipanni]

30. Real fabric ones- not the polypropylene fake fabric ones sold for 99¢ at grocery store

I have some fake fabric grocery bags, but they are getting holes in the bottom edges, and the label says they're machine washable but not dryable (they'd melt?)
To get in the habit, if you take your purse every time you leave maybe tie a ribbon on the strap as a reminder to take a few bags, too.

If I find sturdy nylon ones shaped like a paper grocery bag with handles long enough to hang on my shoulder, I'd buy them, or maybe make a couple. I have one from Target that I like that is light cotton canvas, cost ~$5.00. I'd prefer nylon because my dog often goes for a ride, and dog hair doesn't stick to slick nylon!

My neighbor has put her bags on the roof of her car in the dark garage, then backed out of the garage. I found them in the street once, and my husband found one another time in the street in front of her house and we returned them to her... nice to know I'm not alone in being absent-minded!

You can make a backyard compost bin by buying 3' wide 1"x2" (spaces between wire)welded wire, about 12' long formed into a drum-shaped bin. Just keep layering leaves, grass clippings, coffee grounds and tea leaves, fruit/veggie peels etc. My husband made ours and takes its temperature- it gets up to 155+ºF. Wish we could pipe the heat into our house!

[handmade34]

31. always unpack and then hang empties on the doorknob

I kicked myself whenever I used to forget... I make shopping bags out of recycled materials... hope to mass produce and get more out there as soon as I get off the trail...

[easttexaslefty]

32. Yes, I do.

Every now and then I'll get the plastic bags so I can recycle them for small trash.

[tabbycat31]

33. I try to

Sometimes I forget to put them back in the car.

[GoCubsGo]

34. Most of the time.

I keep them in my car so I don't forget them. When I unpack them, I stick them on the roof of my car, which I keep in the garage. My cat likes to go out there and nap on them. If I am running low on used bread bags, etc., I might forgo them, as I need somthing in which to put used kitty litter.

[Wounded Bear]

35. Yeah, when I remember to......

I don't always, though. My bad.

[lost-in-nj]

36. I love my insulated bags

the Stop & Shop by me offers a a scanner you can bring into the store and scan everything you put into your bags the people with useable bags do the self checkout with the scanner... they scan an item then put it into the bag . at the register you scan the scanner and pay the total...
I use my bags but I don't use the self checkout scanners
they also take $.05 cents off your bill for every bag you use

I like them they are actually easier to carry into the house




lost

[Orrex]

39. I take a large-ish canvas bag to the grocery store

And then I stuff it full of plastic bags for resale on the black market.

It's a goldmine, I tell you!

[GoneOffShore]

40. Always and to Lowe's and Marshall's as well.

And if I forget the bags - little chance of that as there are always some in the boot of the car - I walk out with the receipt , my purchase and no plastic bag(unless I need a couple).

[Remmah2]

41. It takes awhile to form a good habit but eventually you do.

I've learned to put the bags back into the cars as soon as we empty them that way they are there when we go out next time.

After awhile it becomes second nature and you don't think about it.

[ashling]

42. They are a permanent accessory in the back of my vehicle.

Do I always remember to bring them in? Hell, I'm a senior citizen - I'm lucky . . .

what?

[riderinthestorm]

43. Always. Not sure why I remember THIS but somehow I do, in spite of forgetting everything else

in my life.

A decade or so, before I got into the habit, my SIL came to visit from Santa Cruz CA (I live in IL). We were at our local grocery store, buying a few odds and ends. They asked "paper or plastic or your own"? I reflexively answered "paper" whilst my SIL - FROM CA!!!!! - pulled out two crumpled bags from her purse and said "our own".

I could not believe it!!!

She traveled from CA with her own grocery bags. I was knocked out.

I have made it a point to make sure I always have my own bags ever since. I rarely forget.

If you do, just ask for the paper bags as they are recyclable.

[neighbor]

44. I made a few

Yeah, I know... a guy that knows how to run a sewing machine.

I like the fact that they're stronger, have longer handles and a shoulder strap.
Less trips to the car with less breaks and spills on those trips.

I even added some pretty cool looking reinforcement to the bottom, some old coffee bags and rice bags sew up nicely, add some attitude and I can tell which bag is which.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

45. Welcome to DU, neighbor!

I think it's great that you know how to use a sewing machine. It's a very useful skill, as you know.

Please be careful during your time in Afghanistan. Are you in the military? Don't mind me....I'm just curious!

I hope you'll find DU a good place to be.

[neighbor]

51. Thanks, I appreciate the welcome

Yes, I'm active duty Army. Getting ready to go home soon.

I plan on becoming an active and useful member here. Again, thank you for the warm welcome.

[Flaxbee]

59. hey neighbor, welcome to DU and my thread!

You could probably sell those bags, you know.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

46. I keep them in the trunk of my car

That way I don't get to the store and realize I've forgotten them. Also it keeps the plastic bags from taking over my house.

[elleng]

48. Trunk of my car doesn't work!

If they're not in the front passenger seat, I'll likely forget!

[WhoIsNumberNone]

50. At first I did forget- Eventually you get in the habit though.

[elleng]

47. Yes; try to remember.

County charges nickel for those NOT bringing bags.

[Chellee]

49. Always.

I keep them in the trunk. When I get back from a shopping trip they go on the front door knob so the next time I leave the house I remember to put them back in the car.

I have two that I use only for clothes stores, the rest do groceries, hardware, whatever.

I like it because then I don't have to figure out what to do with the empty bags. I use to use them for cat litter, but now, since I hardly ever have any, I use paper lunch bags when I scoop the litter box.

[RiffRandell]

52. Always.

Have been for years. We always leave some in each car in case we stop on the way home, and that way we never forget them.

[Pool Hall Ace]

53. I keep mine in the car, and *most* of the time I remember to bring them in.

At some stores, though, the cashier seems to be on autopilot and automatically places the groceries in plastic without asking, or even listening to me when I say that I have brought my own bags.

[NoPasaran]

54. No!

Although our bag-grabbing sonuvabitch mayor is trying to force me to.

[MrsBrady]

55. i have cats and dogs

I use the bags to help clean up dog poo outside and cat poo inside.

If the store didn't give them to me, I'd have to buy plastic bags to pick up poo.
In fact, I still do have to buy them because sometimes I run out of the free ones.

[Flaxbee]

60. same here - I use the plastic bags to line the kitty-poo/litter trashcans stationed at each

litter box, but I still end up with way too many plastic bags. If I could even reduce my plastic take-home by half, I'd be in good shape, I think.

[sinkingfeeling]

56. Yes, I take them 99.9% of the time. I got a set of 4 nylon bags that roll up and fit

in a pouch about 5" by 8". I just carry that into the store and have 4 bags that carry a lot of weight and are easy to wash.

[Neoma]

57. Yes we do!

8 bags is the magic number. We got cloth bags that are exactly shaped like a plastic bag, except it is just hemp and all the bags can fit into one of the bags, so it's easy to carry around. The problem is mainly people ignoring you that you don't want a plastic bag. Arseholes.

[AnneD]

58. I have a pretty high reuse rate....

I always keep the bags in the car and place them back again after a shopping trip. I will have to admit that I was careless this holiday season. But with a cat and dog, those bags will be reused quickly.

[Art_from_Ark]

61. It depends on the grocery store

In this part of Japan, plastic grocery bags are burned as fuel in co-generation incinerators. I might get bags when I buy stuff from one store than doesn't charge for them, then reuse them at another store that either charges for plastic bags, or doesn't offer them. The plastic bags might be reused 2 or 3 times in this way, then they become garbage can liners or are used as containers for putting recyclable materials out for collection.

[nadine_mn]

62. most of the time yes - sometimes we need paper bags or plastic

for our recycling or to line our garbages so we that is when we don't

We have a nice selection of our own re-usable bags and even got some nice produce to replace those plastic ones at the store (those I forget to bring) and we keep them in the car so we don't forget.

They are sturdy and much more convenient!

[madinmaryland]

64. Yes.

[CheapShotArtist]

65. I never did before, but I probably will in the future

with this bullshit law they came up with in the Bay Area where you get charged 10 cents extra per bag. I was just at Walgreens today, and I was like fuck getting a bag. I'd rather carry my stuff out in my pockets. They want to charge everybody extra for freaking BAGS--why not just raise the top tax rates even higher? The rich can afford to pay it.

[littlemissmartypants]

66. In 1992 I lived on the third floor. One day as I approached the door to the...

apartment the plastic bags I was carrying began systematically breaking apart. I watched milk, mayo and cranberry juice travel down the stairs with my canned goods. I cried out, as my carefully selected fresh lettuce, celery, mushrooms and tomatoes tumbled down while breaking, bruising and smashing. I did not hold back the tears for I am serious about food and cooking and I am a penny pincer from way back who had no choice but to watch as "money" rolled down step after step below me. After all was said and done there was a multicolored mess left for me to clean up (err down) off three flights of open wooden steps. I thank God no one else was there that day. I fear the many cans of tomato puree that were intended for spaghetti sauce may have killed or at least maimed someone on a lower floor. Yes, I was just about to reach the door and a disaster I will never forget in 1992 has lead to me consistently without excuse or complaint using heavy duty washable canvas bags for my groceries. I highly recommend them. LMSP

[yewberry]

67. Yup. In Seattle, there's a charge for bags.

You do get used to it. I have a variety of bags at home and in the car, so I'm usually all set. At the same time, most of my shopping trips are the frequent produce-only trips, so I often don't need a bag for those.

[4theleft]

68. Yes I do

My local organic grocery offers a discount for using reusable bags.

Plus the reusable bags are insulated and keep my groceries cold on my hour long drive home.

[Agschmid]

69. Welcome to DU!

[HeiressofBickworth]

70. I always get plastic bags

before you jump on me, let me explain. We have four cats so there is a lot of used kitty litter. Our waste hauler REQUIRES that we use plastic bags -- doubled -- for used kitty litter. So until the waste hauler changes its requirement, I must continue to use plastic bags. The grocery store hasn't started charging for plastic yet, but probably will sometime. Not sure what I will do then...

[patricia92243]

71. My grocery store accepts plastic bags to be recycled - even from other stores. When I have

a bag full of bags, I take them there.

[davsand]

72. MOST of the time I remember to take bags.

I have a variety of bags that are for re-use. My favorites are the Chico Bags because you can pack a LOT in one and they are easy to carry even when full. I also like the fact that they pack up small and are not a pain to carry around. Here's my latest Chico:





I have three or four of those kind of bags, plus I keep other re-use bags in my trunk. What I finally realized was that if I just had a few bags, I could grab the empty ones and take them to the car with me when I was on my way out to go anyplace and then they'd be there when I went to the store.



Laura

[dr.strangelove]

73. I sometimes forget them, but most of the time I do

It is mostly about weather. After I unpack, I bring the bags back out to my car. but sometimes if it is raining I leave them in the kitchen, then they sit there for a week and don;t get put into the car until I shop and realize I forgot them. My brain seems to be wearing out before the rest of me, though my knees are not too far behind.

[RedCloud]

74. I have collapsable stackables!

I car load my crap into them!

[geardaddy]

75. When I remember, I do.

[union_maid]

76. When I can remember

I'm very bad about remembering. For one thing, sometimes I go in my car, but since I fractured bones in both feet my sister often takes me in hers, even though I'm a lot better now. We have bought a ton of the re-usable bags. Besides being greener, they're much better for carrying the groceries. And our supermarket offers insulated ones now, too, which is a big help when it's warmer out. I guess remembering to bring them could be a New Year's Resolution.