So my supermarket staffers tell me as of Aug. 1 it will charge 10 cents per plastic grocery bag.

[CTyankee]

I had a thread some time back here on DU on the effects of the poorer customers and how much of a burden will be added to their grocery bills, which many struggle to pay for in the first place. It was an interesting discussion.

We had started saving our bags to reuse when this would happen but have limited space in our kitchen to do so. We don't have many cloth bags available but will get them soon.

The question of how the poor would be able to cope with this issue has been before us for some time but that discussion is now becoming a reality. Can you tell me how your town/city has coped with the issue with regard to the added costs to poorer communities?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Cloth or string bags are very cheap, and you need only a few.

I've been getting along fine on a single large nylon bag with handles.

[True Blue American]

22. Buy a couple of $1

Bags and you are good to go. I buy a paper bag at Aldis. for 6 cents or a really nice,reusable bag with handles for 10 cents.

Will be glad to get rid of those miserable plastic bags that split, hard to carry.

[ginnyinWI]

23. I use cloth grocery bags, and

have recently started saving my plastic produce bags to reuse for more produce, until they get ripped up anyway.

And we used to use old grocery bags for kitty litter daily. Now we have a small plastic bucket and collect the clumps, then pour that into a covered plastic bag-lined bin in the garage. Then it goes into the trash when filled up. Only a little thing but it eels better.

Just returned from the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, where they no longer give out straws with their drinks at the camp stores. They have a top with a "sippy cup" opening in it. Spill resistant and no plastic straw waste.

[BeyondGeography]

2. We've choked the world with our plastic

Everyone’s habits must change. There will be tougher ones than this.

[CTyankee]

6. The question is one of a burden on the poor who have a small enough food budget as it is.

If they pay with food stamps, will they cover the cost of the bags?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. Buy a bag and reuse it, you don't have to buy a new one every time.

Reusable bags are really cheap.

[BeyondGeography]

15. Bring your own bag

Those plastic bags are durable; load up on them now while they’re free, double them up, put them in your pocket. If you have a backpack or any other large bag you can shop with, store them in there and take them out as needed. There are a lot of ways to cope. People will figure it out.

[TeamPooka]

90. Many companies give away free reusable bags with their logos on them. I have them

from many professionals and companies and keep them in my trunk.
Los Angeles has been doing this bag thing for years now.

The point is not to make people spend an extra 10cents per bag.
it's to get them to reuse bags, reduce pollution, and save the planet we are currently killing with our garbage.

[SMC22307]

101. Keep boxes in the trunk of the car...

like my grandfather did way back when.

[cwydro]

132. Oh please. You can buy one or two bags for 2 bucks.

You reuse the bags.

People here seem to think it’s too much trouble to bring their own bags.

Ive read on this site how posters will not bag the’r own groceries at a self checkout line. Lazy is a nice word for it.

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

3. Long ago we had a charge on soda bottles....

... I know it's not the same exactly...

but you're not charging them for USING their OWN 'plastic bags'.... buy one for 10c and use for 10 times You've 'saved 90c)

[CTyankee]

8. Yes. It is a new habit we must get used to developing.

I'm surprised the state didn't do this long ago, when we knew what a problem the plastic bags present.

[moonscape]

25. It's shameful it has taken this

long in the US. I was using my own bags in Europe in the 70’s.

We’ve had this for a while in CA, but when I was visiting in NC it was amazing to see baggers. Put. Just a couple of items in a plastic bag and folks leaving with a sea of plastic in their cart as they left the store.

[CTyankee]

11. My city recycles soda bottles so that takes care of that issue. It does not recycle the plastic

bags from the supermarket, for some reason (it does recycle other plastic bags so go figure

[scarytomcat]

41. And we should go back to that and do plastic bottles too

Two stores I shop have remodeled and have made using your own large bags very difficult.

[pangaia]

53. why is it difficult?

[marybourg]

62. I have the same issue. In my store it's because the

whole post-cash register area is very short and taken up with a carousel where plastic bags hang from a frame like in Walmart. No place to place and open cloth bags. Only 2 registers are like this so far, but I avoid them when they’re open. The cashiers and baggers hate the cloth bags because they can’t just drop items in; they have to be held upright and open with one hand.

[pangaia]

115. I must correct myself-- my bags are NOT in fact cloth.

They are some other material and the bags DO stand up.

They are WEGMAN'S bags, which is where I shop.... a very good NE USA small chain. Treats it's employees well, good quality, and has been, in the last some years, in the top 3 of most liked american businesses.

The bags cost $1.

[cwydro]

133. How is it difficult?

A bag is a bag is a bag. I bring my own bags everywhere I go.

[aikoaiko]

4. Bobolink thought such environmental minded policies hurt the poor

She was a fierce advocate for the poor and homeless (being one herself) on this forum. Sometimes too fierce, but she made me think about how these types of well-intentioned policies would hurt the homeless and poor.

Bobolinks left DU a long time ago. I hope she is well.

[pangaia]

54. How in the world will this hurt the poor?

Use a cloth bag.

Some/many stores even sell them. $1. They last 'forever.'

[WillowTree]

91. Far from "forever".

Reusable grocery bags collect all sorts of soil and bacteria and stuff. They need to be laundered regularly and those faux fabric pressed paper things you get for $1 won't hold up to that.

I haven't seen them recently, but one of the local grocers was selling really well-made bags constructed of sturdy canvas for $5. I'm fortunate that I could afford to buy a half dozen of those and they do visit the washing machine frequently. Nice for me, but those would be a major investment for lots of people and out of the question for those who are genuinely poor.

At this point they would probably be well advised to start stockpiling the free plastic bags while they're still free so they can be reused after the new rules take effect. Don't know what alternatives there would be.

[susanna]

97. I hear what you are saying...

but if you have what you feel are 'dirty' reusable $1 bags, ask for a plastic bag as a liner for each. If you do that, you're still not taking home 20+ plastic grocery bags (that you then have to recycle), instead only taking home one per each reusable bag (which tend to have stronger handles and better weight limits). On most grocery trips, I use three of the reusables.

Also, a wet sponge with some hydrogen peroxide cleans those reusable bags out like a champ unless a catastrophic spill has occurred.

I have both canvas and the store-bought type. Never have gotten sick from either, washable or not. I use mostly the store-bought ones, to be honest; they are shaped better to handle most groceries, and for raw meat I always ask for a plastic wrap, anyway.

Just throwing that out there. There is more than one way to handle this, I think.

[pangaia]

117. I get " those faux fabric pressed paper things" from Wegman's $1.

I have a couple.. No question these have lasted at least a year...

That's why I pout "forever" in quotes. Putting FOREVER in quotes means the writer doesn't REALLY mean "FOREVER" but a "long time."

As in, "Yeah, dude, they last like, forever, know what I mean?"

[WillowTree]

119. Good for you. I prefer to carry food home in bags that can be & are thoroughly laundered regularly.

[TheFarseer]

5. It's not that much money for some bags.

The super market we often go to offers a discount for bringing your own bags and I still forget half the time. I guess I’m one of those that needs the stick instead of the carrot to get off plastic bags. I’m going to try to just keep them in my trunk so I’ll have them when I need them.

[Blue_true]

46. Publix where I live give a shopper the option of plastic or paper,

The chain seems to encourage people bringing their own bags, I saw a woman this week with a grocery cart full of her own shopping bags that were holding the purchases that she was loading into her vehicle. The health food store that I frequent only use paper and seems to be moving to bamboo paper,

[womanofthehills]

68. Vitamin Cottage (Natural Grocers) in Albuquerque has no bags - but lots of boxes

If you don't bring your own bags, there is a bin by the checkout with all the boxes the store's food supply came in. I like this store as the prices are really good and they only carry organic vegetables.

So, you carry your food out in a box.

[marybourg]

87. The co-op used to do that many years ago. Is the co-op

still around?

[stopbush]

114. By volume, paper bags take up seven times the space

as do a comparable number of plastic bags. When it comes to landfills, modern landfills are lined with a poly liner that prevents chemicals from leeching into the surrounding soil.

So if one is going by the volume of trash created, plastic bags are a better choice than paper. We have an aversion to plastic bags because one doesn’t see paper bags wrapped around the necks of wildlife, nor blowing down the street.

Personally, we’ve been using reusable cloth/heavy plastic bags for well over a decade. I’m surprised this issue is still an issue when an excellent alternative has long been available.

[Blue_true]

131. The copy that recycles trash for my county takes all paper and cardboard.

It won't take plastic grocery or trash bags for recycling. I know that me and my nearest neighbor's activity recycle all of our paper and cardboard, even paper and cardboard with print on it, because the recycler wants that stuff.

[pangaia]

56. Keep a couple of cloth bags in your truck.

[CrispyQ]

109. I keep them with my car keys on a bookshelf in the house, not in the car.

[MaryMagdaline]

112. I finally trained myself to keep the canvass bag in my car

If I have a last minute run to the store, the bag is always there. If the trip is planned and it’s a big shopping trip, I have a cabinet full of plastic bags.

Having read the post, I’m thinking that Goodwill should start collecting canvass bags to give away to the poor.

Our Publix shops have recycle bins for plastic. I’ve never used them (I suspect they just throw away). I’ve been hoarding. Now I will just re-use.

[TheFarseer]

121. Thats a good idea about Goodwill

I’ll have you know I remembered to bring bags to the grocery store today and saved thirty cents off a bill of over $100.

[Shrike47]

7. Cloth bags costs 99 cents at my store and you get a nickel off each time you use it.

Essentially, they are free. Mine last so long that I’m making money on them. They live in the car.

My city outlawed plastic bags several years ago. We’ve gotten used to it. You can buy a paper bag at the store if you really want one; most of us don’t buy them.

[pangaia]

58. I know. Me too. I mean, WHAT is the big friggin deal???

It will hurt the poor...
How will I ever get used to it.
it's an inconvenience.




Put 1-2 cloth bags in your car and keep 'em there.

[akraven]

9. One of our local markets allows you to donate shopping bags.

All of ours are cloth/woven, and we leave 'em everywhere. Paper bags work, too, at least here.

Hang in there.

[CTyankee]

14. I used to insist on paper bags but no more...not sure if the store charges for them.

I'm fine with all this. It'll just be a change of habit, that's all...

[akraven]

18. Insisting isn't really needed when they see me coming..... LOL!

?rnd=2

These work well and have lots of uses afterward!

[procon]

43. Cat owners know the power of paper! Nt

[Blue_true]

47. Plus recyclers love them. nt

[TexasTowelie]

12. It was an annoying inconvenience for me

when I would take the bus into Austin and wasn't given a bag when making a purchase. There were times when I would buy a soft drink and a couple of items of junk food, but I didn't have anywhere to put those items. The same would also apply when I went to buy toiletries at a pharmacy. While I understand the need to reduce litter, there were some places that stopped carrying bags even though I was willing to pay for one. I'm okay with paying a bit extra for a plastic bag or plastic straw, but businesses do need to offer them to their customers.

[CTyankee]

16. They probably will until the public gets used to the new reality...

[TexasTowelie]

20. I think that it is presumptuous for a retailer to believe that someone has come in directly from

their home where they would have access to their cloth bags. Maybe it was because I lived a somewhat nomadic existence a few years ago, but I tried to reuse the plastic bags after I bought something--even if it was for a container for my trash while I didn't have a trash can available. At that point it no longer is a single-use plastic bag.

[marylandblue]

13. When this started in our community, the local grocery store gave a 5 cent credit

if you brought your own bags. The bags were 99 cents, so eventually they paid for themselves.

[DFW]

17. My area has been charging for plastic bags for over ten years

Most local bring sturdy canvas or jute bags with them to the grocery store or the 3 times weekly farmers market.

[CTyankee]

19. i think the store will start selling/advertising cloth bags. You can bet they will sell really well!

[True Blue American]

27. My stores already have them hanging at each check out,

$1.

[ripcord]

21. Everything goes in a circle

Some of us are old enough to remember when paper bags were killing the planet and plastic bags were the solution.

[Ms. Toad]

26. I've been around a lot longer than plastic bags,

and I don't EVER recall a suggestion that paper bags were killing the planet - especially not coupled with a suggestion that plastic bags were a solution.

[llmart]

35. I think it wasn't the paper bags so much as the process of manufacturing them.

Paper plants were/are some of the dirtiest plants environmentally.

There has always been an argument about paper vs. plastic and the environmental consequences. The thing I hated when plastic became the new norm was that you could only put about three things in one and you'd end up with twelve bags to carry in $25 worth of groceries whereas the paper bags were large enough and strong enough to carry lots of items. Also, for myself personally, I would reuse those paper bags over and over again until they couldn't be used any longer and then I'd burn them in my woodstove when I was having a fire. Then when I cleaned out my woodstove I'd put the ashes on the compost heap.

I have hated the plastic bag thing from the beginning and remember when it started how appalled I was. I seldom use plastic bags - carry a bunch of cloth ones in my trunk - but when I did have a dog, I'd use them for doggie waste bags.

[Blue_true]

48. The best bags would be bamboo paper bags.

Banboo grows pretty much anywhere and can either grow in water, or grow in locations that have very little water.

I like canvas bags that can be laundered, since I eat meat and meat packages seep onto bags, causing one to need laundering. Occasionally I will have something like a leaking package of fresh strawberries where I did not notice that someone had bruised one.

[Pisces]

24. They should change $1 and poor people would be the first to

Bring reusable bags day 1 of the new law. They already recycle plastic grocery bags as small trash bags, lunch bags etc.

On edit, I meant this as 2 separate statements:
1. Charge 1$
2. Poor people would already be ahead of the problem

[True Blue American]

33. Those concerned about

The environment already do that, and cheap people like me!

[applegrove]

28. Our grocery stores have charged for platic bags for a li g time. They have also sold

reuseable bags that are enviromentally better at low cost. Some of them are cotton. Some of them some not plastic, tough hybrid type bags. Plus my lical store has just started selling the old fashioned paper bages which i don't think they charge for. But there is lots of plastic on the produce.

[yewberry]

29. Plastic grocery bags are banned where I live.

I don't miss them.

There is a 5 cent charge for large paper bags with handles. Small paper bags are free. People paying with EBT (electronic food stamps) are exempted from the fee, and cashiers generally ignore the bag fee if they decide that's warranted. Reusable cloth bags are cheap and are a frequent promotional item here. Also, boxes are free (a la Costco).

You sort of get used it to it.

[dawg day]

30. They've been doing this in Europe for years--

Usually if you ask, they just give you the bag. The 'nudge' is that you have to ask (so there's an incentive to bring your own bags). They also have bins of the reusable bags that they let you "borrow'. It's not a problem. And it really has cut down on the plastic bags blowing down the alleys.

[csziggy]

31. A cloth bag can be made from old tee shirts - only tool needed is a pair of scissors

Here are some other ways, some of which require a sewing machine, some only need scissors and old tee shirts:
https://thethingswellmake.com/recycled-t-shirt-bags-review-of-7-ways/

And if you like videos, here are the same methods, very fast:

I keep planning to make some tee shirt bags to use for produce rather than the plastic bags provided in the stores - but have not gotten around to doing it yet.

If you want sturdier bags, more like the canvas ones some stores sell, you probably need to use a sewing machine:

My husband and I have been using cloth bags for decades. We have to plan ahead to ask for plastic or paper sometimes since we use those to line our garbage cans, but we don't need that many of them, so it's not a big hassle.

[Throck]

32. Aldi and Trader Joe

Aldi has really large reusable grocery sacks at the lowest price. Trader Joe's cost a couple of bucks but are really durable. I have yet to wear a Trader Joe's out, a pinch smaller, hard to overload.

[True Blue American]

37. Bags with handles

10 cents at Aldi’s. And the quarter for the cart I usually give it to someone fumbling for a quarter to pass it one. Amazing how many smiles that gets.

[Amishman]

125. Yup, just shop at Aldi. Much cheaper and no godawful oldies music playing in the store.

Being able to shop cheaply without worrying about coupons or being subjected to the horrid monotonous droning of The Beatles alone is worth shopping at Aldi

[Spider Jerusalem]

34. There's been a bag charge of 10p per plastic bag in the UK for years now.

The solution to that is to use reuseable bags. I don't see an issue. (But then I also don''t see an issue with suggesting that gasoline should be around $6-8 a gallon to encourage more fuel-efficient vehicles and a shift to mass transit where possible; one of the arguments usually given against that is "but it will disproportionately imact those with lower incomes!", but continuing to pollute and emit CO2 at current levels impacts everyone, and we should probably at least make a token effort to halt our slide toward extinction.)

[Jake Stern]

39. Guessing you've never been poor and lived out in the country

I have and this "we need to encourage mass transit use" is bullshit. Get mass transit out to these areas FIRST and then we can talk about taxing gasoline sky high. Until then the car is the only way to go.

Talk about tone deaf.

[Spider Jerusalem]

45. Arctic permafrost is melting at a rate models didn't predict happening until 2090

but of course cheap gasoline is more important

[Jake Stern]

49. When it means getting to the store or the doctor or the pharmacy you're damn right it does

I wonder which is more important to Average Joe: getting to his job or melting permafrost?

Want people in rural areas/distant suburbs to switch to mass transit? Start petitioning legislators to fund it. Until then all the tearjerker drowning polar bear ads in the world won't get people to drop their cars.

[Blue_true]

50. People see their economic reality first.

A person that needs a car to get to work and shop really care about their needs. They may be a bit blind, but they are not evil, they are just surviving.

As progressives, we need to stop wagging our finger at people while clucking at them about their bad choices. We need to shift to a mindset of finding solutions that legitimately meets their needs while accomplishing the overall objectives that we have of reversing or slowing damage to our planet.

[Jake Stern]

65. "we need to stop wagging our finger at people while clucking at them about their bad choices."

This is how Republicans get elected.

One of the things I frequently hear from people who vote GOP is that liberals act like overbearing parents who want to micromanage every aspect of people's lives from what you eat and drink to what you drink with to what you carry your groceries in to what kind of car you should drive.

[Blue_true]

66. We need to develop and execute solutions both inside and outside of government.

Tom Steyer is interested in running for President and he gives millions to political activities. Yet as a proven Venture Capitalist, I think his time and money would be better spent backing private ventures that develop new, full duty cycle clean energy innovations, or new technologies for locating and removing plastic from the oceans, or new technologies for adjusting green house gases in the atmosphere (we need a certain percentage of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, if we drop below that critical level the surface of the earth will freeze due to inadequate trapping of sunlight, allowing it to hit the earth that reflect back through the atmosphere into space without warming the earth).

If we develop efficient solutions people that are anti our efforts would be fools economically not to utilize them.

But just lecturing people or talking about blue sky government mandated solutions will just cause people to tune us out.

We should NEVER compromise on the core values that make us democrats. But there is a lot that we can do without compromising.

[Jake Stern]

70. As I noted in another reply

Why not put bins of free reusable bags at government buildings for people to take?

The city/county/state could set up outreach tables at grocery stores and Walmart’s where people can pick up some reusable bags and learn why it’s important to ditch one time use bags.

That, IMO, would do a better job at weaning off plastic bags then to legislatively micromanage folks lives.

[Blue_true]

72. That is an excellent idea that would likely have an impact. nt

[csziggy]

81. I'm already looking forward to buying a couple of reusable bags at a Tesco in the UK

That will be one of the first stops after we arrive in Glasgow - to buy SIM cards and few other items that are not worth carrying with me. So picking up a couple of bags will be right in line with that - and we can use them for our entire trip across the UK. And bring them home to add to our collection of reusable bags!

[IcyPeas]

36. street fairs sometimes have free bags...

with their advertising on the side for promotion. other events similarly pass out reusable bags.

[OnDoutside]

38. We've had a levy on plastic bags since 2002 here in Ireland. It works. We went from 300 million bags

to 30 million, by the end of the first year. A lot of people have fold-able pouch cloth bags, which can be bought for about a dollar, or the bag for life types for 70c. In fact, there is a move to get rid of those single use plastic bags altogether.

This is no big deal to implement, and everyone (rich and poor) has adjusted to it.

[mcar]

40. I got a bunch of Walmart bags for .25 each

They are made from recycled plastic bottles, are bigger than the average reusable bag, wear very well are can be washed.

[procon]

42. California has been doing that for a few years.

Really, it's not that hard to bring your own shopping bags. They're cheap, some times even free, but you can repurpose almost any type of container. If you're crafty, or can sew, knit, crochet or do macrame, you can make your own. Plastic and cardboard boxes also work.

Even poor people can find plastic bags, or cardboard boxes, and repurposed household items like pillow cases, also those big buckets that paint or kitty litter comes.

[roody]

44. Reuse the ones you have.

[Kaleva]

51. I'll adapt. i don't see it as a problem

[kimbutgar]

52. I have three small bags that I roll into balls in my purse

I carry my own bags in my car if I have a large amount of groceries. It is very simple and worth saving 10 cents a bag.

I’m sure the poor will bo ok and it’s not to hard to reuse bags or purchase a cheap reusable bags at the dollar store.

[subterranean]

55. One supermarket chain in my area no longer offers plastic bags at all.

They only have paper bags, which they do not charge for.

[karynnj]

57. I would lobby the supermarket chains to GIVE branded reusable bags for stuff bought in the first wee

If they purchased a large number, the cost could be justified as a branding or marketing cost. Not to mention, they will save the cost of free plastic bags. I actually have a couple of nice reusable bags that were given out by the local food coop when they did just that to spur people using reusable bags. If they gave free bags for a week's stuff, those bags could be reused in future weeks. It is a win win situation.

They also do something very clever. The produce bags are compostable. It is great. You have bags for the produce that then can be used to line the compost bucket.

Getting rid of one time use plastic bags is an ecological necessity, but I agree that thought should be given to insure that the burden is not on those least able to carry it.

[Iggo]

59. Welcome to California.

And so far, it's a non-issue here.

As for that other thread, I remember at least one person asked, "What makes you think poor people won't re-use bags just like everybody else?"

[Adsos Letter]

63. Fellow Californian here.

My wife and I each keep some reusable bags in our cars, including an insulated one for cold/frozen stuff. My biggest challenge is remembering to take one in with me (my wife never seems to have a problem remembering).

[LibDemAlways]

83. I'm in CA and usually forget to bring bags.

I generally buy only a few items at a time, though, so I just put them back in the cart at the checkout stand and load them piecemeal into the car. There are also a few checkers who recognize my elderly mom when she's with me and will occasionally just give us a bag -- no charge.

[Retrograde]

78. Yeah, free bags - what a quaint concept!

Another Californian here. Somehow I've acquired a number of cloth bags for free that stay in my car for major shopping, a nice stuffable bag that lives in my purse, and a free cloth promo bag from some bookstore that hangs by the door for when I walk to the local store. If you can't get free ones all the stores I've been to will be happy to sell you reusable ones for $.99.

When Trader Joe's opened a new store in my town they gave away bags with their logo the first week.

[Raine]

79. Californian too

my problem is remembering the bags. I take them in from the car to unload and forget to take them back to the car. I have plenty of bags because I bought some and was given others for free, it's just the remembering.

[catrose]

60. Even though plastic bags weren't available in stores, paper sacks were

So people still had access to free bags. Also, reusable bags became the latest giveaway, with <YOUR ORG HERE> brightly blazened on the sides. And some of us adopted reusable bags as our gift wrap, so that people got a double gift. (And reusable bags were cheaper than real gift bags.)

[randr]

61. They should charge a dollar

That would sure as hell make me remember my cloth bags. The ones that don't tear open.
The end use cost of plastic bags is yet to be determined and will in all likelyhood cost future generations more than that dollar

[SHRED]

64. The grocery stores created this mess

They should be required to give away free cloth bags.

[Jake Stern]

67. If the government demands it

They should be handing out free reusable bags. A good use of our tax dollars. Have a bin of cloth bags at all government buildings such as city hall, fire department, etc for people to take.

[Codeine]

88. You'd just pay more for groceries.

Grocery stores operate on tight margins; they won’t jeopardize their business by giving anything away. Besides, the reusable plastic ones cost a dime and can be used many, many times.

[Throck]

140. Consumers are also part of the problem

For 20 years I've requested "NO BAG" with my small purchases. For 20 years, 90% of the time,I'll bet I've gone home with my own canvas bags or no bag and still have enough plastic bags for the litter box. Yet the trees along the highway look like they're decorated for Christmas with all the bags hanging from them.

At the 7-11 I see them ask people if they want a bag for a single candy bar. It's a two way fault problem.

Even the boxes I pick up at Aldi's from time to time see a secondary life or two at the house.

[mcar]

69. Visit local festivals or thrift shops

Vendors at festivals and craft shows give you reusable bags for free with their promotional stuff inside. I have a bunch of them.

Thrift stores, at least in my area, have tote bags and similar items for next to nothing.

[at140]

71. I bring my own tote bags to the grocery store

Because Aldi does not have any kind of bags, plastic or paper. I guess my prices are not going up due to the bag issue.

[Codeine]

73. It hasn't seemed to affect anyone here.

We’ve been doing it for a few years in California; a dime gets you an extra-tough plastic bag that can be reused many, many times. People bring their own cloth bags or reuse the plastics, and you see a lot of shoppers just grabbing one or two items skipping the bags completely.

The impact on the poorest has been mitigated by the fact that shoppers using EBT are exempt from the California bag charge. As the bags are reusable, this exemption supplies them with bags they can utilize when they do non-EBT shopping.

[customerserviceguy]

74. My question is

if you bring your own reusable bags, will the checkers just put one thing in it, like they do with plastic bags?

Once upon a time, eggs could be packed in a paper bag along with other stuff, you just put the eggs on top. Or maybe, a loaf of bread went on top of them. Now, apparently eggs are so sensitive, they need their own bag, just to feel safe. What's up with that?

[Retrograde]

76. So tell them not to do that

or pack your bags yourself (common in Europe). Complain to the manager if they persist.
Remember, the customer is always right!

[customerserviceguy]

77. I'm pretty busy

watching the display to make sure I get charged the sale price. Also, it is distracting to have to push the right buttons on the point-of-sale terminal.

[Iggo]

98. I carry my items away from the pos, and then I check my receipt and bag my stuff there.

Anything's amiss, I march right back to the checker.

At Target, where I have to bag my own items, there's usually a Starbucks that has a table and chairs I can use. Vons, who almost always bag my stuff for me, has either that or a deli section with table and chairs. Lacking something like that, I just pick the closest piece of empty floor.

[demmiblue]

100. In Michigan, if there is a scanner error you get back up to 10 times the difference:

The Shopping Reform and Modernization Act, or Scanner Law, requires that most items on store shelves be clearly displayed with the price; by signage, electronic reader, price sticker, or any other method that clearly and reasonably conveys the price to a consumer in the store at the place where the item is located. If an automatic checkout system (scanner) charges you more than the displayed price of an item, and:

1. the transaction has been completed, and
2. you have a receipt indicating the item purchased and the price charged for it;

Then:

You must notify the seller that you were overcharged, within 30 days of the transaction, either in person or in writing. Within two days of receiving your notice, the seller may choose to refund you the difference between the amount charged and the price displayed plus a "bonus" of ten times the difference, with a minimum of $1.00 and a maximum of $5.00. If the seller does not pay you both the refund and the bonus, you may bring a lawsuit to recover your actual damages or $250.00, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney fees up to $300.00. You may instead file a complaint in a small claims court without an attorney.

So, I also check the receipt after paying.

[csziggy]

84. The egg carton per bag is probably because plastic bags suck for holding stuff

They have no structural integrity so they just fall over if things are stacked inside. So a carton of eggs placed on top of a pile of stuff in a plastic bag will just slide off, fall out of the bag, and drop with catastrophic results.

I've always disliked plastic bags for groceries - they are low capacity, flimsy, and see the above paragraph. The only reason I get any at all is for liners for my small garbage cans - and there are only three of those in the house. The others are large enough for a paper sack, so we plan on getting a few of those each month.

Most of the time my husband and I take reusable bags - and some have been resewn at the seams a few times. But we now have it down to a habit - keep some in each vehicle, put them next to the back door after the shopping is unloaded, and remember to take them into the store.

[Iggo]

99. It's the remembering that's the thing for me now.

I'm raising my batting average, though.

Probably about .500 now.

[csziggy]

103. It took me a while - but our grocery store helped

For a year or so they had a sign out in front that said "Remember your bags?" This, even though there was no requirement to cut plastic bag use or charges for bags. Either they care about the environment or they realized how much they saved if their customers brought their own bags.

Unfortunately, they stopped doing that and I see many customers leave with a dozen or more plastic bags with only a few items in each.

There is another reason for good, reusable bags - they hold more and it takes fewer trips to carry them into the house.

[mcar]

105. They don't in my area

Usually they overpaid the reusables and make them too heavy for me. It's still better to have my groceries in 3 reusables as opposed to 12 plastic bags.

[ProudLib72]

75. I am ashamed when I forget to bring my own bags to the store

and have to ask for plastic bags. Yes, it becomes so ingrained in your conscious after awhile, that you, too, will become ashamed when you have to ask for a bag.

And it really does just make sense in the long run. I come by reusable bags all the time. There is never a lack. For instance, a certain used clothing consignment store uses very nice, large bags that can be repurposed for groceries.

[Texasgal]

80. Austin, TX went bag free

a few years ago... I've found it doesn't see to hurt too much. You can buy reusable bags for 25 cents.

Also, if you don't have bags you are allowed to take out your groceries un-bagged. At first I think alot of people were worried... but it's actually not that bad.

[shanti]

82. You'll get used to it

It's just getting into the habit of using them. It took me awhile to get into the habit, but now I keep them all in the car and never run out. My favorite is the giant Costco bag. I'm in CA.

[Arazi]

85. I have enough plastic bags stockpiled for the next 10 years

Just re-use those. I have cloth bags but I keep a plastic bag or 2 in there in case I need more bags. I have tons more stuffed in a container.

Use those

[pnwmom]

86. In addition to using cloth bags, they can re-use any plastic ones they buy.

People should start stockpiling the free ones they get between now and August.

They don't disintegrate after one use, and they can be brought back to the store for next time.

[Bayard]

89. How do you put $100+ worth of groceries in cloth bags?

The only stores that offer boxes are the Amish ones (with signs on the doors that say, We have the right to look in your large bags).

I miss paper bags. I took the change to plastic very hard, and continued to ask for paper until no one had them anymore. You can line full paper bags up across the back seat, and they don't fall over, and usually don't bust. Cashiers around here usually double-bag everything, or only put a few items in, because the plastic bags just break.

I also miss newspapers. Tons of uses after you've read them.

[Retrograde]

93. Same way you put them in any other bags?

One at a time? Heavy stuff on the bottom, lighter stuff on top? Use bigger bags with flat bottoms so they'll pack better?

[RockRaven]

92. People will adapt. It is a little condescending to act like people of limited means are unable

to do so without outside intervention. Most people will adapt and plan and react with whatever methods are available to them in a way which minimizes the extent which this new circumstance burdens them... Some people will gather and re-use the "disposable" plastic bags. Some will make do without any bags with full hands and full pockets. Some will make their own carrying containers out of whatever materials and techniques they have to draw upon. Some will purchase reusable ones, knowing that it will save them money in the long term. Some will... etc, etc.

My locale has not made any top-down city/municipal cost-mitigation efforts, but I know that all kinds of businesses give away, or sell very cheaply, canvas or woven synthetic bags with their store/company logo on them -- mostly grocery/produce stores, but others as well. Not just retail places either -- a few years back I encountered an apartment complex putting their "welcome to the building, thanks for signing the lease" house-warming crap (cleaning supplies, local takeout menus, etc.) in a reusable shopping bag with the apartment complex name/logo on the outside.

If nothing else, enterprising advertisers will give away bags with their logos/decal on them...

[CTyankee]

136. I anticipated your objection when I wrote this post.

Just because a person is poor doesn't mean they need "outside intervention." However one wishes to describe this situation, it is a law passed by the legislature of the state of CT. Stores must comply. There are poor people who struggle on food stamps to feed their families. Questions from communities of poor people have been raised.

I do like the idea of having advertisers give away recyclable bags with their logos on them. That's great. People can make up their own minds about whether such advertising appeals to them or not.

[Hekate]

94. I think it's behavior modification, a way of training people.Trader Joe's now charges for paper bags

10 c. Which is okay -- plus I don't think TJ's ever did use plastic bags. (A long time ago when I used to shop at Von's they started making paper bags entirely unavailable -- that's how cheap plastic was for them back then, and how little they cared what their customers thought.)

I have an awful lot of bags at home and a car-trunk to put groceries into, so if I forget to bring my bags in from the car I usually bag my stuff while standing by the trunk afterward. I also got a couple of insulated picnic bags from Costco -- they were under $10 -- they're roomy, zip up, and keep things cool.

It's been a long time since 10 c for a bag made me wince, as you can tell, but honestly when that was the case, I freaking remembered to prepare. I can't speak for the rest of the population. But I live in California, where many towns and cities have chosen to go with their citizens' desire to do something about plastic bags -- and we don't perceive it as being elitist at all. People can re-use their paper grocery bags for quite awhile, and keeping half a dozen or a dozen folded up at home or in the car doesn't take that much space. Cloth bags irk me because everything gets squashed together, but paper bags with their stiff sides allow better packing. And when they finally fall apart you can always buy another for 10c.

[madville]

95. I just use the $0.10 grocery bags as garbage bags then throw them in the dumpster when full

I haven't bought garbage bags in years, it's a good deal, 10 bags for a dollar.

[meadowlander]

96. My supermarket gave away cloth bags for the weeks before they got rid of plastic ones.

Without even trying, I somehow have dozens of them crammed in drawers around the house. Stores are always giving them away as a promotion because its free advertising for them when you use them.

The plastic bags you pay for are also thicker so you can reuse them as well.

I've been dead broke but never ".30 cents for plastic bags will break me" broke. I used to use my backpack and, for bigger shops, a rolling suitcase and then walked almost two miles and up four flights of stairs to my apartment. It sucked but having or not having plastic bags didn't make the difference.

[democratisphere]

102. The plastic bags, bottles, containers ARE NOT THE PROBLEM.

Once again it is the human slobs that don't PROPERLY RECYCLE THEM that is the PROBLEM. Time for the human slobs to act responsibly about this Earth's environments.

[CrispyQ]

108. The sheer volume makes it a problem. -nt

[democratisphere]

110. Volume isn't the problem.

It is the pure laziness of human slobs that won't take the time or bother to properly process recyclables.

[CrispyQ]

113. We'll have to disagree.

https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution

snip...

Cumulative production
How much plastic has the world produced cumulatively? This trend over the period from 1950 to 2015 is shown in the chart below.

By 2015, the world had produced 7.8 billion tonnes of plastic — more than one tonne of plastic for every person alive today.

Sloppy humans are a problem, too, of course, but the real culprit is too much one-time-use plastic waste.

[Codeine]

123. Recycling is a joke.

https://www.treehugger.com/plastic/recycling-bs-update-even-aluminum-recycling-mess.html

The problem IS the plastic and the containers. Even when we “recycle” our waste it’s getting burned because China stopped taking our trash, and even then all it did was move a pollution problem across the ocean. Recycling is an energy-intensive bandaid to cover up for wasteful consumption and a culture of disposability.

[democratisphere]

124. China stopped taking our recyclable plastic because it was contaminated

with food residues creating a health hazard situation. If Americans cleaned their recyclable plastics we might not be in the situation we are currently in; no market or place for the stuff. It boils down to laziness in cleaning material to be recycled.

[Liberal In Texas]

104. Several cities in Texas had bag bans/fees but no more.

It's an uphill fight. In Dallas, the city was sued by plastic bag makers and the council backed down and repealed the ordinance.

Other local city laws got wiped out by the Texas Supreme Court who said they violated the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act.

Cities in Texas are having a tough time doing any progressive programs because the RW state gov't and the sup. ct. keep exerting their muscle and blocking them. One day we're going to get these people out of power, but of course hard to do with the gerrymandering and billionaires buying politicians and votes.

[a la izquierda]

106. Good. I have a bunch of reusable bags...

that seem to have materialized out of thin air. I keep some in the car, my husband keeps a few in his car, and I have a bunch at my office for when I (increasingly) bike to my office and shop on the way home.

[Alliepoo]

107. This might help a bit with storing plastic bags--

Instead of stuffing the bags in another bag like I did and had big balls of plastic bags everywhere, I found a way (I think on YouTube) to fold them so they’re much more compact. Takes a few seconds per bag but in terms of space it might be worth it! Flatten the bag on a flat surface, straighten the handles, fold it in half so the left handle is over the right, smooth it then fold it over again. Start at the bottom and fold it like you would fold a flag-in a nice little triangle. When you’ve folded up to the handles just tuck them in! I toss some in the console of my car for trash bags and stick some in the pool bag for grandkid messes. Very portable and they’re easier to store!! My Kroger has said plastic is being phased out by 2025 and they have big barrels to deposit used bags to be recycled. They also offer paper bags. Wish they sold bags like Aldi does. I need to go back to Aldi and replenish my supply.

[CTyankee]

111. I think the cloth bags are the way to go...

With enough of them I can space out the laundering of them so they are all not in the laundry basket at the same time. I have also stored a bunch of the plastic bags to use in a pinch.

[Vinca]

116. I thought it would be a pain in the ass when that was enacted where I live, but you get used to it

and now I much prefer it to having all kinds of plastic bags to get rid of. The grocery store had a promo and sold bags to reuse for 50 cents each. I bought 10 at the time and I expect to get years of use out of them.

[fierywoman]

118. I paid 10 cents a bag when I lived in Italy in the 1980s. You just have

to remember to bring bags with you. I find cloth more durable than plastic. If you sew, you can sew up a few for next to nothing.

[cwydro]

120. What nonsense, the reusable bags cost 99 cents.

This is what Europe does.

If you have any poor neighbors in dire need, let me know; I will send them bags.

This is an environmental issue. Cloth bags are cheap, reusable and easy.

Americans are just lazy as fuck.

[wasupaloopa]

127. I don't get the lazy connection. We have been using cloth bags for years now in CA.

We are also reducing the use of plastic straws

[xmas74]

122. I made mine with a stained t shirt.

You could use a plastic bag or two and fabric glue (found at Dollar Tree) and glue it in for additional benefit.

Easy video. I made my first one while sitting in the hospital with an individual. It took ten minutes of cutting and handstitch.

I picked up t shirts at the local Salvation Army from a stack they couldn't sell because of language, drugs/alcohol advertised, stained,etc. They were free; I just had to ask an employee. Mine have Budweiser, a monster truck rally and two strip clubs advertised on them.

[natstephen]

126. In my Brazilian city they have forbidden plastic bags and straws.

We're doing just fine, one just has to remember to take some bags before going to the market.

[Freethinker65]

128. Our local grocery stores have bins in front to recycle old plastic bags

You cannot put plastic bags in our curbside recycling totes because they get stuck in the conveyor belts during sorting.

You could always grab a few bags from the dedicated bin on the way in?

Also, often when stores switch to reusable bags, the first few weeks they hand out free reusable bags with advertising on them.

Also, I, and many others, donate many never used free tote bags from conventions to places like Goodwill and would be happy to leave some at stores or in a public space for others to use.

[secondwind]

129. Use cloth bags, they are stronger and last forever

[CTyankee]

130. I only have one. I need to get more if I find them. Meantime, I will use the reuseable ones that

are for sale at this same supermarket.

[cwydro]

134. I haven't seen a single store that doesn't sell bags.

All of them sell bags, usually for 99 cents.

[betsuni]

135. LOL

I don't live in the U.S. and I've managed to take a fucking cloth bag to stores to put my purchases in, bags that I've had for ten years or more. IT IS NOT EXPENSIVE OR HARD TO REMEMBER TO TAKE A DAMN BAG WITH YOU. First world problems.

[CTyankee]

137. It sure is a first world problem! Thank you for bringing up your situation.

But people get used to one situation and then they're up against a "problem" for them! My husband and I have no problem with it. Let's all live in the real world. It's about time.

[Luciferous]

138. Our local Goodwill sells reusable bags for 50 each, you can also buy reusable bags at the dollar

store. I have been using reusable for a few years now- I recommend getting the ones with a hard bottom because they stack up nicely in the cart

[SKKY]

139. I've been using the same Blue Ikea bags for the past 4 or 5 years...

...they cost me a euro and a half when I lived in Spain. No problem with this what-so-ever.