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CTyankee

(63,912 posts) Sat Jun 22, 2019, 05:56 PM Jun 2019

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

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?

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So my supermarket staffers tell me as of Aug. 1 it will charge 10 cents per plastic grocery bag. [View all] CTyankee Jun 2019 OP

Cloth or string bags are very cheap, and you need only a few. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2019 #1

Buy a couple of $1 True Blue American Jun 2019 #22

I use cloth grocery bags, and ginnyinWI Jun 2019 #23

We've choked the world with our plastic BeyondGeography Jun 2019 #2

The question is one of a burden on the poor who have a small enough food budget as it is. CTyankee Jun 2019 #6

Buy a bag and reuse it, you don't have to buy a new one every time. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2019 #10

Bring your own bag BeyondGeography Jun 2019 #15

Many companies give away free reusable bags with their logos on them. I have them TeamPooka Jun 2019 #90

Keep boxes in the trunk of the car... SMC22307 Jun 2019 #101

Oh please. You can buy one or two bags for 2 bucks. cwydro Jun 2019 #132

Long ago we had a charge on soda bottles.... JustFiveMoreMinutes Jun 2019 #3

Yes. It is a new habit we must get used to developing. CTyankee Jun 2019 #8

It's shameful it has taken this moonscape Jun 2019 #25

My city recycles soda bottles so that takes care of that issue. It does not recycle the plastic CTyankee Jun 2019 #11

And we should go back to that and do plastic bottles too scarytomcat Jun 2019 #41

why is it difficult? pangaia Jun 2019 #53

I have the same issue. In my store it's because the marybourg Jun 2019 #62

I must correct myself-- my bags are NOT in fact cloth. pangaia Jun 2019 #115

How is it difficult? cwydro Jun 2019 #133

Bobolink thought such environmental minded policies hurt the poor aikoaiko Jun 2019 #4

How in the world will this hurt the poor? pangaia Jun 2019 #54

Far from "forever". WillowTree Jun 2019 #91

I hear what you are saying... susanna Jun 2019 #97

I get " those faux fabric pressed paper things" from Wegman's $1. pangaia Jun 2019 #117

Good for you. I prefer to carry food home in bags that can be & are thoroughly laundered regularly. WillowTree Jun 2019 #119

It's not that much money for some bags. TheFarseer Jun 2019 #5

Publix where I live give a shopper the option of plastic or paper, Blue_true Jun 2019 #46

Vitamin Cottage (Natural Grocers) in Albuquerque has no bags - but lots of boxes womanofthehills Jun 2019 #68

The co-op used to do that many years ago. Is the co-op marybourg Jun 2019 #87

By volume, paper bags take up seven times the space stopbush Jun 2019 #114

The copy that recycles trash for my county takes all paper and cardboard. Blue_true Jun 2019 #131

Keep a couple of cloth bags in your truck. pangaia Jun 2019 #56

I keep them with my car keys on a bookshelf in the house, not in the car. CrispyQ Jun 2019 #109

I finally trained myself to keep the canvass bag in my car MaryMagdaline Jun 2019 #112

Thats a good idea about Goodwill TheFarseer Jun 2019 #121

Cloth bags costs 99 cents at my store and you get a nickel off each time you use it. Shrike47 Jun 2019 #7

I know. Me too. I mean, WHAT is the big friggin deal??? pangaia Jun 2019 #58

One of our local markets allows you to donate shopping bags. akraven Jun 2019 #9

I used to insist on paper bags but no more...not sure if the store charges for them. CTyankee Jun 2019 #14

Insisting isn't really needed when they see me coming..... LOL! akraven Jun 2019 #18

Cat owners know the power of paper! Nt procon Jun 2019 #43

Plus recyclers love them. nt Blue_true Jun 2019 #47

It was an annoying inconvenience for me TexasTowelie Jun 2019 #12

They probably will until the public gets used to the new reality... CTyankee Jun 2019 #16

I think that it is presumptuous for a retailer to believe that someone has come in directly from TexasTowelie Jun 2019 #20

When this started in our community, the local grocery store gave a 5 cent credit marylandblue Jun 2019 #13

My area has been charging for plastic bags for over ten years DFW Jun 2019 #17

i think the store will start selling/advertising cloth bags. You can bet they will sell really well! CTyankee Jun 2019 #19

My stores already have them hanging at each check out, True Blue American Jun 2019 #27

Everything goes in a circle ripcord Jun 2019 #21

I've been around a lot longer than plastic bags, Ms. Toad Jun 2019 #26

I think it wasn't the paper bags so much as the process of manufacturing them. llmart Jun 2019 #35

The best bags would be bamboo paper bags. Blue_true Jun 2019 #48

They should change $1 and poor people would be the first to Pisces Jun 2019 #24

Those concerned about True Blue American Jun 2019 #33

Our grocery stores have charged for platic bags for a li g time. They have also sold applegrove Jun 2019 #28

Plastic grocery bags are banned where I live. yewberry Jun 2019 #29

They've been doing this in Europe for years-- dawg day Jun 2019 #30

A cloth bag can be made from old tee shirts - only tool needed is a pair of scissors csziggy Jun 2019 #31

Aldi and Trader Joe Throck Jun 2019 #32

Bags with handles True Blue American Jun 2019 #37

Yup, just shop at Aldi. Much cheaper and no godawful oldies music playing in the store. Amishman Jun 2019 #125

There's been a bag charge of 10p per plastic bag in the UK for years now. Spider Jerusalem Jun 2019 #34

Guessing you've never been poor and lived out in the country Jake Stern Jun 2019 #39

Arctic permafrost is melting at a rate models didn't predict happening until 2090 Spider Jerusalem Jun 2019 #45

When it means getting to the store or the doctor or the pharmacy you're damn right it does Jake Stern Jun 2019 #49

People see their economic reality first. Blue_true Jun 2019 #50

"we need to stop wagging our finger at people while clucking at them about their bad choices." Jake Stern Jun 2019 #65

We need to develop and execute solutions both inside and outside of government. Blue_true Jun 2019 #66

As I noted in another reply Jake Stern Jun 2019 #70

That is an excellent idea that would likely have an impact. nt Blue_true Jun 2019 #72

I'm already looking forward to buying a couple of reusable bags at a Tesco in the UK csziggy Jun 2019 #81

street fairs sometimes have free bags... IcyPeas Jun 2019 #36

We've had a levy on plastic bags since 2002 here in Ireland. It works. We went from 300 million bags OnDoutside Jun 2019 #38

I got a bunch of Walmart bags for .25 each mcar Jun 2019 #40

California has been doing that for a few years. procon Jun 2019 #42

Reuse the ones you have. roody Jun 2019 #44

I'll adapt. i don't see it as a problem Kaleva Jun 2019 #51

I have three small bags that I roll into balls in my purse kimbutgar Jun 2019 #52

One supermarket chain in my area no longer offers plastic bags at all. subterranean Jun 2019 #55

I would lobby the supermarket chains to GIVE branded reusable bags for stuff bought in the first wee karynnj Jun 2019 #57

Welcome to California. Iggo Jun 2019 #59

Fellow Californian here. Adsos Letter Jun 2019 #63

I'm in CA and usually forget to bring bags. LibDemAlways Jun 2019 #83

Yeah, free bags - what a quaint concept! Retrograde Jun 2019 #78

Californian too Raine Jun 2019 #79

Even though plastic bags weren't available in stores, paper sacks were catrose Jun 2019 #60

They should charge a dollar randr Jun 2019 #61

The grocery stores created this mess SHRED Jun 2019 #64

If the government demands it Jake Stern Jun 2019 #67

You'd just pay more for groceries. Codeine Jun 2019 #88

Consumers are also part of the problem Throck Jun 2019 #140

Visit local festivals or thrift shops mcar Jun 2019 #69

I bring my own tote bags to the grocery store at140 Jun 2019 #71

It hasn't seemed to affect anyone here. Codeine Jun 2019 #73

My question is customerserviceguy Jun 2019 #74

So tell them not to do that Retrograde Jun 2019 #76

I'm pretty busy customerserviceguy Jun 2019 #77

I carry my items away from the pos, and then I check my receipt and bag my stuff there. Iggo Jun 2019 #98

In Michigan, if there is a scanner error you get back up to 10 times the difference: demmiblue Jun 2019 #100

The egg carton per bag is probably because plastic bags suck for holding stuff csziggy Jun 2019 #84

It's the remembering that's the thing for me now. Iggo Jun 2019 #99

It took me a while - but our grocery store helped csziggy Jun 2019 #103

They don't in my area mcar Jun 2019 #105

I am ashamed when I forget to bring my own bags to the store ProudLib72 Jun 2019 #75

Austin, TX went bag free Texasgal Jun 2019 #80

You'll get used to it shanti Jun 2019 #82

I have enough plastic bags stockpiled for the next 10 years Arazi Jun 2019 #85

In addition to using cloth bags, they can re-use any plastic ones they buy. pnwmom Jun 2019 #86

How do you put $100+ worth of groceries in cloth bags? Bayard Jun 2019 #89

Same way you put them in any other bags? Retrograde Jun 2019 #93

People will adapt. It is a little condescending to act like people of limited means are unable RockRaven Jun 2019 #92

I anticipated your objection when I wrote this post. CTyankee Jun 2019 #136

I think it's behavior modification, a way of training people.Trader Joe's now charges for paper bags Hekate Jun 2019 #94

I just use the $0.10 grocery bags as garbage bags then throw them in the dumpster when full madville Jun 2019 #95

My supermarket gave away cloth bags for the weeks before they got rid of plastic ones. meadowlander Jun 2019 #96

The plastic bags, bottles, containers ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. democratisphere Jun 2019 #102

The sheer volume makes it a problem. -nt CrispyQ Jun 2019 #108

Volume isn't the problem. democratisphere Jun 2019 #110

We'll have to disagree. CrispyQ Jun 2019 #113

Recycling is a joke. Codeine Jun 2019 #123

China stopped taking our recyclable plastic because it was contaminated democratisphere Jun 2019 #124

Several cities in Texas had bag bans/fees but no more. Liberal In Texas Jun 2019 #104

Good. I have a bunch of reusable bags... a la izquierda Jun 2019 #106

This might help a bit with storing plastic bags-- Alliepoo Jun 2019 #107

I think the cloth bags are the way to go... CTyankee Jun 2019 #111

I thought it would be a pain in the ass when that was enacted where I live, but you get used to it Vinca Jun 2019 #116

I paid 10 cents a bag when I lived in Italy in the 1980s. You just have fierywoman Jun 2019 #118

What nonsense, the reusable bags cost 99 cents. cwydro Jun 2019 #120

I don't get the lazy connection. We have been using cloth bags for years now in CA. wasupaloopa Jun 2019 #127

I made mine with a stained t shirt. xmas74 Jun 2019 #122

In my Brazilian city they have forbidden plastic bags and straws. natstephen Jun 2019 #126

Our local grocery stores have bins in front to recycle old plastic bags Freethinker65 Jun 2019 #128

Use cloth bags, they are stronger and last forever secondwind Jun 2019 #129

I only have one. I need to get more if I find them. Meantime, I will use the reuseable ones that CTyankee Jun 2019 #130

I haven't seen a single store that doesn't sell bags. cwydro Jun 2019 #134

LOL betsuni Jun 2019 #135

It sure is a first world problem! Thank you for bringing up your situation. CTyankee Jun 2019 #137

Our local Goodwill sells reusable bags for 50 each, you can also buy reusable bags at the dollar Luciferous Jun 2019 #138

I've been using the same Blue Ikea bags for the past 4 or 5 years... SKKY Jun 2019 #139