stores charging for bags?

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm confessing right now: my cousin scored 500 single-use plastic bags at Restaurant Depot. I use them to line wastebaskets

Several years ago (way before people were complaining about single use bags) I did a big craft project that required those thin, single use bags. I bought 4 boxes of bags from somewhere, can't recall where (that's a lot of bags). I had a bunch of them left over and that's what I use in our RV trash cans. They should last a few more years.

 

[bcla]

Not in California. Their bags are reusable plastic bags.

I remember once I was worried about it and bought a couple of cases of 1000 T-shirt bags. The traditional 1 mil thick disposable bags that I was going to use for all sorts of things including trash or just carrying things around, dirty laundry on vacation, etc. I bought it at Costco Business Center in Hayward, California. The irony was that Alameda County had already prohibited the distribution by grocery stores of single-use plastic bags. When I asked about where they might have them, one Costco employee asked what I planned to do with them as the county had already restricted their use. When I said it was for personal use (including paying sales tax) he said that wouldn't violate the rules by which they were selling them. I think they could also sell them tax free to businesses located in other counties or perhaps to restaurants for takeout.

 

[mom2missmous]

Connecticut charges for (in some cases poor quality that easily rip) paper bags and you can't even buy the plastic ones at all now . You can buy the reusable ones from the store , but now the stores have been raising the prices on those quite a bit since they first started this . On top of that ,as of this year, we are now paying a deposit on containers such as juice and other non- soda type drinks(in addition to the drinks we were already paying deposit on) . Although we can reuse the bags, I often forget mine in the car, and it will be fun storing all these different types of bottle returns until I get the chance to bring them back lol

 

[tvguy]

I remember once I was worried about it and bought a couple of cases of 1000 T-shirt bags. The traditional 1 mil thick disposable bags that I was going to use for all sorts of things including trash or just carrying things around, dirty laundry on vacation, etc. I bought it at Costco Business Center in Hayward, California. The irony was that Alameda County had already prohibited the distribution by grocery stores of single-use plastic bags. When I asked about where they might have them, one Costco employee asked what I planned to do with them as the county had already restricted their use. When I said it was for personal use (including paying sales tax) he said that wouldn't violate the rules by which they were selling them. I think they could also sell them tax free to businesses located in other counties or perhaps to restaurants for takeout.

Like I mentioned upthread, our Super Walmart experimented with not having any bags about 15 years ago. So we went to Smart and Final and bought a 250 pack of plain old large brown paper grocery bags. I think they cost me like $8. We have to throw a few out from time to time, but we still have lots left. I don't like plastic or reusable fabric bags because they spill their contents in the trunk of the car. Those heavy brown paper bags stand up in the truck, and keep our groceries contained.

 

[Imzadi]

The reality is that those reusable cloth bags are manufactured and handed out like candy with some company's logo in it. Count in your head how many reusable bags you probably have in your house right now. Some statistic mentioned that you might have to use that one reusable bag 7,000 times for it to have the same environmental impact as a plastic bag. In the long run, they certainly aren't much better for the environment than plastic bags. Reusable bags just may not end up as litter as much as the plastic grocery bags do. The whole thing is a big racket.

YES! We actually went through all of this back in the 1980's when "Recycling" was FIRST introduced. I wouldn't be surprised if some of those cloth, reusable bags that are being given away now probably have been is some warehouses' storage all this time, and are just being pulled out again.

The REASON the cloth bags went out of favor was because one can only get so many uses out of them before they got holes in the bottom, or too tattered to use. NO ONE was going to sit at home darning and patching those cloth bags to re-use.

Then there was the problem of leaky meat juices staining the cloth bags. It made them unsanitary. And people didn't want to have to launder the bags to re-use them.

When ONE-TIME USE, plastic grocery bags were developed and one could throw away those dirty, holey, unsanitary cloth bags, it was like the invention of sliced bread.

We need some person to invent biodegradable/compostable, multi-use "plastic" bags. The biodegradable, compostable bags that are out now, like for doggy-do bags or at Trader Joe's fruit department are only single use. They start breaking down as soon as moisture hits it. And they are so fragile. They shred or get holes right away.

The person who makes a strong, tough, biodegradable/ compostable, multi-use "plastic" bag that performs like the plastic grocery bags and can withstand water and moisture for a few weeks before degrading, will be the next Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, (hopefully without their egos.)

There are actually "plastic" silverware developed now that looks exactly like regular plastic silverware. It is quite hard and strong. I was at an event and we were told to throw this "plastic" silverware into the compostables trash can. It even had a sign saying that. I went up to question the guy who told us that, as I thought, maybe he was mistaken.

He said the "plastic" silverware was made out of CORN. He flipped a fork over and on the back it read "compostable." Then I went home and Googled. Sure enough some company makes this "plastic" silverware.

So, I think the "plastic" grocery bags will be invented someday. We just have wait for it to be developed. Hopefully, we won't be buried under all these re-usable bags in the meantime.

 

[Imzadi]

Several years ago (way before people were complaining about single use bags) I did a big craft project that required those thin, single use bags. I bought 4 boxes of bags from somewhere, can't recall where (that's a lot of bags). I had a bunch of them left over and that's what I use in our RV trash cans. They should last a few more years.

A couple years ago, I started getting an extra, super-huge Target plastic shopping bag (or two) every time I shopped, when I heard the plastic bag ban was going into effect soon. Those bags are so great. They were larger than kitchen trash bags. One could actually fit like two bed pillows in each bag. You know, the SIZE of most of the stuff sold in Target. And the AMOUNT of stuff we buy in a single trip to Target. I actually have several of them saved up. I am ever so slowly rationing them out. A current bag has to be rendered actually unusable before I break out a new bag.

I found a couple of pics.

Why on earth did Target decide to switch to this size small reusable cloth bags which don't fit a lot of items? There are some days I bag up SIX or more bags, using the cloth bags they have now.

And they do sell a large re-usable bag, but it's not nearly the size of their old plastic bags.

 

[KayMichigan]

Went to the store today, and nope, not doing it here in Michigan.

 

[NotUrsula]

For you city-swellers who walk home with your groceries, I highly recommend ChicoBags. https://www.chicobag.com/shop/category/shopping-bags-totes-5

I get all my bags at trade shows, and we have one vendor who always has these as their giveaway. They are really nice; the same pattern as a larger "t-shirt" plastic grocery bag, but made of water-resistant fabric that is nonetheless easy to wash, quick to dry, and that holds up through a lot of machine washing. I always take a couple when I travel to cities so that I can use them for snacks and carrying take-out food.

I do tend to drive to the store when I go, but I keep these in my car; they fold up very compactly and have a biner clip attached, so I keep them on a little hook that drapes off the back of my car's front seats, hooked to the headrest post.

 

[Colleen27]

Not around me yet. I imagine it'll be a bit of a hassle when they do, since most of the stores are majority self checkout now, but it really doesn't matter to my either way because I've finally made using my reusable bags a true habit and almost never forget them.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think some places like Aldi’s don’t provide bags.

That's true same as Costco. However both normally provide leftover cardboard boxes that the items came in (with no charge) for customer usage.

 

[monsterkitty]

Not in California. Their bags are reusable plastic bags.

Sorry, I should have been more specific.

In CO, Walmart has pulled all plastic bags from their stores. They have shipped them to other states that still allow plastic bags without charging a fee.

Now I'm wondering if they think CO has done away with all plastic bags already (Not until Jan 2024) instead of charging the fee for plastic bags.

 

[Travel60]

Was supposed to start in MD, but as of now, I don't think it has. It hadn't as of last Wednesday.

I think it's by county in MD. Howard charges.

 

[kdonnel]

Not to my knowledge.

I'm guessing this store doesn't have a self checkout? Because I don't see how they could enforce that at a self checkout.

The self checkouts at my local Walmart ask how many bags were used. There is no charge in Georgia so I always answer 9999, the biggest number it will let me enter.

I guess in places where they do charge, you could always lie, but why?

 

[tvguy]

The self checkouts at my local Walmart ask how many bags were used. There is no charge in Georgia so I always answer 9999, the biggest number it will let me enter.

I guess in places where they do charge, you could always lie, but why?

Target, Walmart and all the grocery stores here do the same thing at the self checkout.

 

[lanejudy]

State law here -- no plastic bags and 10 cents for a paper bag. I've been using reusable for grocery shopping for maybe 15 years, but it's been a learning curve to remember to bring a bag into other stores. I keep a bunch in the car but tend to forget to bring them into the store

 

[Boopuff]

Went to Target today. A big sign greeted me stating that they no longer give "free" bags. They charge .05 a bag. Lucky me I always carry a compact, foldable bag in my purse.

 

[AppleDumpling]

The self checkouts at my local Walmart ask how many bags were used. There is no charge in Georgia so I always answer 9999, the biggest number it will let me enter.

I think the self checkouts here allow you to enter 0 (zero) bags used if you bring your own.

 

[China Expat]

10 cents a bag in most of California. I'm glad. Plastic is out of control in the environment.

 

[kdonnel]

I think the self checkouts here allow you to enter 0 (zero) bags used if you bring your own.

I could here as well. But since the question is nonsense, I answer with nonsense.

 

[MillauFr]

Wegmans started charging for bags last in year in PA. PA does not have a law regarding charging for bags.

And New Jersey residents who can't pronounce Wegmans get charged double.