stores charging for bags?

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Our Aldi has neither.
And yeah, I know to check under the conveyor belt area and I even asked. The answer was "No, we don't sell any bags."

Now, the Lidl across the street? They have bags under the conveyor belt, or at least they did the last time I was in there which was about 2 years ago, so that may have changed.

Perhaps we can all accept that not all Aldi's are exactly the same?

That would make sense if one location didn't have it. But as a company-wide policy theirs is you purchase the bags (if anyone is interested which I doubt they are you can find that as an FAQ on their website).

Not actually directed specifically towards you, when people insert Aldi into the conversation about stores charging for bags it's usually to say "it's NBD, Aldi does it" or "we've always brought out reusable bags into Aldi" "you get used to not being provided bags for free", those kinds of things. That's why folks mention no bags because it's a stark observation to what many people are used to seeing at their other stores.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Are they replacing it with commercially compostable bags?

Commercially compostable is a whole process.

You can't just throw something in the landfill that is commercially compostable and have it compost.

It's like single stream recycling. It sounds like a good idea but in practice it just doesn't work.

Unless consumers and businesses separate out the commercially compostable items and send them to a commercial composter it will all just sit in the landfill in its original form just like the items they are banning.

See, now you're making the mistake of thinking CA has thought this through. I believe they are allowing the thin green bags that you see at Whole Foods. The clear plastic bags are getting outlawed. I do know this; not as much with produce, but If I buy a multi-pack of meat I am for sure going to stick it in some sort of plastic bag before I put it in with the rest of my groceries - and that bag is going in the trash when I get home. If that means I am putting it in my own thicker "reusable" plastic bag then so be it. That for sure is worse for the environment than the thin clear plastic bags - so they better give me something!
As for recycling, my city no longer allows you to put ANY plastic bags in the curbside recycling containers. They were gumming up the machinery they were using to sort the recycling and they had no one to sell it to anyway.

 

[Lumpy1106]

That would make sense if one location didn't have it. But as a company-wide policy theirs is you purchase the bags (if anyone is interested which I doubt they are you can find that as an FAQ on their website).

Not actually directed specifically towards you, when people insert Aldi into the conversation about stores charging for bags it's usually to say "it's NBD, Aldi does it" or "we've always brought out reusable bags into Aldi" "you get used to not being provided bags for free", those kinds of things. That's why folks mention no bags because it's a stark observation to what many people are used to seeing at their other stores.

We call the reusable bags "stupid bags", because it never fails that you are 1/2 way through shopping when you discover you've left them in your car and it makes you feel really stupid. Almost nothing irritates me more than buying bags. It's been years and I still forget them in the car, so no, you don't really get used to it.

 

[mrodgers]

Our Aldi has neither.
And yeah, I know to check under the conveyor belt area and I even asked. The answer was "No, we don't sell any bags."

Now, the Lidl across the street? They have bags under the conveyor belt, or at least they did the last time I was in there which was about 2 years ago, so that may have changed.

Perhaps we can all accept that not all Aldi's are exactly the same?

This. I'm not arguing that Aldi does not sell regular "single use" grocery bags. My 2 Aldi does not have them available at all. It's others now that are arguing that my 2 stores have regular "single use" grocery bags. No, they don't.

This forum is very good for that. Arguing that someone else's experience is false because it's different than their experience. Every time grocery prices are mentioned, it's the same thing. People argue with me that I am false in how much groceries cost (Giant Eagle grocery stores vs. Walmart, which as I've stated many times and everyone argues that I'm wrong, prices are 50-100% higher than Walmart.)

And now that I've mentioned the name, someone is bound to come here from Pittsburgh and state that I am wrong, as if my experience is in Pittsburgh stores where there's lots of competition vs. my only 2 grocery stores available.

 

[disykat]

Ugh. After just saying on here that I've gotten into a groove with my reusable bags, I forgot them in the car and had to buy 4 bags!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We call the reusable bags "stupid bags", because it never fails that you are 1/2 way through shopping when you discover you've left them in your car and it makes you feel really stupid. Almost nothing irritates me more than buying bags. It's been years and I still forget them in the car, so no, you don't really get used to it.

I agree with you on the getting used to part, that's just how people tend to bring up things especially when Aldi gets into the picture. It's been a long time since I've heard from her (hope she's doing okay) but Farro IIRC used to be one who would talk a lot about this I think just because of where she lived. IIRC it was like Chicago maybe? IDK If I'm thinking of the right poster she used to chime in a lot on these types of threads. Other posters elsewhere would mention it too like she would both being more day to day how they live thing.

ALDI and Costco are the only two places I shop at that don't give bags without any conditions so it would be foreign to me but I do have to remind myself when stopping into Aldi if I'm getting enough stuff bring the bag and then I resign myself mostly to the cardboard boxes and then I recycle those boxes when I get home. My husband when he lived temporarily in CA he would hate it when he would shop at Walmart and forget his ALDI bag (the big canvas one) in his apartment and then he'd have to pay for them. Honestly I didn't really like shopping at the Walmart he went to because so much stuff was locked up but that's a way different topic.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I didn't have my reusable bags last time, because we'd travelled over Christmas, and they'd been taken out of the back (and not put back). I just grabbed a couple boxes, which we'll recycle--no biggie.

And I'm mystified by the people who buy a ton of stuff and then load it, unpackaged, into the back of the car. Maybe they have a system that works for them, which is fine, but I'd rather sort/load inside the store, especially since they have counters available for just that purpose. I also live a mile from Aldi's, so I really don't need insulated totes like some people might.

 

[tzolkin]

I have seen many people not use a single bag at Aldi. Not a single use bag, not a reusable bag. No bag at all.

They wheel their FULL shopping cart out, open the trunk or hatch of their car, and unload the cart item by item. All 50-75 items.

I am one who usually does not use any bags in the store. I have collapsible totes and large rigid reusable bags in my trunk so I sort my items directly from my cart into those.

I know it’s not the norm for groceries, but I think this is what most people do who shop at Costco, right? I never see people use bags inside the store there. Everyone loads their items directly from the cart to their trunk.

And I'm mystified by the people who buy a ton of stuff and then load it, unpackaged, into the back of the car. Maybe they have a system that works for them, which is fine, but I'd rather sort/load inside the store, especially since they have counters available for just that purpose.

I prefer to be outside for my sorting (unless it’s raining or freezing) and I never feel like the counters are clean since people put their bags on the floor and then on the counter. I also use large bags/totes so if I have a lot of heavy items loaded in one tote it is difficult for me to lift out of the cart and into my trunk.

 

[easyas123]

I know it’s not the norm for groceries, but I think this is what most people do who shop at Costco, right? I never see people use bags inside the store there. Everyone loads their items directly from the cart to their trunk.

That's true, good point.

 

[mrodgers]

Talking about Aldi and the way people bag there after the fact or not, I do see the same thing. Does anyone who has to pay for bags or don't have them available at regular grocery stores/Walmart ever see the same, people not using bags at all at non-Aldi stores?

How would that go down. Grocery store workers are fast. You would have to work pretty hard to keep up with them if you were grabbing things at the end and twisting around to put it down in a cart for every item rather than just grabbing and dropping into a bag, moving many items at once over to the cart. I can imagine there are cheap people who wouldn't pay for bags, grocery bags or reusable. Walmart would be much slower since all their cashiers at 4 stores I frequent are agonizingly slow. You can be in line half an hour being 3rd in line and getting there when the first person is halfway through.

 

[RF536]

Talking about Aldi and the way people bag there after the fact or not, I do see the same thing. Does anyone who has to pay for bags or don't have them available at regular grocery stores/Walmart ever see the same, people not using bags at all at non-Aldi stores?

How would that go down. Grocery store workers are fast. You would have to work pretty hard to keep up with them if you were grabbing things at the end and twisting around to put it down in a cart for every item rather than just grabbing and dropping into a bag, moving many items at once over to the cart. I can imagine there are cheap people who wouldn't pay for bags, grocery bags or reusable. Walmart would be much slower since all their cashiers at 4 stores I frequent are agonizingly slow. You can be in line half an hour being 3rd in line and getting there when the first person is halfway through.

I am one who doesn't use bags. At Walmart I use the use the you scan lane with the conveyor belt. I unload onto the belt scan and put back in cart. I shop early in the morning on Sat. and very rarely have to wait for anyone else to check out. When I get to my van I sort into a tote or cooler.
At Meijer, they have the shop and scan option for free. So I scam as I go and just put in my cart.
Never had any problems not having items in bags when leaving the store. I stopped using bags when Covid hit and you couldn't use your own reusable bags.

 

[mrodgers]

I am one who doesn't use bags. At Walmart I use the use the you scan lane with the conveyor belt. I unload onto the belt scan and put back in cart. I shop early in the morning on Sat. and very rarely have to wait for anyone else to check out. When I get to my van I sort into a tote or cooler.
At Meijer, they have the shop and scan option for free. So I scam as I go and just put in my cart.
Never had any problems not having items in bags when leaving the store. I stopped using bags when Covid hit and you couldn't use your own reusable bags.

Didn't think of the self checkout. I don't use it so I never think of that.

And bolded, that's the reason I'm surprised that stores are going self check out or scan as you go I'd bet you're not the only one scamming

 

[RF536]

Didn't think of the self checkout. I don't use it so I never think of that.

And bolded, that's the reason I'm surprised that stores are going self check out or scan as you go I'd bet you're not the only one scamming

Lol - I'm sure scamming is a problem. I'm honestly surprised no one ever asks to see my receipt. I shop for 2 weeks at a time so my cart is full.

 

[PollyannaMom]

There's no argument, I'm just surprised that folks from other areas have stated that Aldi has plastic or paper grocery bags.

Perhaps we can all accept that not all Aldi's are exactly the same?

Exactly!


As for reusable bags, I have collected a bunch over time, so there are pretty much always some in my car. And I actually prefer bagging my own, because then I naturally group things as I'll be putting them away.

 

[lanejudy]

Does anyone who has to pay for bags or don't have them available at regular grocery stores/Walmart ever see the same, people not using bags at all at non-Aldi stores?

Yep, all the time. Grocery stores, Walmart, any stores. My husband just pushes the cart to the car and loads up the bags at the car.