I got my first canvas grocery bag in 1988. It was part of a set that mom gave me for Christmas, three large bags and 6 smaller bags for produce. I am not sure what happened to the smaller bags – they were hard to use because they were not see-thru so the checkers had to look inside (so much trouble!). I used them off and on but not consistently. I now have quite a collection of bags from various stores. At first I had to get over the idea of using a Whole Foods bag at Safeway but that has passed. We keep them in our cars so we won’t be without. Some are heavier, some have little compartments for bottles of wine. My favorite is from the UK – a great little fold up Sainsbury bag. Lately I have read numerous articles about the cleanliness of these bags and so I have begun a weekly bag washing ritual. I was concerned that some of them might fall apart but they came through quite well and dried quickly in the sun. I have had to be persistent at times, pushing my bags to the front to the belt before the food gets packed into plastic. And I am amazed at how often some of my groceries end up in plastic, even though there is plenty of room in my bags. It feels a bit as if the baggers are resistent to the fabric bags even though every store sells a wide variety of them. But I am hopeful that with time, this will become so commonplace that the resistence will fade. Now if I could figure out how to get them to always pack my meet in one bag and my produce in another – then we would have something!
Saved – grocery bags
July 13, 2010 by Juliann
Posted in Slice of Life | Tagged nablopomo, saved, SOLC | 6 Comments
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I love my green bags! I use them all of the time. 🙂
Smart idea to leave some in the car – I learned this the hard way, after amassing a huge collection of green bags from every store. My favorite: a Whole Foods cake bag – it’s enormous and came free with the purchase of a delectable cake!
mmm, I’m surprised about your comment about the baggers not packing similar stuff together, most of the grocers I go to are so diligent about putting similar stuff together that it makes the unpacking a dream! I’ve started hanging my bags on the front door because I’m not very good at getting them back to my car!
It was fun to see your collection. I made my sister a couple for Christmas a couple of years ago. It was a fun project.
I’m so bad about remembering to use the ones we’ve bought. This is a good reminder.
Your post makes me smile. I used to work at a grocery store in a small town, and while I only remember one customer with cloth bags, I do remember my FIRST lesson about bagging groceries: BAG BY DEPARTMENT. No meats mixed with produce or breads or cleansers (which one would think obvious, but I am always amazed). Now, I find myself having full-length conversations in my head while I patiently smile and thank a less-experienced bagger every now and then. Most often, though, I get excited to utilize my wealth of knowledge in this area to bag my own groceries. Either way, it always makes me smile. 🙂