Have you caught on to the concept of using ecofriendly, cloth-type shopping bags for groceries?

Question

My shopping bags are dark green and washable but the hubby refuses to use them. They are really great for veggies and fruits, if for nothing else.

Answer 1

Not yet, but it sounds like a good idea. I am not fond of the plastic bags they keep falling over in the car.

Answer 2

No. Not yet. After reading the other answers to your question, it might not be so bad. Thank you!

Answer 3

I use them all the time and have been doing so for over a year now. I have zip top insulated bags for the cold stuff and green ones for everything else. It takes a while to remember to take them but I leave them near the back door now and haven't forgotten for ages.

I find the biggest advantage to be that they're much easier to carry when they're heavy - plastic bags really cut into your hands. Here in Australia, about 70% of people use them now so checkout operators are used to them and don't seem to mind at all.

Answer 4

I believe they are too expensive for my limited income. I could ask for a couple for Christmas or make my own. I do reuse the plastic bags for gathering up pop/beer cans to recycle so it is a win win situation.♥

Answer 5

I do it all the time everywhere I shop.  The biggest problem is remembering to take them back to the car when I have unpacked the supplies.  My husband solved that by buying enough so that we can have extra in the car all the time just in case.  The only place that didn't seem too happy about it was Walmart. The cashiers sort of give me dirty looks when I give them my bags. I think it messes up their rhythm?  It has gotten so that I don't have any of the little plastic type anymore that I used to use to line my bathroom trash cans.  Can't believe I was complaining about that the other day.

P.S. I really like the TradeJoe'ses cold bags with the zipper the best and Walmart's bags because they are square on the bottom and stand up nice.

Answer 6

I have  six large canvas bags that I have used for years , when everyone would look at me like I was crazy. I'm glad they've caught on. You can get a lot in them and they're washable!

Answer 7

I love my green reusable bags. They hold a lot more than the plastic. They're easier to carry and they don't break open. It also makes me feel closer to my long gone "old folks" as they shopped with similar totes.  

Answer 8

Sure do. . .Mine are blue, double handles, and insulated. . . they work great ! I've even used them for transporting food to picnics ! I love them !  

Answer 9

I'm still working on that.  If I need just a few items then I go without a bag and just carry them out of the store, but when it comes time to do the two week shopping I use the store bags.  I do use them for other uses at home though.

Answer 10

We lived in Germany for six years, where we used baskets, so I have a number of large baskets we can use, you have to buy for grocery bags in most of Europe, I think. My hubby feels the same way as yours.

Answer 11

nope i just reuse my plastic ones for whatever i may need them for around the house like cleaning kitty litter and transporting things im sure in the end they all end up getting thrown out anyway but i have more uses for them so im going to keep getting them

Answer 12

I am collecting them, have about seven different ones. I like to take the ones from other stores into the one I am shopping in. I think it reminds them that there are competitors that can get my business.

Answer 13

YES...  I just feel better about using them.  I occasionally still get the plastic bags because we use them to put in the bathroom trashcans as trash bags,  and to clean the litter box for our cats.  They are also bigger so I can get my groceries from car to house in less trips.  

Answer 14

Yes, I've been using them for a couple of years.  I have several of the green ones and a couple of the insulated ones with the zippered tops.  I love them. Along with being ecofriendly they are just convenient. I drive a pickup truck and the bags stand up nicely in the back of the truck and the handles make it easier to carry them inside. And they don't rip when loaded /like the plastic ones.  I will never go back to plastic.The only downside that I have found is that the store clerks don't like dealing with them.  I don't understand it . Their store sells them to me but the clerks look at me with contempt when I bring them in!  Oh well, their problem!

Answer 15

I was using them long before they became the rage. I had a friend who used to get some really cute remnants of sturdy material and make them for me.

Answer 16

I always take them in the trunk of the car and proceed to do my shopping and remember that I forgot to bring them into the store.

Answer 17

Yes I have! Started last week. We keep 3-4 bags in each car. I still forget and have to go out and get them sometimes, but I feel good about not using plastic! And, they are easier to carry and hold more! peace

Answer 18

I'm mixed race.  If I go into a store with a bag they follow me around because they think I'm a shoplifter.  Fact of life for some of us.

Answer 19

love the idea and when i see a shopper with their own bags, i just think how cool they look

Answer 20

I usually do my main  grocery shopping once a month, and will pick up any must haves, milk and bread as needed for the rest of the month as I need or run out. So I never know how many grocery bags I would need for that monthly stock up. It seems dumb to have to carry grocery bags around in your car all the time. Besides I do recycle all my grocery plastic bags in the garbage pick up or try to find other uses for them around the house.  

Answer 21

No, I am not using the new type bags.

Answer 22

We have 10 total.  We leave them in the trunk.  After we use them we put them by the front door to remember to put them in the trunk.  I get 5 cents back each time I use them.  They hold more and are easier to maneuver. I don't care which store I bought them from, I will take them in any store.  

Answer 23

Yes. I bought three at a Wal-Mart for $1 each. I don't do my food shopping there, but the King Sooper and Safeway I shop at gives us a five cent credit for each bag we bring in. I know I've gotten my $3 back. I am now used to them, no problem.

Answer 24

Yes, I use them when I remember and don't forget them. I keep them in my car all ready, but sometimes even then I forget.  My grocery store gives 5 cents back on each one.  That's reason enough to use them.

Answer 25

Yes.  I rarely use plastic bags now.  I haven't seen paper bags used in the stores for many years, and many people are switching from plastic bags to the cloth bags.

Answer 26

Hmmm... That dark green bag sounds delicious.

I'd shred the bag and add some Ranch dressing and take recycling to a whole new level.

Answer 27

I'm trying, but my endeavors have been unsuccessful thus far.  I never remember to put them in my car.  And if I put them in my car, I usually remember them as I'm wheeling my full cart of plastic-bagged groceries out of the store.

Answer 28

I bought them with all good intentions, but they seem to just want to live in the trunk of my car. I do recycle the plastic bags, though.

Answer 29

I never caught on with that idea. Perhaps if they gave the bags away free I might start using them. I don't want to pay a dollar for each bag when I can get paper / plastic for free. Plus I re-use the paper and plastic! !

Answer 30

My wife has been using cloth bags for over ten years and in the time we calculate that our grocery store (Ralphs - 5 cents per bag) has credited her with about $624.00. Not a bad savings since she got the bags free in the first place.

Answer 31

No I have not. I have been thinking about it. I seem to buy more groceries than I intended. I would like to make my own since I like to sew.   Poppy