[magpie mamma]

I was at the grocery store today, a big box one and as I was bagging my stuff, another couple was bagging theirs. She was waiting to pay and he was bagging, M or MIL was standing watching the bagging process. I could not believe it but they bought alot of vegetables, which were placed in clear plastic bags per type. He proceeded to put 1 item per plastic carry out bag, even the items already in platic bags. He put 3 small foil packets per bag, the smallest item I saw, even the Sunday newspaper, which was in a plastic bag, went into another. There must have been 30 -40 plastic bags in the cart when they strolled away. I just stood there speachless, which is good because I think I would have gone crazy if I had opened my mouth. The funny thing was I was feeling bad because I had not brought enough cloth bags and was using some paper bags that I thought would be o.k. because I bring them to my coop to reuse. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/nut.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="nut">

 

[Baby Makes 4]

Gosh! That's awful.<br><br>
I forgot my fabric bags last week and I just had them put everything in the cart, then I emptied the cart into the back of my van and bagged it all in the driveway at home so I could get it in the house. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"><br><br>
People must think I am crazy. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/winky.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Wink">

 

[MelanieMC]

I know how you feel. I buy all of my groceries at a local health food store (and always have my cloth bags), but my mom and sister shop at wal-mart. I was helping them bring groceries in the other day (they had gone through the self-checkout line) and they seriously had at least 30 - 35 bags! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/jaw.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="dropjaw"> They had one loaf of bread in one bag; 2 cans of soup in another; 1 bag of pre-cut carrots in another! I asked why they couldn't put more in each bag and my moms response was that she "didn't really think about it". <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/irked.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="irked">:

 

[Sharlla]

The bags are pretty crappy though, I've had checkers fill mine too much and have the bottom fall out. Meats need to be in a separate bad, same with chemicals, toiletries etc. Depends a lot on what kind of bagging system they have and how the items were laid out on the conveyer.<br><br>
Also there is pressure on moving the line, most baggers aren't worried about taking the extra time to sort just to save some bags.

 

[Frogmorest]

We bag our own groceries as well and got tired of bagging... our store offers big green bins for sale ($5 each) and we just bought 5 of them. You'd be suprised how much faster bagging goes now! And that way we can save the dozens of bags a month... course we do put more than one item per bag.

 

[sapphire_chan]

Maybe they have dogs and this is their one shopping trip a month where they get plastic bags?

 

[sapphire_chan]

I want to get a basket the size of a grocery cart basket and just forgo bags altogether. I have started taking an empty laundry basket with me and just loading bags from the cart into the basket, helps me carry everything in in one load. (we go grocery shopping really infrequently)

 

[geek_the_girl]

I use plastic bags alot.<br>
Our grocery store has a bin where you can bring them in and recycle them.

 

[ThreeBeans]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>geek_the_girl</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7918436"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I use plastic bags alot.<br>
Our grocery store has a bin where you can bring them in and recycle them.</div>
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<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/yeahthat.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="yeah that">:<br><br>
We have cloth shopping bags, but I find all sorts of creative ways to use plastic bags around the house when we do get them.

 

[AlbertaJes]

I told them once to put in as many items as possible. So they put in 3 instead of 2. Then I got cloth bags.

 

[ThreeBeans]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>AlbertaJes</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7918531"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I told them once to put in as many items as possible. So they put in 3 instead of 2. Then I got cloth bags.</div>
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<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/ROTFLMAO.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="rotflmao">

 

[newmommy27]

we reuse all our plastic bag (feeling a bit guilty that I am not consistent about cloth bags) to pick up our dogs poop and for soiled cloth diapers

 

[ThreeBeans]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>newmommy27</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7918552"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">we reuse all our plastic bag (feeling a bit guilty that I am not consistent about cloth bags) to pick up our dogs poop and for soiled cloth diapers</div>
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Yeah, they're handy when you have an unexpected poopy and no public toilet to take care of it in <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/ROTFLMAO.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="rotflmao">

 

[ThreeBeans]

<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/redface.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Embarrassment"><br><br>
OMG, I realize now you all think I am gallivanting about the city shitting in plastic bags.<br><br><br><br><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/ROTFLMAO.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="rotflmao">

 

[Aliviasmom]

I think that seems a *tad* excessive. We use plastic bags, but re-use them if possible (as long as they don't get ripped).

 

[kamilla626]

I try to bag my own stuff, and put as many things in a bag as possible. Then we use the bags as garbage bags.<br><br>
Instead of the typical size kitchen garbage bag, I bought a cute little bucket that's just the right size for grocery bags, so we never buy garbage bags.<br><br>
We also use them for dog poop.<br><br>
But not for our own poop, like ThreeBeans does. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/winky.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Wink">

 

[superstella]

We use ours as garbage bags too, never buy them. I've wanted to switch to using only the canvas bags, but the fact that I'd then have to BUY some sort of plastic garbage container keeps me from switching exclusively... I'd love to find an alternative, but I'm not at zero waste just yet and really do need something to put the trash in, and those little plastic grocery bags really are handy for that and I don't have to buy them.

 

[JanB]

I have a friend who worked in a grocery store part-time in high school, and he told me that you get a LOT of people who will complain if there are too many items per bag because they are too heavy to lift, so a lot of baggers fall into the habit of just putting 1-2 items in each bag. Apparently more people will complain if you actually fill the bag, than if you give each item its own bag. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/shrug.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="shrug"><br><br>
He said this was true even for people who requested assistance getting their bags to the car!

 

[Smalls181]

Just a tip for those of us who have a hard time remembering to bring the cloth bags. I found one large bag, and I keep all the smaller bags in that, and then I keep them in my trunk. After I go shopping, I hang the big bag full of smaller bags on my front door so I see it the next I go out, and put it back in my trunk.

 

[tboroson]

I'm such a bag whore. I have easily a dozen and a half of the things. But, that's the only way I can be sure I have a few in the car whenever I go shopping, because I always forget them in the house. I've actually had baggers bag things in plastic, then put those bags *in* my cloth bags. WTF???<br><br>
On the occasion that I do end up with plastic bags (like, I frequently forget my cloth bags for things like the pharmacy, I've got the "grocery store - bring cloth bags" mindset, but don't remember for other places), they do get reused. I use them for scooping the litter boxes and other gross tasks. I use them to package produce in the refrigerator for which I didn't take the flimsy bags at the market (and at the farmer's market, they don't usually have plastic bags for the produce).<br><br>
But... it does drive me apeshit when I see people with 30 bags, each with a single item in it. I can understand that the bags are flimsy and break when you truly fill them. But, one item???