Walmart to rid of their plastic bags in CA

[reinbeau]

I was walking through a Walmart up in NH the other day and they gave me a bag. Wasn't necessary, I've got a dozen or so in the trunk of my car, and a few more behind the seat of my truck, and I use them, all the time.

 

[sylvie]

The reusable bags have not caught on around our area. It is an oddity to see someone using them. The mentality is the same as; not being caught dead riding a bicycle when you have a car. Of course it is usually guys who have had their license suspended who are cycling to work, so that does have a certain stigma apart from the bags.

I like the plastic bags for so many reasons. The biggest is when I catch mice in plastic spring traps, I use a plastic bag to pick up and transport to the chickens. If I can't find spring traps the glue traps have to do and the mice go in the garbage via plastic bags.
I suppose I better start hoarding those plastic bags now.

 

[Wifezilla]

it is usually guys who have had their license suspended who are cycling to work, so that does have a certain stigma

Same here!

Well, unless you have a helmet and are wearing lots of spandex. Then they assume you are a health nut that moved here from California.

 

[patandchickens]

The mentality is the same as; not being caught dead riding a bicycle when you have a car.

Nobody hardly used them up here either *until* the stores started charging money for plastic bags and [in many, not all, cases] other measures as well to discourage plastic and remind people about bringing reusable bags. Honestly I was quite surprised how belatedly peoples' habits changed (i.e not until 'forced' to) but how *easily* when that time did come.

I like the plastic bags for so many reasons. The biggest is when I catch mice in plastic spring traps, I use a plastic bag to pick up and transport to the chickens. If I can't find spring traps the glue traps have to do and the mice go in the garbage via plastic bags.
I suppose I better start hoarding those plastic bags now.

You can still reuse "packaging" type plastic bags for that sort of thing. The inner bags from breakfast cereal are good for short-term storage of various kinds of food but can also perfectly well be used for dead mice ; we go through a lot of store-boughten w/w tortillas whose ziploc packaging is very useful around here; and a surprising number of other things you buy also turn out to come in plastic bags when you start noticing

Pat

 

[sylvie]

Good suggestions, Pat. I looked around after reading that and realized how little we buy that comes in plastic. We don't buy cereal or bread products; we grow, can, dry most of our food. Probably why I value the plastic so much is the scarcity of it in the house.
I do get nuts in shell in plastic, the plastic that comes off the roll at the grocery-so I am right back to that again as my source .

ETA- found one--toilet paper wrapper. It's a jumbo pack so it will be 3 months or so before it gets opened. I'll keep you posted, lol.

 

[meriruka]

I came across this: http://www.helpwildlife.com/plasticbags.html
a few years ago and just stopped using plastic. Every time I have to stump back out to the truck to get my cloth bags, I think about the pics on this site & quit grumbling.

Giant sells bags lined with some kind of foil & have a zipper. These are great because I live 45 minutes from the grocery store so it keeps my cold food cold on the way home.

 

[Wifezilla]

I have been a Sam's member forever. Plus I shop at Vitamin Cottage and neither of those places uses bags. If you need to, you grab a box. I also shop the farmer's markets. It is easier to bring home heavy squash and melons if you have your own cotton bags.

I have a lot of bags I have picked up over the years and just got in the habit of keeping them in the car. My favorite is a newspaper carrier's bag. I have a black denim one that goes over the shoulder. VERY handy and you can stuff a lot of produce in there. One of our suppliers was giving out insulated bags over Christmas with each order. We had several orders so we have those now too.

If every store went bagless tomorrow I would be fine.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Twice a year my company has a show for our customers. We give away goodie bags for them haul around all the stuff they get.

I've been collecting these for a few years now, so I have several.

When I unload my groceries, I empty the bags as I bring them into the house. When I go back for the next load, I take the emptied ones back to the car. The last load's bags get crammed into a single bag & that gets hung on the doorknob for the next time I go out to the car.

And even with the checkout counters stacked up with reusable bags (even at the $ general stores) I get odd looks when I come in with an armload of canvas bags.

When these wear out, I'm going to talk a few small farmer types into letting me have their empty feed bags. The shopping bags made from those are huge & somebody on here discovered a really neat & easy way to retrofit them with handles. Grommets & rope. Can't remember who it was to give credit, but I'm totally stealing the idea

 

[bibliophile birds]

When I unload my groceries, I empty the bags as I bring them into the house. When I go back for the next load, I take the emptied ones back to the car. The last load's bags get crammed into a single bag & that gets hung on the doorknob for the next time I go out to the car.

that's a great idea! why didn't i think of that? it's so.... logical.

And even with the checkout counters stacked up with reusable bags (even at the $ general stores) I get odd looks when I come in with an armload of canvas bags.

i know i've mentioned this on another thread somewhere, but i really think everyone that works in stores in my area thinks i'm insane because of the no bags thing. one time i was getting only a few items (which would normally go in my giant purse, but i didn't have it with me) so i grabbed a new bag to purchase and sat it on the counter. i was in a rush and wasn't paying attention until the sales lady handed me a plastic bag. i looked at it funny, looked at her, looked at it. i'm thinking to myself "i know i put that bag up there." well, i look inside the plastic bag and there is the reusable one i just purchased.... i politely unpacked the plastic one, packed the reusable one and explained to the now completely confused sales lady WHY i didn't want/need plastic bags.

my other favorite was in Target, where i was buying a Rubbermaid container and a few other things. i asked the sales lady to just put my other items in the Rubbermaid. well, she was amazed. she went on and on about what a wonderful idea that was and even called over to the sales clerk next to her to tell him what a wonderful idea it was... like it had honestly never occurred to anyone EVER to do that.

things are slowly starting to change. a lot of stores in Knoxville are starting to require their cashiers to ask if you have your own bags or if you want to purchase one of theirs before they ask if you want paper or plastic. it's progress.

 

[murphysranch]

Ha ha on that Target experience! ( I don't know where you all get your little images like the "funny post"). I usually just ask if I can take the receipt and hand carry or put the items in my purse. It stumps checkers for a moment.

I have gotten wonderful fun bags at Goodwill or at Salvation Army. They are much nicer than the grocery store ones, and usually cost a buck or so. I also use them for toting other things around. BUT I do forget to grab them when I'm heading out to the grocery store....Gotta thump myself on the head a few more times to get the old brain in gear!!