No Paper Bags makes for SC

[jjc927]

I prefer plastic, for the very simple reason that the plastic bags have handles. When you are carrying a dozen bags of groceries, and you have to go from a parking lot around a building and up 1.5 flights of stairs, it's far far easier to do so with bags with handles, as it enables you to carry more bags per trip.

The store you go to doesn't put non-handled paper bags inside of a plastic bag for customers wanting paper? That's how my store does it.

[chikenlady]

I haven't seen a paper bag in a store here for..... I don't know how many years.

[Jester]

The store you go to doesn't put non-handled paper bags inside of a plastic bag for customers wanting paper? That's how my store does it.

I don't know. But if they did, what would be the point?

I mean, if I want paper, I am not going to want paper inside of plastic. Might as well just get the plastic bag then, right? And a lot of people who get paper are doing so to use less plastic and help the environment. These people are certainly not going to want their biodegradable paper bag in a non-biodegradable plastic bag!

[bainsidhe]

The only time I get paper bags is when I buy ice cream, and yes, I ask that the small paper bag be put in a plastic bag. Plastic bags have handles and none of the paper bags (including those with handles) seem to be anywhere near as strong as plastic. Heck, the plastic bags are even stronger than a few of the reusable tote bags. How sad is that?

[aurelemsrealm]

That is a good point about preferring plastic bags because they have handles. I have seen paper bags with handles, but not as often. I guess my take is that I'm not particular so long as the bags serve my purpose at the time.

I have some of those sock sacks to store plastic bags -- one in the house and one kept in the trunk of each car. I reuse shopping bags as liners for the smaller trash cans in the house, like the bathrooms or computer room trash cans. I also use shopping bags as trashcans in the car. They just come in handy for bundling and carrying most anything you'd need to take with you. When the sock sacks get full, I pack all the bags into one bag, and take it to the recycling box at Kroger, Wal-Mart, or whatever other store on my next shopping trip. Paper bags are only slightly more cumbersome to store for later use or recycling, but not enough to make a difference. A decent sized paper bag can easily contain all other paper bags if you fold them up. So, I generally reuse shopping bags until they fall apart, get dirty and nasty, or I accumulate more than I need.

[Becks]

Me: Well we only get a certain supply a month and we sometimes run out towards the end.

And there is no possible way to order more?

[Bella_Vixen]

All the paper bags with handles that I've seen don't inspire me to put anything at all even remotely heavy in them. The handles are glued on, and not well.

Trust me on this. I work at a grocery store and I can't tell you how many times the handles rip off with no encouragement at all.

[jjc927]

And there is no possible way to order more?

Yes, but it's not like they come in an instant.

[Becks]

Yes, but it's not like they come in an instant.

I never thought they would, but if it's a recurring thing, and that's what it sounded like when I read the OP, then order extra bags once in a while. It's not as if they have an expiration date or anything.

[42_42_42]

The plastic shopping bags can be recycled. The grocery store I shop at (happens to be Publix, but I've seen recycling stations at other chains, too) has bins outside the entrance doors for the plastic shopping bags, the paper shopping bags, and styrofoam egg cartons and meat trays all to be recycled.

Since the reusable bags have come out, that's what we use. I even got some net reusable bags for produce so I don't have to use the plastic produce bags. Our garage is in the basement, a flight of stairs down from our kitchen, so carrying groceries up in the reusable bags is so much easier. And they are very durable. I highly recommend everyone switch to them, especially if you have to carry your groceries up stairs, etc. I have reusable bags from several different stores, but IMHO, the Publix ones are the best "regular" sized ones and the TJ Maxx ones are the best "jumbo" ones. We probably own close to two dozen reusable bags because we use them for more than just shopping.

[Kogarashi]

All the paper bags with handles that I've seen don't inspire me to put anything at all even remotely heavy in them. The handles are glued on, and not well.

Trust me on this. I work at a grocery store and I can't tell you how many times the handles rip off with no encouragement at all.

And when I was a cashier, we had the occasonal boxful of plastic bags that had a clear manufacturing defect. One box had a slit down the side of the bag, on every single bag (so it wasn't the boxcutter's fault). Another one, the bags just seemed thinner than usual and would frequently pop open under the weight of a normal bagful of items. Major pain in the butt.

[protege]

Most shops here no longer have paper bags. Nearly all, except for the hobby shop across town (which still occasionally wraps up model kits with brown paper), have gone to all-plastic. No worries, really. Like others have said, the handles make it easier to carry several bags at a time up the steps. Plus, I can reuse the bags as garbage bin liners, to carry my lunch to work...and in a couple of cases, make it easier to slide the covers over the seat foams in a certain restored vehicle. Right now though, I have a crapload of bags, awaiting the trip to the recycle bin.

[Bella_Vixen]

And when I was a cashier, we had the occasonal boxful of plastic bags that had a clear manufacturing defect. One box had a slit down the side of the bag, on every single bag (so it wasn't the boxcutter's fault). Another one, the bags just seemed thinner than usual and would frequently pop open under the weight of a normal bagful of items. Major pain in the butt.

I'm not denying that plastic has it's issues, too, but when people go crazy for paper bags just because they have handles is crazy since the handles aren't that great.

[Kogarashi]

I'm not denying that plastic has it's issues, too, but when people go crazy for paper bags just because they have handles is crazy since the handles aren't that great.

Oh, agreed. That's why I like our assortment of reusable bags. No ripping and tearing (except with the Stop-n-Shop bag, but I didn't pay for that one anyway so I'm not upset).