Kathi Jones wrote:

LOL!!! ok, sharing in on the rant....

1) there are several smaller cities outright banning the use of plastic
bags. So those people will have to find (read that 'buy') something else to
get their groceries home

2) Those plastic grocery bins (also green, although some are black and even
purple) have been around for years, and people bought those. The grocery
stores even remodelled their carts to accommodate the bins.

3) I can pay 5 cents a bag if I want one at Price Choppers or use a
cardboard box that the store got their merchandise in. The cardboard box is
then recycled at my house.

4) you are right - the cloth bags are a cash grab for sure. It used to be
that the store spent thousands on bags and that was factored in to the price
of your groceries. Now we are the one spending money on the cloth bags and
the price of the plastic ones are still factored in to the price of the
groceries.

5) just last week, the owner of the store I work in told me that he spent
$70,000.00 on plastic bags last year.

6) I think it's just another 'easy' way for people to feel that they are
making a difference in the environment. Even if it's just reducing your
garbage. I do what you do - bring my groceries home in plastic bags, save
them, and use them for garbage bags. I have to admit though, I did buy one
cloth bag...hey, it was only 99 cents!

Kathi



" wrote in message
...
Beginning rant of the day

What's this latest trend, at least among some chain grocereterias up
here in the frozen midwest? Seems to have just sprouted.

So, stores sell cloth bags, mostly green color, of course. One or two
bucks each.
Oh yes, they are "8 percent" post consumer recycled materials in their
manufacture." Ogee!

btw -- what is "eco friendly" Wouldn't that be "enviro-friendly?" Or
is it more truthfully economically friendly? And for whom?

Isn't that nice and environmentally conscious of these stores.
Hmmm? Lessee .....

1) The store makes money off the sale of these bags.

2) The store gets free advertising from their names printed all over
the bags.

3) The stores make you (not me) feel 'really good' about saving the
environment. (read, more advertising).

4) The stores save money by spending less on new paper or plastic
bags for us suckers...er, environmentally conscious customers.

5) And, five, "Ah say FIVE!" As I realized on my last shopping
trip, the store makes further money when I have to buy a box or roll
of new plastic trash bags to replace the ones when I used to use
mostly the used grocery bags for my garbage.

6) And after two uses, I predict these quasi-cloth bags will fall
apart after about 6 uses.

Harrumph!! (tm)

A sucker born every minute. And I was born millions of minutes ago,
and I still fell for it.

Ending rant of the day

I bought a couple of the heavy canvas bags one of
the local chain grocery stores were selling about 15
years ago, and they're holding up just fine. They
cost $5 each back then, but the store did a 4 cents/
use per bag rebate over the years each time you use
them. The rebate just went up to 5 cents each last
summer.

They now are selling those 99 cent bags you described.
I bought 5 for $4 on a special. Gave one bag to a
friend, and I use the other four for stuff like yarn.
I agree that they don't look like they'd hold up under
heavy use. For crafty items or light use, they're okay.

I still get the plastic bags at other grocery stores,
as you folks do, use them as garbage bags or to clean
up after the kitty. I just wish those stores would
learn to put more than one or two items in each bag.

Bottom line: a nickel back each time I use the bags
adds up over time, but I wouldn't want to see the
banning of plastic (or paper) bags since they're
reusable too. Even a good idea can be overdone.

Nyssa, who recycles but isn't a fanatic about it