Last Christmas, my granddaughter Berkley – who knows how much I love to go to the grocery store – gave me three shopping bags from Harris Teeter, heavy duty bags with straps. It was perfect timing because I had just opened the back of my Jeep and had a cantaloupe escape from one of the plastic bags and go rolling down the driveway. I despise those plastic bags, but in some stores, that’s all they offer.
I vowed then and there to always use the new shopping bags – if only I could remember them.
The first time I used one, it was like a miracle. I could put about 30 pounds of stuff in a single bag and instead of having to lug a dozen plastic bags into the kitchen – with loaves of bread flat as a pancake – I only had 2 or 3 bags and the handles made them easy to transport. They were terrific. After each trip, I set the bags beside the door and took them to my car. Anymore, I am more apt to forget my mask than these shopping bags.
But rarely do I see any other shoppers using these bags. In Kroger’s, it’s like me and two little old ladies. Everyone else resorts to plastic. I know that it’s good for the environment to use these reusable bags, but I do it for the convenience, not because I am a tree hugger.
When you can put a hundred dollars’ worth of groceries into just three bags, that is real convenience.
If you have a granddaughter, ask for a few of these shipping bags for Christmas. Once you have used them, you’ll never want to even see another plastic bag.