When Ya Gotta Go, Ya Gotta Go (to the grocery store, that is...)

empty refrigerator

Yesterday our refrigerator was barren. The one bottle of Ketchup and the small bag of baby carrots were the lone survivors.

Okay, so I'm exaggerating...{sort-of}. We really, truly didn't have much in the house. No milk. No bread. No produce. Not even a frozen pizza.

As we sat eating canned peaches and canned corn for lunch, I considered venturing out to the grocery store. But the prospect of taking a 2-year-old and a newborn out the door by myself was positively terrifying...and tiring.

So we sat and ate soupy peaches and corn niblets - and my husband went to the grocery store late last night. I am happy to report that we now have food in our house.

I have often wished that my local Fry's offered grocery delivery. I would pay a pretty penny if I could grocery shop online and have a cheerful delivery person drop by with my requests. Okay, I'd even take a grumpy delivery person...

grocery storeOffering a grocery delivery service is just one of many things that grocery stores could do to market to moms, but I wrote out a whole list in my recent post, entitled "How Grocery Stores Can Market to Moms More Effectively."

One thing that I didn't mention in my original post, however, was that I am always impressed and inspired by companies that are committed to being good stewards of the earth...which is why I'm happy to tell you about Kroger's newest initiative.

Beginning April 6 and running through May 15, Kroger is inviting customers to enter the Kroger Reusable Shopping Bag Contest. The contest gives Kroger customers the chance to design their own reusable grocery bag with an easy-to-use design tool.

kroger reusable grocery bag design contestUpon submitting their entry, designers will receive a confirmation email allowing them view their final design and send to family and friends for votes. An expert judging panel will rank the top bag designs, with special consideration given to those designs that have the most votes.

Great prizes will be awarded to the top 10 bag designs, with one lucky designer winning a $1,000 Kroger gift card and the chance for their bag design to be sold in stores. Judges will also select four finalists who will receive $250 Kroger gift cards and five runners-up who will receive $100 Kroger gift cards.

Best of all, you can get a FREE reusable shopping bag just for submitting a design!

Kroger has also partnered with Café Press so designers can purchase a reusable bag (and other merchandise) with their design on it.

It’s worth noting a variety of stores under the Kroger banner (including Fry's Food) are participating in this contest. For a complete list of participating stores, click on the drop down box in the top right corner of the site.

YOUR TURN: Do you currently use reusable bags when you go grocery shopping? Why or why not?

kroger logoWIN IT! There will be two winners. Each winner will receive a $25 Kroger gift card. To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Friday, April 24 at midnight (Don’t forget to follow the rules…all generic comments like “Enter me!,” “Love it,” and “Cool stuff!” will be disqualified.).

*UPDATE* The winners are #16 LOIS [AYTON and #62 merle. Congratulations!

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218 comments on “When Ya Gotta Go, Ya Gotta Go (to the grocery store, that is...)”

  1. Currently I do use reusable bags when I go grocery shopping when I remember to bring them with me because it helps the environment.

  2. I am glad Kroger is committed to being eco-friendly. I haven't started using my own bags yet. You have some excellent ideas on how groceries could market to new moms.

  3. I don't, though I really should. But we use the bags around the house instead of buying trash bags, and for lunches, so at least they aren't just used once I suppose.

  4. Kroger has always been a leader in the grocery world sp I'd like to be entered for this, thanks. wombatspurple at yahoo dot com

  5. I try to use reusable grocery bags but I often forget them at home in the rush to go-go-go and get things done. I wish I could always remember!

  6. I really like using the reusable bags. Although, I have a problem remembering to take them to the store. I'm working on that, though. :) I designed a bag!

  7. Krogers has an excellent line of foods and the quality is good. The paper products and personal items are also a good quality. With the hard times of today it is important to get the best value for your money. The only problem I have with the cloth bags is that they are too small. We grocery shop 2 times a month!!!

  8. When I make quick stops at Kroger on my way home from work, I almost always use reusable bags that I keep in the back of my car - they're reliable, sturdy, and, even better, make me feel like I'm doing my small part toward greener living. The only time I don't rely strictly on reusable bags is when I make a large grocery purchase, but only because I don't yet own enough bags to fit all of my items. Thanks for the giveaway - I love Kroger!

  9. Thanks for the giveaway, a $25 Kroger/Fry's card is a great prize !!!...We use two reusable canvas bags on our grocery runs to Fry's; we usually end up getting a plastic bag or two as well when we buy meat, ice cream, etc., and use those as trash bags in the car.

  10. Yes, I always use my reusable bags. You can fit so many groceries into those bags!
    Thanks for the chance to win!

  11. I've been using reusable bags at Kroger for about 2 months. They really do hold more than plastic bags...unless they get packed wrong. I use the bags because it helps the environment and bonus, it's easier and fewer trips from the car to the kitchen.

  12. I always shop at Kroger. I love when they have there 10 for 10 deals. This card would definately help. Thanks for this great giveaway!

  13. I don't, but I always recycle the bags, either by using them as doggy poop bags, trash can liners, or bringing them back to the store for them to recycle.

  14. I shop at Kroger all the time!! I am a college student so this card would definitely help with my food bill.

  15. Kroger is our favorite grocery store and we shop their often. They always have great clearance items, and of course we use our reusable bags to carry them in :) *Thanks* for the giveaway!

  16. Kroger is a great place to shop- I lived next door to one in Lexington, KY a couple years ago. It's so refreshing to know that corporations like Kroger are stepping up to reduce the vast amounts of waste that they produce in the form of plastic shopping bags!

  17. Yes, I use reusable bags. The only time I don't is if I need extra plastic bags for putting the used kitty litter in or if I need paper bags to put my paper recycling in.

  18. I have 5 reusable bags I take to the grocery store. I look like a freak in the city I live as people are not green conscious and look at me like I'm crazy when I'm bagging my own groceries in my own bags.

  19. I have a confession... I haven't been using reusable bags. I know that I should and I am interested in using them. However I do reuse the plastic bags for dirty diapers and cat litter. Does that make me a bad person? I do recycle everything else though.

  20. I don't use reusable bags. I only have one and that wouldn't hold everything. I did use it a few times but it seems quicker to just let the cashier put everything in the plastic bags. By the time I checkout I'm ready to get out of the store as fast as possible. We do reuse the plastic bags in the bathroom trash can. And if we get too many we take them to be recycled.

    braaisjo at gmail dot com

  21. I definitely use reusable bags each time I go grocery shopping. I leave 5-7 of them in my car, another 2-3 at home (btw, the two black ones are from Kroger). I use them not only for the environment but also for ourselves. Reusable bag is much durable and holds more items than regular plastic/peper bags. Also, there are no more platic bags in our kitchen! Save the environment, save the space. It's win-win situation!

  22. I forgot to include my email.(sorry)

    I just started taking my own bag to the grocery store. I’m teaching my son to be more responsible…and try to contribute to the planet.

    Thanks

  23. I just started taking my own bag to the grocery store. I'm teaching my son to be more responsible...and try to contribute to the planet.

    Thanks

  24. I do use reusable bags and the way I remember to take them with me is that whenever I start a new grocery list, the first thing I write across the top is "BAGS".

  25. I use reusable grocery bags most of the time, but sometimes I get plastic ones. I need them for my bathroom trash, dirty diapers, etc. Thanks for the great giveaway!

  26. I use plastic bags because I always get so many groceries that I would have to take in 10+ reusable bags. I do reuse the plastic bags and they can be recycled.

  27. When hubby shops (most of the time since he likes to cook) he uses plastic grocery bags still, because I use them for lots of things around the house-litter box cleaning, small garbage can liners, etc...but if I go just to get a couple of things, I carry them in my arms and do not use a bag.

  28. I re-use plastic grocery bags in many ways. I line the bathroom trash cans with them.
    I keep one in the laundry room to put used dryer sheets in.
    I send one home every day with my grand children's dirty clothes in.
    I keep one in the car for trash. etc..
    There are so many ways I use them, I can't think of them all.

  29. I like the contest Kroger is doing!
    I am a big fan of using reusable bags but one by one my husband has somehow taken all of them and put them to another use (like carrying his work stuff home from work and back!!) so we actually need more bags!!
    When we don't use reusables, the plastic bags are used up for garbage.

  30. I do use reusable bags when it's a short trip for just a few items. If it's a big haul I don't but reuse the plastic bags around the house.

  31. Yes, except on occasions when I KNOW I am going to be buying a veritable buttload of groceries and supplies. We then use those bags to scoop kitty litter- and whatever is left over we stick in the plastic bag recycle bin in front of the store.

  32. I actually do use my reusable totes because they're so cute! It makes a boring old bag of groceries look exciting.

  33. I use them occasionally, it just depends if I happen to have one in the car when I decide to stop at our local Krogers! ... I think everyone should get into the "green swing", so the environment will be safer for the upcoming generations!

  34. I do not use a reusable shopping bag. I like to use either the paper or plastic bags so that I can reuse them as trash can liners.

  35. Yes, I use my own bags for the grocery. I like them BETTER than the flimsy plastic things. They hold more items and they do it more securely. You don't worry about a reuseable bag bursting open and losing your food.

  36. I have reusable grocery bags, I just forget to take them into the store with me half the time! I need to get in the habit of putting htem back in my car after I unload the groceries!

  37. No, we don't use reusable bags, but want to!! I just keep forgetting to buy them, and the 1 reusable bag we do have (Target) keeps getting left in the car instead of being brought in with us! I need to get better and get in the habit.

  38. we use our totes instead of plastic or paper bags from the store. it's better for the environment and the handles on my totes are so much longer and sturdier. I think it's just about time we did away with grocery bags completely. Some places in Europe have already done so.

  39. Our local Krogers has a reduced section. I've found some great deals there. I got a bunch of vanilla and chocolate candy coating for $.50 each after Christmas. It's good for over a year!

  40. I have reusable bags; the problem is that I either forget to use them, or they're already full of other stuff.

  41. I now have about half a dozen of my own reusable bags I take with me when I shop. I tend to buy a whole months worth of groceries at once so still end up with several plastic bags but I find ways to use most of those. I hope to get some more reusuable bags like me RuMe bags.

  42. I never use to but I have since started recently. I dont want to leave my child and her children some day to a world even more destroyed

  43. Yes, my wife and I use 'hemp tote bags' instead of using 'plastic bags'!

    All part of our Eco-friendly lifestyle!

    Thanks for the 'great' giveaway offering and good luck to all!

  44. I bought reusable grocery bags about a year ago. I love using them. They costed .99 a piece and I got five of them. I love the way I feel when I use them. I feel responsible and respectful of the earth. But on top of it all, I love not having to deal with the hassle of balling up the plastic bags and finding a place to put them. Also, the reusable ones carry so many more groceries and are easier to carry in!

  45. I use them often, except when I'm trying to get a particular color for the shopping bags I'm crocheting made with plastic bags.

  46. I keep them in my car and use them except when I need paper bags for other reasons( dropping off a lot of our organic eggs, lining the trash cans , roasting red peppers, etc..). I always use reusable bags at certain markets and health food stores in town as they give a 5% discount when using them.

  47. We've been using them for years now and they've accumulated - it's like tote bags just pop up at random places like conferences and whatnot, so we have a lot. Some grocery stores give us 5-cents off for each one we use!

  48. I have been intending to buy and start using the re-usable bags for a while now, but I never find bags that I like much and some of them are really small and wouldn't look like they'd fit much. Maybe I will start using them more after I get the free bag from Kroger in the mail to add to the other free bag I got.

  49. I always use reusable shopping bags when I shop any where. I am now trying to encourage my sister and teaching my daughter to use them

  50. I absolutely use reusable bags because I get tired of saving the plastic ones and taking them to recycle. Plus I get 5 cents for each bag when I use them at the store :)

  51. I have some & almost always forget to bring them to the store. Wish there was some kind of system so they were always available. I love Kroger for their Double Coupons:)

  52. I use both reusable and plastic: reusable the majority of the time, and plastic occasionally which are then used for kitchen trash.

  53. I carry 5 Chico bags all hooked together in my tote bag (my version of a purse). This way i don't forget any and they take up little space.

  54. I have several reusable cloth bags that I use. Once in awhile I forget them, but I am getting better at bringing them. Aside from not wasting the paper or plastic bags, most of the grocery stores I go to give 6 cents off per bag. Plus, they are stronger.

    Thank you for the giveaway!

  55. My daughter sewed some reusable bags for us but we never seem to have enough and material is expensive! I think just getting some of these from kroger would be cheaper and just as useful...hope she doesnt find this out!

  56. I love the reusable grocery bags - they are so handy. But, I do miss the plastic ones-they made great diaper bags and small trash can liner. Sigh...ya just can't win. Oh...wait...YES, you can win!!

  57. We actually do use the reusable shopping bags. The first time I got 15 cents back, I got excited. Yes, I know its silly but if I use each bag at least 10 times, it will have paid for itself.

    Oh, and some grocery stores do offer online shopping and delivery. Here in the middle of nowhere Midwest, I can shop online and have it delivered for an extra $20. Right now its not worth it to me, but give me a fresh baby and a toddler and I will gladly pay an extra $20 for groceries that come to me. Its cheaper than takeout. :-)

  58. We use the canvas bags all the time. Fry's self check out works great with them. Even save five cents for each one. Thanks Kroger!

  59. I love all the cloth bags that companies are giving away. It is good advertising for them, and saving the planet for our kids.

  60. Kroger is one of my favorite stores - I love that they track what you buy via your Kroger card and send you coupons on those products. How helpful is that?!

  61. I do all my grocery shopping at Kroger. That design-a-bag contest was fun and easy. I have used bags like this before, but I need to start using them more consistently.

  62. I like that I can usually get all of my groceries in one or two reuseable bags, rather than a dozen plastic bags. When I do get plastic bags, I reuse THEM over and over, eventually giving them to a friend for "doggy duty."

  63. We use (and love) resuseable bags for every shopping trip. I really like how many groceries each bag can hold, and how much sturdier they are than plastic.
    I need to start keeping a few in my car for other shopping trips.

  64. I don't use reusable bags because I don't have any at the moment. My plan is to get some. I do recycle the plastic bags from the grocery, though.

  65. Oh! When my two were young, I would have paid good money some days for grocery delivery! On busy errand days, I also wished that convenience stores or grocery stores had some kind of drive-thru, just so I wouldn't have to unload the kids *again*. You know, a drive-thru with a simple 5-item limit: milk, bread, children's Tylenol, bananas, and 1/2 pound of sliced turkey, for example. Sometimes you just need a couple of things; why don't stores offer that?

    We've been using reusable bags since before it was cool. Growing up in Europe, you *had* to provide your own bags or pay extra for the store's plastic.

  66. I don't bring my own bags with me to the grocery store, but I do always reuse the bags that I bring home our groceries in. I use them instead of garbage bags in the smaller garbage cans around the house, I use them to carry changes of clothes to various activities and sports the kids do, I use them to bring all sorts of things different places.

  67. There are only 2 of us in our "empty nest", so we don't buy as much at the grocery store as we used to (thus, fewer bags), and we like to have the plastic and paper bags to use for lining waste baskets, cleaning up after the dog (yuck!), and so forth. I would like to try the re-usable bags, but I want to make or find some that can be easily washed or rinsed out, as it seems like something always leaks in at least 1 bag of groceries.

  68. Yes, I use a large wicker basket for most of my groceries (I dont do a 'big' shop once a week, but instead usually end up at the grocers 2-3 times), and then I have some 'stuff sacks' that I use to supplement. I also keep a stuff sack in my purse and one in the car, for unexpected shopping. They're so small and perfect! Seattle is passing a sack bill to charge at grocery stores for bags. They do that in europe already and I love the idea!

  69. Sure do! They are so much stronger! The store closest to my house (not a regional store) has the thinnest bags you've ever seen. I usually only shop there when there's something I need. One time I thought I'd make spaghetti for dinner, and before I got to the car, the bag had torn and I had spaghetti sauce on my shoes! Reusables are better for the environment and SO much stronger!

  70. I have totes I bring to the store. I got into the habit because our local winco and Fred meyer's gave a small discount for each tote you use. Winco dropped it but I still take my totes

  71. I don't typically use reusable bags because I don't have enough and the ones I do have never seem to be with me when I make unscheduled trips.

    We don't have Kroger's here, but I grew up around Kroger's and shop there when on vacation.

  72. I love the few reusable bags I have. OK, I have about 10. But, honestly, gal could always use one more. I wish I could get my husband to use them. Why do guys think it's hokey to bring in a bag or two when they run to the store for you?!

  73. I use the reusable bags when I remember to bring them in from the car. I always recycle the plastic or paper ones, though.

  74. I do not, but I think it's a great idea. There's no particular reason I don't; maybe I should start.

    txhottie_86 at yahoo dot com

  75. I'd like to be able to say that I bring my own bags, but the reality is that I have bought several and they usually remain in my back seat. Somehow between lists and errands, that is something I forget. I do reuse the plastic bags in my trash cans at home so I'm not a total slug...

  76. I keep my reusable bags in the trunk of my car so I always have them when I go shopping. As soon as I get home I empty them and put them right back into the trunk.

  77. Sometimes I use reusable bags, sometimes I don't. When I have major shopping to do (10 or more bags), I don't.

  78. I love Kroger and shop there regularly (3-4 times a week!) I know I should be better organized, lol. This is a great contest and a great way to spread the green message. What fun! I entered a design and got my free shopping bag.
    Thanks for spreading the word.

  79. I like the grocery store delivery idea too; especially during the cold winter months when I just don't like to take the little one out much.

  80. I do take my own bags to the store, but I don't have enough, so I recycle my old plastic ones as well by using them over and over.

  81. It's hard to change old habits. But our family is really making an effort to remember the reusable bags and choose them over our usual paper.

  82. I try to remember bringing the reusable totes. But when we don't, we have many uses for the plastic bags-- cleaning out kitty litter, trashliners, lunches, etc.

  83. I don't use them mostly because the checkers all said they hate them and make me feel weird about using them. lame i know! but i do make sure to take all of the plastic ones back to the store to recycle them....

  84. I do take my own canvas bags to the grocery. The plastic ones tend to multiply on their own, I think-- they seem to be everywhere, so I was happy to stop using them.

  85. No, I do not use reusable bags when I go grocery shopping. I find the plastic bags useful around the house for garbage and storage. I'm not quite green but I have good intentions. Please accept my entry. Thank you.

  86. I've used reusable bags for over a decade now, and I love using them. It will be even nicer when they start designing more attractive bags.

  87. I just told my hubs that he must design a bag so that we can win free groceries. And it would be cool to say that the bag people are carrying around was designed by my husband. :)

  88. I do have about 5 reusable bags that I have. My daughter even got me two last year for Mother's Day!! I designed a bag, so I can't wait to get another reusable bag next time I go to Kroger's.

  89. I plan to start using reuable shopping bags on my next trip to kroger. This is a very timely contest for me.

  90. I love that Fry's takes 5 cents off of your order when you bring in a reusable shopping bag. I know that I've more than paid for the bags with my money back over the last year.

  91. I use the reusable shopping bags. I have so many plastic bags in the house from old shopping trips I don't know if we will ever get rid of them.

  92. I have 3 re usable bags. I have been known and seen to go running out to my car to get them because I have forgotten to take them into the store. I always recycle the plastic ones if I get them.

  93. I used to always get paper bags but when this promotion started I designed a bag and got a free one and have been taking it with me to krogers every time I go! Thanks.

  94. Of course Kroger is my favorite store - best produce section outside the farm - but for those really stressed times, if you have a membership to Sam's Club, you can order online and they'll pick your order for you. You still have to go there to pick it up, but it does save a huge amount of time.

  95. I use them about half the time. I need the plastic bags for when I clean the cats' litterboxes. Thanks for the giveaway.

  96. HEY WOMAN!
    long time no "talk."

    just delurking a bit to say hi...to see if youll be at blogher this summer?
    all that...

    Miz.

  97. Yes, yes, yes, I always use reusable bags - I love them and tote everything including groceries around in them. Its tougher with kids (to have "no" groceries in the house but my hubbie and I love to play - what can we make with what we do have? You should see what we came up with when it was saltines and ketchup and dill pickles....ah the crazy life.

  98. I do use them. In addition to being earth friendly they are sturdier and hold more than the plastic bags, making it easier to bring all the groceries inside in one trip!

  99. It's a relatively new thing for me, but I do take reusable bags to the grocery store. My biggest problem with them is that I feel like it's one more way for the grocery store to get money out of me - to buy their reusable bags. I've been hunting down freebies and now have enough that I can usually get out of the store without the store's plastic bags.

    Thanks for the giveaway~

  100. I have quite a collection of reusable bags and I love them. Unfortunately I don't always remember to bring them along when I go to the store. I got the great idea from another blog to assign your child the task of remembering the reusable bags when going on grocery trips. My daughter is not quite old enough for that yet, but as soon as she is....

  101. I try to always take a few reusable bags with me when I go to the store. Sometimes I just put things in the cart by themselves and don't bother with bags.

  102. I prefer to buy my food in bulk whenever possible- beprepared.com has some great deals. I reuse plastic bags when I need perishables at the grocery store. My husband and I live on his SSI check and I'm unemployed, so to win would be a true blessing for us.

  103. I try to always bring my cloth bags with me to the store. I don't always remember though.

    Figuring out how to take 2 to the store was a huge challenge for me. I did get grocery delivery for a while. Now with 3 I've figured it all out but I have no room in the cart because it is full of kids!!

  104. i use reusable bags when i grocery shop. i like to take them to other stores, too (target, michael's, etc). they are always in the back of my car so i can just grab them on the way into the store. my kids like to carry them and put them onto the bottom of the cart on the way in. i also use reusable produce bags at the grocery store and farmers' market. a couple of things to make our lives a little greener : )

  105. Kroger is one of my fav stores.
    When they have deals, they are really deals.
    I like to use my canvas tote while shopping there.
    It just makes sense but you can recycle the plastic bags too.

  106. I have a reusable bag but I always forget it when I go shopping. I use the plastic bags to put the waste in when I clean the cats' litterboxes.

  107. Reusable bags are great! I agree with all the above posts! They hold a ton! My grocery store also gives me incentives to take them ( 5 points per bag and with every 500 points you get $5 off your order). I found that if you always keep the bags in your car it's a lot easier to not forget them. It's a little hard at first but it feels really good once you start using them all the time! Just trying to be a little green!

  108. We definitely love using our reusable bags. Like other posters have mentioned, not only are they earth friendly, but I love that they don't tend to tip over & spill groceries and that they're easier to carry when full. Thanks for mentioning this exciting contest...I'm gonna get my designing gears spinning... :)

  109. I have 6 cloth bags to use for groceries. I am finally in the habit of remembering them! And I agree with all of Blessed's other reasons.
    My market-to-moms idea: a drive up window!
    I often find myself in the car (with two children in various combinations of asleep/awake/happy/crabby/melt-down) wishing I could drive up to a window and just order one or two things! Sometimes a necessity, like milk or a pound of chicken. But often it is an uncecessary, last-minute extra...cilantro for making guacamole on-a-whim, a bell pepper to add to the other left over veggies at the end of the week or the one ingredient I forgot for cheesecake.

  110. We have a lot of tote bags, not just those purchased at Kroger but others we've received as gifts and such. In addition to that we've quit using bottled water altogether. One thing we'd like to do but our community does not make convenient is complete recycling (i.e. glass, different types of plastic etc.).

  111. I don't use reusable bags. But I do keep the plastic bags and my family and I use them to take out lunches to work/school.

  112. I use them most of the time. My main grocery store is Save-A-Lot and since I have to bag my groceries and pay for bags each time I always remember to take my own bags there. My other store is Kroger and I do have some cloth bags for that store but sometimes I forget to take them.

  113. I finally started bringing my own bags to the store. I had gotten some a while ago but they just kept sitting on the bench near the door and I always forgot them. Now I get everything ready the night before and leave them next to my keys and coupons so I don't forget.

  114. I've often sent my husband off to grab some essentials for us, when we're eating from the dregs of our food supply. Your situation is entirely too familiar, and I can't even blame it on a newborn! ;)

    Kroger is so cool! I wish we lived near one right now. I was incredibly displeased with my local shopping options until a Wegmans opened up a year or so ago. That place has been a lifesaver. But even they don't have a campaign as cool as this!!

    I only recently made the switch to reusable bags, but I *love* it! My biggest problem is remembering to put them somewhere handy so I won't forget them for my next trip. I like the idea of putting them in my purse or diaper bag, but I tend to do *BIG* trips (to minimize the number of times I have to venture to the store with THREE kids, lol). The number of bags I need won't leave me enough room for other things. So, I'm still learning how to remember the bags. But I always love it when I do remember! They're fun and colorful. They fit a lot of food, which makes for less bags to carry... up the apartment stairs, through two doors. Less bags = less handles to try and weave my hands through. They're boxy-shaped, so if I need to set them down to open a door, they're sit straight/don't tip over and are easy to pick right back up again! The style I chose has nice long handles, so I can sling one or two over my shoulder, too. Like someone else said, they also don't tip over in the car on the way home. Yay!

    But the thing I love most is how much less plastic I have coming into my home now. The stores tend to double-bag things, which makes it even worse with plastic bags. With a family of 5, our plastic bags were piling up quickly. Even with as tight as I could wad them up and stuff them into each other, I had a giant IKEA bag FULL of grocery sacks in just a matter of months. Luckily, I can re-use those as trash liners, or simply take them back to the store and deposit them into the recycling collection bins. But I know even that isn't the most ideal option, with the resources it takes to recycle them.

    Bottom line, I'm loving the switch. Just have to get into the habit of bringing those babies along!

  115. This I will be winning for my sister in Michigan. There are no krogers in twin cities, but I love them a lot. Thanks

  116. I try and use them but sometimes I forget to bring them in the store! I don't waste the other bags though, if I get plastic I use them for garbage bags and if I get paper I use them for recycling :)

  117. I don't use reusable bags because I don't have enough of them. However if my purchase is a small one I just stick it in my giganto purse or carry it out of the store unbagged.

  118. I think Fry's is my favorite store around here because it's the closest - but I also appreciate being greeted when I walk in, the wipes that are always available for the shopping cart, and the 10-15 people who are walking around the store asking if I need anything. The free balloons for my kids at the checkout make a great reward for "listening to mommy" in the store, too!

  119. don't I know that feeling of an empty fridge!!! I don't have a vehicle, so it's always a pain trying to restock!

  120. i use a nylon net bag i used when i was doing scuba diving--now i use itfor doing grocery shopping..

  121. I try to use reusable bags when I go to the store. I already have 900324839809 plastic bags at my house from previous trips, and I just don't know what to do with them. Some Kroger stores have barrels where they collect plastic bags to recycle! I def need to take mine there.

    I use reusable bags when I can to save the plastic from going into landfills. Plus, I think that people learn by example. If I use reusable bags, maybe they will start to do it too.

  122. I definitely use reusable bags everytime I go grocery shopping - it is such an easy committment to make and helps the environment a LOT!

  123. I have a stash of paper bags in my car to reuse at the store... but I have to remember that I have them. I have left the checkout line before to make a mad dash to the car and back. There is too much plastic in the world right now. Gross.

  124. Sometimes I do I still got a burlap type bage from Earthday expo 1986 (Showing my age) and I have a "green" bag from the 90's but sometimes I forget to bring them then it's "paper or plastic"
    Blahh!!

  125. Yes, I use reusable/recycled bags when doing any shopping. It did take a while to always remember to take them in with me--there were many walks back to the car from halfway down the parking lot--but I've gotten much better now.

  126. Yes! I use reusable bags when I grocery shop - for lots of reasons:
    1) I already have enough plastic grocery bags to line the bathroom trash can for years
    2) My grocery store gives me a 5¢ credit every time I use a reusable bag (or a paper bag that I brought from home)
    3) the bags hold a lot of groceries
    4) the bags sit in the back of my vehicle without falling over
    5) the bags are perfect for carrying food too and from potlucks
    6) Storing the bags between trips to the grocery store is easy
    7) the bags don't rip and tear and dump my groceries all over the parking lot, the driveway or the kitchen floor
    8) the bags are washable
    9) they are also the perfect size to hold magazines and catalogs until I get a full bag or two to take to the recycle bin at the local elementary school
    10) the bags are the right size - they don't get too heavy to carry

    ok, so maybe I got a little excited about reusable bags when they showed up at my grocery store a year or so ago :) but I do like the bags and they do work well for us.

  127. I have a stack of reusable bags in the back of my car, but the tricky part always seems to be remembering to bring them inside...

    I do use them a lot though - at the grocery store, they make great totes for all the miscellaneous stuff I drag back and forth to work, and I like to give them away when I have a delivery for friends and family in hopes of inspiring others to use them as well.

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