I was actually fairly astonished by how difficult it was to form this rather straightforward new routine in my life.
I can’t tell you how many times I forgot to bring the bags into the store, and when I got to the checkout lane, I was completely stumped as to what I was supposed to do with the bags. I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to offer the bags to the cashier or if I should just casually toss them over into the area where the bags are being stuffed.
A few days ago, while I was waiting in line at the grocery store, the customer in front of me was delighted to receive a paper bag. She had also ordered one boxed cake from the bakery in addition to the three takeout boxes of fried chicken from the deli.
She asked that each of these be placed in its own brown paper bag, despite the fact that they were already contained within a container and did not require a bag (the chicken boxes even had handles!).
This is in addition to the other grocery items that she purchased, which I did not notice because I had walked up in line just as the bag boy was having a conversation with the cashier about “the right way” to bag the chicken. I did not notice the other items because I was focused on the conversation. By the way, is there a “proper method” to bag chicken for takeout or delivery?
Just wondering.
An “simple” resolve that I believed would be such a rapid success turned out to be a three-month nightmare of relearning my shopping patterns completely. I thought it would be a success since it would be so quick. I persisted in spite of the many failures that I encountered, and the following is what I discovered (I am pleased to report that I am now extremely comfortable with my new routine):
Simple Steps to Take in Order to Make the Switch to Reusable Bags
Purchase a sufficient number of bags!
This was a mistake that I continued to make for several weeks before I realized that I required approximately five bags in the van. The reason for this is because whenever I go shopping, I typically go to all of the different departments at the same time. If you just have two bags in the car, you won’t have any for the fast trip inside Target or the department store because I usually use two bags when I go food shopping.
Don’t bring the bags into the house; they belong in the car!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten to the store only to find that I left the bags at home, where they were sitting on the table in the kitchen. Keep them in the car at all times since you never know when you might need to run an errand quickly and you never want to be caught without them.
After unloading your items, take the bags to the car.
at the the least, put them in close proximity to your keys, wallet, or pocketbook so that you won’t forget to bring them with you when you leave the house the very next time you go out.
Put your bags in the other car as well!
Another mistake I made was not placing any extra bags in my car besides the reusable ones. It took me a few misfires before I discovered that I actually conduct the most of my shopping in my husband’s car. This is due to the fact that after supper, my car is often already parked in the garage, while his car is usually still in the driveway.
Because I sometimes go shopping after supper, the ease of being able to use his car as I dashed out the door would be preferable to me when I did so.
Don’t be shy about telling the cashier –
“Oh no, I forgot my bags! Excuse me while I dash to the parking lot to retrieve them!” Yes, it’s true. I did this a few times on purpose, having the clerk wait for me, and embarrassed myself in order to ensure that I would not forget to bring the bags into the store from the car again.
Separate your “dirty” stuff, such as clothes and shampoo, into different bags.
The use of distinct colors or patterns on each bag makes it easier to determine which bag should be used for which activity.
Remember to wash the bags on a regular basis.
It only takes a few trips to the grocery store for bacteria that are harmful to humans to start growing in reusable bags, therefore it is important to wash them regularly in a gentle detergent after each use.
The vast majority of individuals do not appear to be aware of the significance of carrying this out, despite the fact that it may appear to be extremely self-evident.