The End Of An Era? Will Chains Soon Bag Bags?
Written by Evan SchumanThis is one of those end-of-an-era markers. A 31-store Colorado grocery chain with stores in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Utah is claiming—and it seems like a very plausible claim—that it is the first chain to go entirely bag free, insisting that customers use either reusable cloth bags or less convenient cardboard boxes. To be fair, the Natural Grocers chain is an all-natural chain, which borders on being a healthfood chain, so it’s rejection of paper and plastic bags certainly may not indicate a national trend.
Still, the cost-savings above and beyond environmental issues are fairly significant, not to mention that packing cloth bags is likely to be slightly faster as they are sturdier and can hold more. But it also discourages last-minute shopping, at least at that chain.
-Marc
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Sure, if I were strolling down a street in Paris and wanted to grab a baguette and perhaps some wine and cheese, a cloth bag would be fine. But if I am one of those persons I see with TWO carriages loaded with groceries, how do I know how many kitchy cloth bags I need?
I personally never know how much I will purchase on any given grocery-run (the large-scale one, where you stock up).
I guess shops like that can do it, since no one can afford all that much there anyway.
Grins,
Rob