Unlike grocery stores in the States, stores here in France charge you for the bags you use to carry your food home. There are varying qualities of bags at various prices -- from flimsy plastic bags to strong, sturdy canvass bags (the shopping carts even have nice little places to hold the bags while you shop). The French will use the same bags over and over for months, making sure to always take them with them during trips to the market. Our kitchen cabinet is full of dozens of these sorts of bags, ready for reuse the next time we make a trip to the local Intermarche, Champion, or Carrefour.
But it never seems to work out that way. Instead, we find ourselves in line to check out with no bags, requiring us to purchase a few more to add to our growing collection. Forgetting our bags isn't such a big deal during those spur-of-the-moment trips to the store for a quick baguette or some milk. But when we leave the house for only one reason -- to go shopping for food -- and we still forget to throw a few bags into the car it gets annoying...really annoying.
Perhaps there is a trick we haven't learned or a way to remind ourselves to bring bags with us when we shop. But until we master this BYOB concept, we're going to have a surplus of really nice grocery bags filling up our kitchen cabinet.
6 comments :
Put them in the car. Then, even if you forget to bring them into the store, you can take your shopping out to the car in the trolley and pack the bags there - before turning in the trolley to get your euro back...You are remembering to get your euro back, aren't you?
I normally shop with a list so at the top of every list is a note to get the bags and put the whole lot in the car....
And I've been using the same 3 bags for almost 3 years, now... They really do last a lont time!
We've tried the car things and that works...for ONE TRIP. But I like your idea of putting a note at the top of the shopping list. And yes, we're now remembering to get our Euro back.
Ooh, I think Katie's on to something there!
As for me, I always just stuff them all in the trunk and then take them out as I need them. It still happens every once in a while that they're all in the house and I have to buy a couple more, but it happens less often!
And did you know they are good for life? If they break, you can go back to the store you bought it from and exchange it for a new one!
I agree with katiez. We put them in the trunk of the car. I'm not saying we don't ever forget our bags, but like Samantha said, it happens a lot less often when we try to put them in the trunk. Regardless, we feel your pain and know exactly why you're forgetting. It's not yet in our DNA to bring bags into the store either. But it's a great idea! My wife posted about it on her blog a month or so ago: http://stashaslife.blogspot.com/2007/11/plastic-bags.html
I keep them in my car, too. Put them by the front door once you've unloaded them at home, so that you'll remember to put them back in the car. Of course, many is the times that I arrive at the check-out and the bags are still out in the car. This is where I send a child backnout to the car to get them. (I live in a small town...small store and small parking lot that I can see from the check-out)
We had the same problem....we were always having to buy more bags because of our forgetfulness. I think after about 3 months we finally had it down. :)
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