Do you shop from the bulk bins? I get nearly half of my shopping list at the bulk bins these days, and I am trying to make this a little more convenient (and greener) by skipping the disposable bags and bringing my own containers. I buy just what I need and no more, and I eliminate a step because I don't have to fill up my jars at home. Only one issue: I need to know what my containers weigh.
For instance, I have this lovely tin from Fortnum & Mason's in London, which my friend brought me several years ago. The chai tea blend is long gone, but I use it now to store black tea from the bulk bins at the co-op. To weigh the tea and pay accurately, though, I need to know what is called the tare weight, or the weight of the empty container. It's a pain to weigh the tin every time I go to the store, so I finally just marked the bottom of the tin with the tare weight. Ta-da! Easy to remember, and very convenient.
I'm doing this to my other glass jars and containers that I store flour and sugar in.
Here are some other good ideas for bulk storage containers:
• Thrifty Kitchen: 6 Ways to Reuse Oatmeal Tins!
• Quick Tip: Five Ways to Re-Use Yogurt Containers
Do you have any other tips or tricks to make shopping at the bulk bins more convenient?
Related: Conscientious Cook: Which Foods to Buy in Bulk
(Images: Faith Durand)
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
Recipe: Spring Fruit and Nut Tabouli
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
TW Salt Mill by Wil...
The Ultimate Used Furniture Cleaning Kit
Ana Creates a Community at Home
I always have them marked at the store, but I usually don't wait until the container is empty before I get it filled up. Of course, I could just put the extra into a dish or something until I get home...didn't even think of that til now.
You are reading my mind, Faith.
Since I started baking bread weekly or more, I have become a weights vs. measures fanatic. I've been thinking I need to get my act together and do this for my baking stuff, specifically my KA mixer bowl and the glass jars I keep my sourdough starter in because those end up on the scale with stuff in them constantly and nothing is more annoying than forgetting to tare or having the scale auto-off when I step away to dig something out of the pantry.
Sharpie marker wipes right off glass so for that, metal and/or stuff that goes in the dishwasher or gets washed a lot I was thinking nail polish or a paint marker.
We've taken to getting the plastic cups from Whole Foods, etc. and reusing those vs. bringing in our own jars. They stack much neater and they already know the tare weights on those items.
My advice is to record the tare weight in different units, for some cashiers who are not up to speed when it comes to weights. I wasted 15 minutes of my life at Whole Foods one day, waiting for two (!) cashiers to figure out what units their scale was using. My tare weight was in ounces and grams -- I thought I had my bases covered. Nope. Their scale was in lbs only, and they couldn't figure out that 4 oz is 0.25 lbs. Recalling this still gets me worked up, because really, how basic is this math?
genius! i hate wasting the plastic bags but didn't want to pay for the heavier container. does the checker then have to subtract it from the total and recalculate the cost?
Great idea. Thanks for the tip.
@Joan in SB, no, supermarket scales can set a tare weight first before weighing the item.
Most grocery stores have a default tare weight, too, that is the same weight as their standard produce or bulk bin plastic bag.
Do the cashiers usually believe you when you give them the tare weight? I can see cashiers giving customers trouble ("how do I know your container weighs that much?")...but maybe I'm just a pessimist :)
If you are reusing a container with a UPC code on it cover it up with a sticker or mark it out, otherwise it may inadvertently get scanned as a regular full-price item.
I've been charged for a new tin of baking powder or a new bottle of molasses when I was just refilling it so now I always cover up the UPC code with a sticker or a piece of masking tape and that is where I write the tare weight for the container.
I feel like the cashier would give me heck for bringing my own container. I'm going to be trying this next time I go though.
The three stores I buy bulk foods from do not have a tare function on their scales. If I bring a glass jar from home, I end up paying for the weight of the jar and the contents. It's easier to use their plastic bags or lidded containers and transfer the bulk item to my storage containers at home.
I am a cashier at Whole Foods. I can only speak for myself, but no, I do not give any customers hell for putting in a tare. In fact, most customers are entirely unaware of tares. When I see a customer using a jar, bag, etc from home I always ask "Do you happen to know the tare weight of this?" Usually, I get a blank stare, explain it, and let them know next time they come into the store, go to any cashier and we can weigh their jar for them before it's filled.
We have a few customers who write the tare of the container on the container. I never expect they're lying to steal an extra 30 cents of nutritional yeast. So no, I would never give them a hard time for making my job and their checkout easier.
At our co-op, they will tare the containers for you and then put their own (scannable) sticker on the bottom. I don't think they let people use their own pre-written tares, but I also haven't tried. Having the tare scanned in seems to make things go faster at check-out.