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Word on the internets is that the bags are made with sweatshop labor. I'll stick to my trader joe's bags thanks.

Even as a proud owner of this very bag, bought at Anya Hindmarch in Soho upon release, it's not the most practical bag for grocery shopping. Its a fashion accessory; WFM sells very cute totes that get the job done better for 1/10th the price. Did i buy an extra bag—of course! did i entertain hocking it on ebay—you bet. but then something didn't feel right about doing it. I think most people are interested in this bag because of its popularity with celebrities, and not because they're especially green. So instead of selling it to some fashionista, i gave it to my mom, so she can maybe do away with her avalanche of plastic bags in her pantry.

Yikes. If I was paying anywhere near those prices for a bag I would not tote my groceries around in them. Though I've never been to a whole foods market either, but from what I've heard from a former NYC resident, they are a bit pricey, so maybe people would.

One of the great things about buffalo is Wegmans, who for a bit sold decent size mesh bags for only $.99 a piece. I believe they are $1.99 now, still a steal. I've had mine for awhile and they are quiet durable. Though not the prettiest looking bags, and certainly not made by any famous designers but they get the job done.

Trader Joe's bags!

In Chicago, whole foods has started selling cloth bags for around 90 cents. They are the light, almost tyvek style bags and they are decorated with some Chicago imagery.

Plus, with Trader Joe's bags, every time you use them you get to enter a raffle for free groceries!

the line for whole foods/union square was even worse!

Obviously, those people are buying the bags for the name attached to them, not to actually use them to avoid using plastic bags. $300 for a $15 bag made of canvas? If you put a designer's name on something, there's always an idiot willing to pay way too much for it.

Hey, if more people will think twice before using plastic as a result of all the press generated about these bags, I'm all for it.

It's a designer bag....nothing more. My favorite re-usable and sturdy bag is the Envirosax Reusable Grocery Bags. It comes with five bags so you can a week's worth of grocery, bright colors, washable and even great for going to the beach with, library books, etc.

http://www.delight.com/Envirosax-Delightfully-Pretty-Reusable-Grocery-Bags

I think you enter the raffle at Trader Joe's if you use any bag, not just theirs.

im sorry whenever i see this bag i gag.

you can't even hold 3 days of groceries in there.
its a fashion statement. nothing more.

sad really. the concept is great.

i will stick to my custom made sprouse camo bag. i shop with it all the time.

other than that, i went and got a totebag pattern, enlarged it a bit and made my own bags ( for my friends and i)and it works great.

im shocked at how much ppl are paying for these bags...i hope that family in china making them sees a piece of the action.

I have one of these:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/acme-bags-workhorse-style-1501-black-mesh-p-906.html?osCsid=c6e8fdf676bc1db62bc2c6ebe1f9144a

It's not real pretty, but it folds up small enough to fit in my purse, so it's always with me when I buy something.

Huh! What's with this Trader Joe's grocery raffle? I've been using my old Berkeley Bowl bags at TJ's since they opened. How have I missed this raffle thing?

Bellaknollie - well said! Matcha - also well said, I wish I could be that tolerant! Good to read this post, tho, I really dislike those bags and I'm glad I'm not the only one!

How about string bags that used to be seen everywhere? They are totally cheap, fit in a purse, and expand to become huge.

Couple of questions regarding life w/o plastic bags...

1. I reuse plastic grocery bags to line my trashcans at home. What are my alternatives if I zero-out plastic-grocery bags? (Please don't tell me "buy plastic garbage bags") Currently, I alternate between bringing my own bag and using grocery bags!

2. Wet-produce and dry goods. Gotta keep'em separated. What about the clear-plastic bags that are found in the produce section (and the bulk-food section, too)? Anyone have any ideas on how to keep my wet-goods away from my dry goods? I kinda feel dumb at the farmers market with my canvas bags since I still use plastic bags to keep my tomatos separate from my berries and lettuce.

Call me a lover of the grocery plastic bag. That said, I usually decline bags at most other stores (bookstores and what not) if they aren't of a reusable size.

Sorry, didn't realize the TJ's raffle is for any bag you bring in, it doesn't have to be one of theirs. So that means you could bring in this ugly designer bag and enter the grocery raffle.

i made lil holders for milk, juice, wet goods out of old tshirts and towels i had laying around...also i have one of those grandma carts...but i didnt want my food all over the place when i placed it in the cart...so i made a liner out of old sheet.

i swear my sewing machine is going to strangle me soon.

but yeah these bags , they make no sense.

it should say " i'm not a plastic bag, nor am i functional either"


and jenpdx- i too often think...what if we ran out of plastic bags...

i still use then for my under the sink trashcan ( ikea) and to pick up turdlings left by luca.

Same thing happened in Japan, too.

Some people got in line, and bought a lot of the bags to sell with higher price. (Now they are selling around $400.)

Some mom got in line for her daughter...

Since Hollywood celebrities are having/using the bag, all the funs here are dying to get the same.

Well, Anya is one of my favorite brands, but stick to Whole Foods' and Trader Joe's bag. Those are harder-to-get here in Japan.

Ugh, I hate these Anya bags. They're not attracting the people who want to actually use them for grocery shopping; they're attracting the people who want to use them as a fashion statement. I wouldn't be surprised if a few idiots use them as purses at the store and have the bagger use plastic for their actual groceries.

I have a few canvas bags that I bought for $3 or less at the grocery store that I take with me when I go shopping. My favorite ones are deep with a square bottom and have long straps that I can sling over my shoulder to comfortably carry my haul to the car. Unfortunately, they're no longer made by my usual store in favor of some cheaper mesh ones that aren't quite as good and can't be run through a washing machine/dryer for the occasional clean-up. I will cling onto these canvas bags for as long as they'll hold up.

I have seen other companies making designer grocery bags. A lot of them are pretty cute too with old timey food labels dyed into the fabric.

Good grief. I can't believe they were selling for $15 in the first place. I've been making my own shopping bags. Takes less than an hour and if you shop smart, you can make a shopping tote bag for about $2. You don't even have to buy a pattern. Some clever young craftster has posted a tutorial for a fabric shopping bag over at Craftster.org. You use a plastic bag you already have for the pattern.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=177482.0

okay, i have to put in my vote for the envirosax bags. i was initially put off by the price (i'm not wealthy), but since buying them, i feel they were definitely worth it.

they do hold, as advertised, the equivalent of two of those plastic bags of groceries. they fit over my shoulder (although not over my boyfriend's shoulder but he's a big guy with broad shoulders). they don't cut into your hands when you're carrying gallons of milk. because they fold and roll into a tiny packet, you can keep one in your purse or backpack in my case so just in case the urge to pick up some fennel. the colours and patterns are nice although they're only on one side of the bag.

i've cut in half my plastic bag usage and that was my goal. now if i can reduce it even more, i'll be even happier. i'm thinking about getting a set for my mother and sister.

Another cheer for Trader Joe's bags (both the canvas ones and the red, I don't know what they're made of bags that are surprisingly sturdy). I also use, for shopping and picnics, those canvas bags used at many conferences to hold the materials given out to attendees. Come to think of it, those bags are some of the only useful things I've gotten from all those conferences!

I have a TJ's bag, 99 cents, which I bought about 3 months ago and already it has a dime sized hole on the bottom. I can still use it for bigger items, or maybe line the bottom wtih cardboard.

In the last 8 days, though, I've gotten 2 $1 bags from WF's, the larger but weaker Honey bag, and this new green one that has reinforced handles that apparently came out today (too). I carted home a 1/2 gallon of milk and a huge canteloupe in it, and barely felt a thing on my shoulder. Yay!

That said, I think the INAPBag is hideous. SOmeone asked me to buy one for them, for a $10 profit, and it made me sick to my stomach to know he just wanted it for ebay. My boss apparently made a few hundred on ebay with one as well. I don't know who's more pathetic.. those willing to sell them, or those willing to buy!

Oh and to the person who asked about re-using bags.. For my garbage cans, I don't line them.. what could I possibly be throwing away in the little cans that would make such a mess? I just pour the little cans into my big can, which is lined by a store-bought garbage bag.. If I have something really messy I just take it into the kitchen, I guess.

I do still use produce bags for some things like dirty lettuce or herbs, but I try to keep the dryer veggies out. Those bags are smaller and much thinner, though, and they do well as a smaller garbage bag while I'm cooking, so i don't have to walk over to the big can 10 times.

Costco is selling these well-made, huge insulated totes for $6.99. They claim to keep food frozen for up to five hours. I thought, what a good idea! I often have other errands to run after a Costco trip, so this will be great.

I now have four of these bags. Why? Every time I take it home, I forget to bring it back out to put it back in my car.

The moral of the story? If you can't fundamentally change your habit, no amount of reusable bags in the world is going to solve anything, be it 99 cents, $6.99, $15 or whatever. And sadly I suspect the only people who are going to benefit from this no-plastic bags movement are the grocery stores themselves, not the environment. Because there will be plenty of chumps (like myself) that will have no choice but to keep forking out money every time they go grocery shopping, either because they forget to bring the bags, or the trips are simply unplanned.

"I am not a plastic bag, nor am I functional" - Bellaknollie that made me laugh! I quite fancy embroidering my own canvas bag with "I am not a plastic bag, nor am I a faux-green fashionista token"! Oooh i'm such a cynic...! Matilda I saw old fashioned string bags on sale in a health food shop shop recently in all pretty colours, and you're right they expand but squish up small enough to fit in a handbag. Which is good cos, like Spiffy says, I often forget to bring bags with me.

These bags caused quite a bit of controversy in the UK due to all the issues you mention above - they instantly became cult items because of the designer name attached and people were simply buying them for handbags not using them to replace plastic supermarket bags - it was certainly good publicity for Anya Hindmarch...

Ive started not taking plastic bags in other stores too. I carry a medium sized purse and if whatever I buy fits in it, I just tell them not to bag it. I figure every little bit helps.

I picked up one of these in Montreal a few weeks ago:

http://www.atsa.qc.ca/pages/500billionbag.asp

Mine is a little different (and graphically more appealing) from the one pictured: the text is in a huge block and alternates between French and English. It's a great bag and it benefits a women's charity organization. We need more bags like this!

I'm aghast. I have a bunch of canvas bags that were given to me over the years as promos, so they're kind of funny and not at all attractive, but they get the job done. I swear, I end up with 2 bags versus 10 plastic bags--half the time, they only put 2 or 3 things in each bag.

I think the most appealing thing for me re: canvas shopping bags, is that I don't buy as much. Since I live alone, I don't need all that much food, so it helps me from buying stuff that isn't on my list.

I thought the point of the bags was to attract the attention of people who never think about sustainability at all. I see that happening, I'm not sure how long it will last, but I'm all for anything that can reel in these people and their careless consumption.....

Each one of these holds more than a large paper bag AND you can get 10 for under $20! I have 10 and I LOVE them.
http://www.1bagatatime.com

My favorite bag to take to the market is my old World Fantasy canvas tote. I love those free promo bags, also when Whole Foods was at the farmer's market I go to I just get the bags they give away and save myself probably $10. I understand about lining with plastic bags. I did that too growing up.

Those bags are pretty dumb. It does seem like they'll be joining the landfill with the plastic bags pretty soon.

I'd like to suggest "biobags" They are made of compostable plastic and are available in all sizes - including garbage can liner size. I think they're made out of some corn product. They are expensive, but honestly, plastic bags are a luxury not a necessity at this point, and they should be expensive.

I've also been experimenting with doing without the veggie holder plastic bags. I've found that it's actually pretty fine to load the larger veggies into my cart without the plastic bags. The smaller stuff (mushrooms, berries) can be loaded into paper bags.

Here in San Francisco plastic bags have been outlawed. It's funny how when they're not there anymore you just naturally find alternatives. It may take a little while to get used to it, but we're all smart enough to figure it out.