Washing your reusable shopping bags is a smart habit that keeps your bags looking like new, but what should you do with a bag that is torn, tattered or otherwise too far gone to wash? Quite by accident, I discovered why bringing it back to the store where you bought it is better than just throwing it away.
For weeks I used a Whole Foods insulated bag with a broken zipper that was no longer suitable for insulating, but worked just fine as a regular grocery bag. I was a little irritated that the zipper had broken, but since it was otherwise useable, I didn't see a need to replace it. But when a friendly Whole Foods employee noticed the problem while bagging my groceries and offered to replace the broken bag for free, I took him up on it. "All of our bags have a lifetime guarantee," he said, which was news to me.
I checked with Whole Foods headquarters to see if this is a company-wide guarantee, but it turns out there is no official policy. Each store sets its own protocol, but most will accept old or unusable bags for repurposing and some, like my local Whole Foods, will exchange them for new bags.
So whether your reusable bag is from Whole Foods or another local store, it's worth asking an employee if there is a policy for returns before throwing away a worn-out bag. You might be surprised.
Are there any grocery stores in your area with a generous return policy?
Related: Local Plastic Bag Bans: How's It Going?
(Image: Whole Foods)
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Good idea but people, please don't buy those cheap plastic-based bags. Some have been found to contain lead and you can't hand them down to your grandchildren. Invest in a sturdy, pretty cotton tote and in the almost unheard of case that it tears, you can put it into your compost pile if the store won't take it back. I've filled these things with extremely heavy cans and after many years they're showing no signs of wear. And they're easy to wash.
I too prefer the sturdy cotton bags, mostly because I can use them for more than groceries, but I have no intention of handing them down to my grandchildren. I don't think they'll want my old worn grocery sacks. Our grandchildren won't want nearly as much from us as we pretend they will.
I do have an insulated bag from Trader Joes (that is something you need a plastic-based tote for!) and the zipper is broken, so I'll give this a shot with them! Thanks!
I use the small chico bags. They fit in by messenger bag or purse so I never forget them and they can be laundered
A seam on one of my bags (a free one I got from joining a local museum, kind of the woven plastic style) busted while a Safeway cashier was putting stuff in it and he just gave me a new reusable Safeway bag, even though the bag he broke didn't come from his store.
I bet it saves them so much money on disposable bags that they're given a good amount of leeway when it comes to giving away reusable ones.
Worth noting that I had the same experience at a Harris Teeter in DC. They will replace all torn, old, and generally beat up bags for free as they have a lifetime guarantee.
I, too, prefer cotton bags that are compostable to the reusable plastic bags that are still petroleum-dependent. My grandchildren may not want them but they still have a life-span surpassing the cheap plastic reuseable bags. Cotton bags with a layer of felted wool work well as insulated bags, I've discovered, and are also compostable. For transporting larger amounts of cold groceries, I use an old quilt to line my trunk and tuck a survival blanket around the bags and boxes. It's a thin but strong piece of mylar that has multiple uses in my trunk.
Well now you've got me scared. I've been using the Whole Food bags pictured above to grow my herbs in.......lead????
@Saluki, not all of the plastic-type bags have high lead content. The super-cheap non-woven ones (that feel like scratchy, porous fabric) are the worst culprits. Ones like those pictured, like what Whole Foods sells, are generally better.
I actually inherited a ton of non-woven bags when my boyfriend and I moved in together and I refused to use them for groceries because of the lead issue, so I donated them to our thrift store, which uses extra reusable bags to make overnight kits for the homeless. Not that I want homeless people exposed to lead any more than me, but at least they aren't touching food and are doing someone more good than they were sitting stashed in our storage cubby.
My go-to arsenal for reusable bags: several large canvas totes with longer handles suitable for carrying over the shoulder, three rePETE sling-style Chico bags that can be carried cross-body, and several mesh and organic muslin drawstring bags for produce and bulk items that I sewed myself (super easy). I shop pretty much exclusively carlessly (bike, foot, bus) so carryability is a big factor. The Chico bags are awesome because they stay permanently in my messenger bag in case I need to make a quick trip on my way home and they're super easy to carry. I usually keep at least one or two of the drawstring bags inside each of the canvas/Chico bags so I don't forget them.
I'd just like for once to be in the grocery store checkout and NOT have the bagger heave a deep sigh when I bring forth the reusable bags.
the whole foods bags do not have lead in them.they actually cost .99 cents but it does save on paper that cost about .09 cents
@DD LIZZY - what are they sighing about??