Bag fee vote tomorrow – looking for bag-buying suggestions tonight

Tomorrow afternoon at its 2 pm meeting, the City Council is expected to vote on the bag-fee and foam-ban proposal — you can read the full details here. If it’s approved as currently written, it’ll kick in the first of next year, and you’ll pay 20 cents for every nonreusable shopping bag you get at the store. So you may be in the market for reusable bags if you don’t have them already. No shortage of places to buy them – got one to recommend? (In addition to every supermarket imaginable, we know of at least two other places: WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits sells Envirosax for $9.50; PB&J Textiles told us a few months back about bags they were selling for $4 at the time – haven’t checked lately if the price/availability has changed.)

27 Replies to "Bag fee vote tomorrow - looking for bag-buying suggestions tonight"

  • Rich July 27, 2008 (6:05 pm)

    Thriftway has some well made canvas bags with their logo, AND they give you a 5 cent credit each time you use the bag.

    I have several, and the last time I bought one they were about $4 each.

    Just be careful washing them, we had one lose it’s nice square shape to shrinkage. Still plenty usable though.

  • PSPS July 27, 2008 (6:11 pm)

    I must be lucky. Thriftway gave me one of their canvas bags about a year ago without even asking me and without charge. They just put my stuff in one and sent me on my way. I’ve been using it ever since.

  • Bonnie July 27, 2008 (7:04 pm)

    I have Safeway, QFC and Trader Joe bags that I carry around with me. Sometimes forget to bring them in with me though. Safeway gives a 3 cent per bag discount if the checker remembers. Eventually it will pay for the cost of the bag. I think a ban is a good thing but 20 cents per bag is pretty steep.

  • Admiral Janeway July 27, 2008 (8:29 pm)

    I have two reusable bags that were given away as promotional freebies. If the bag tax passes, I think you’ll see them given away as promotions. Today I saw reusable bags being sold at Macy’s.
    I like the environmental aspect of the proposed ban, but I think voluntary measures should be tried first before a punitive tax like this is imposed.

  • Pete July 27, 2008 (8:43 pm)

    This will put a burden on the folks at the food banks since they send their clietns home with the food in paper and plastic bags that are donated. I hope this is taken into account in the final version of the new law.

  • Joe July 27, 2008 (8:52 pm)

    Although I don’t necessarily disagree with the idea of using reusable bags the $.20 fee is way overboard. Is this really necessary…

    Honestly, not sure what Im more angry about… the fact that our goverment thinks laws like this are a good thing, or the fact that I now have to pay for my dog’s poop bags. Nobody ever mentions reusing the plastic bags… oh well.

  • MnGirl July 27, 2008 (9:01 pm)

    J F Henry carries some wonderful fold-up bags that can fit a lot of groceries – Bright colors and shoulder length straps… I carry one with me all the time and have given many as gifts… last time I checked they were about $12 but they are useful for trips to the beach, traveling, etc.
    http://www.jfhenry.com/index.html

  • GenHillOne July 27, 2008 (9:08 pm)

    I go to the store as infrequently as possible, perhaps every two weeks. As a result, I don’t leave with less than 10 – 12 bags. I reuse, but mostly recycle. I am NOT going to buy/travel with 12 canvas bags. I don’t always go to the same store, so if I have to bring my own, I can’t wait to see the checker the first time I bring Safeway bags to Met Market. At least that way I can stuff a bunch of empties inside another and just have one bundle in my car.

  • s July 27, 2008 (9:09 pm)

    just stock up on the plastic ones between now and then….

    or just buy your groceries outside of city limits. (this is a city thing, right?) roxbury safeway, here i come!!!

  • Ken Davis July 27, 2008 (9:10 pm)

    I have about 100 bags saved in the paper in plastic configuration that I prefer. I will keep using them or bring my own cardboard box with handles. (Banker box is a good size for groceries)
    I will not pay for bags or shop at any store that charges for them if I can avoid it.

    I do most of my shopping at cash and carry anyway and intend to shift more of my purchases there.
    (A Number 10 can of chickpeas is nothing to be afraid of, hummus freezes just fine, and I paid 3.99 a pound for the excellent wet aged whole NY strip I cut up tonight :)

    I don’t accept social engineering any better than I suffer fools.

    I also already have a box of 5000 biodegradable plastic bags I can toss in the car to use for small purchases.

    Hizzoner can kiss my patoot and be assured I will say so to his face the next chance I get.

    Note: the 5 different ways I currently recycle plastic bags through multiple uses, will not be viable at that price. Here is one.
    http://www.k9picapoo.com/

  • WSB July 27, 2008 (9:31 pm)

    GHO – we were in the first wave of reusable grocery bags way back in the late ’80s when we were in SoCal just before moving here, and I remember wondering how the Lucky checkers would take the Safeway bags or vice versa … they seemed pretty blase. Reusable bags back then were all cloth and they got ratty quite quickly, didn’t go through the wash too well either … I am glad there are more options today; we have Trader Joe’s bags, though I don’t use them all the time … we are penny-pinching when possible now that we are in business for ourselves, so I expect we’ll come up with a system by January, assuming of course this passes.

  • begreen July 27, 2008 (9:52 pm)

    I got an Envirosax at PCC for $8. Stylish, comfortable on the shoulder, roomy, but most important, it rolls up and fits in my purse. I don’t always remember to bring one of my many canvas bags, especially for a quick shopping trip. I keep this one with me. I’ve always been opposed to disposable bags, but have often been hypocrite because I didn’t always have my own. Now, I do. Also, can’t we all donate one of our cloth bags to our local food bank?

  • Anna July 27, 2008 (10:32 pm)

    I got two nylon bags that fold up into little 4″x5″ pockets that are attached to the bag – that also have a plastic clip hook on them to attach to a backpack or whatever at Bed Bath & Beyond. They were $5.00 each. I didn’t mind paying a little for something that will save me in the long haul and folds up so neatly into those little pockets, since I walk everywhere (don’t own a car) and don’t want to carry empty bags around until I reach the store.

  • Xena July 27, 2008 (11:54 pm)

    I was in Austria 20 years ago and you had to pay back then if you wanted a bag with a purchase. I think it was something like five cents a bag. I remember thinking at the time how odd it was that everyone brought their own bags to the store … but now I realize that they were on the right track. We take a lot of things for granted here and have for a while. Twenty cents will incent more people to reuse or think twice about asking for a bag. BTW, you can get decent reusables at PCC for less than a dollar each.

  • old timer July 28, 2008 (1:42 am)

    Pretending to be effective government.
    Another crap tax that will fall on those least likely to be able to afford it, or avoid it.
    Oh well, no one really cares about them anyhow.
    Speaking of crap, there’s gonna be plenty of it in the streets and parking strips from dogs whose owners who will not pay for pick-up bags.
    Thanks Greg – have another box of cookies,
    you and Conlin really outdid yourselves with this “fresh from San Francisco” copycat maneuver.
    Yeah, have 2 boxes of cookies, you must be exhausted.

  • Ken July 28, 2008 (6:32 am)

    http://www.pospaper.com/pbags100.html 01.5 cents each
    http://www.pospaper.com/bgb1650.html 07.5 cents each

    The grocery stores have a cost of a fraction of these prices. They will actually make a higher percentage profit on the bags than they do on most of the products on the shelf.

  • eileen July 28, 2008 (7:52 am)

    You can always make them yourself or barter with someone you know who sews. If you make them out of a light material such as nylon rip-stop you can stuff them all into one tiny sack.

    Here are a couple links:
    http://kjmillar.com/wordpress/?p=112
    http://www.morsbags.com/
    http://www.burdastyle.com/creations/show/1068
    Eileen

  • Mark July 28, 2008 (8:46 am)

    Trader Joe’s has great bags for $3 each that carry a ton. I go shopping with 2 of them and have no problem needing more.

  • KatherineL July 28, 2008 (9:37 am)

    I bought a very handsome canvas bag from PB&J a while back. Square bottom, very sturdy. You do need to wash cloth bags now and then. When I washed it, it shrank to half its size. However, it kept its nice square shape and didn’t go all floppy like bags that are mostly sizing. I use it to carry books to and from the library. I can fill it without tearing out seams or the handles. I wish they’d sell one either twice the size or prewash their material. I’d be willing to pay twice the price. It’s a good bag.

  • Sue July 28, 2008 (9:39 am)

    I have bags from nearly every store in the region. The worst have been PCC’s bags – every one of them has torn from normal useage. The sturidiest for me has been Fred Meyer’s bags. I also love that they are black (don’t show dirt) and also are very understated in their store name – if I’m paying for a bag, I don’t want some huge name of the store being advertised on my arm.
    .
    I also have 2 of the envirosax from PCC (around $8). They are pricey bur surdy, but I don’t use them for regular groceries. The reason I bought them was because I could roll it up and put it in my pocket – it makes sure I have one on me all the time for impulse purchases. I’ve got a gazillion of the other bags in my trunk and house, but the envirosax is much more portable on your pocket or purse. A similar type of bag is ChicoBags, but I have never used one and can’t vouch for it.
    .
    Costco also makes plastic reusable bags that are HUGE and helpful especially for the paper goods buying at Costco.. I wouldn’t necessarily trust them to a huge bag of cans, but they’re still helpful. I found them hidden away in one of the back aisles of the store and they come in packs of 3.

  • old timer July 28, 2008 (9:55 am)

    It’s a BAG TAX with 15 cents of the 20 going to the City.
    Link:
    http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/23336.html

  • Aaron July 28, 2008 (9:59 am)

    I love my canvas bags, but they are bulky. I highly recommend Baguus. They hold a lot of stuff, are very strong, and they’ll fold up small enough to fit in your pocket. We have three and use them more than any of our other bags. Order online from this mother/daughter team in San Diego:

    http://www.baggubag.com/ABOUT.html

    Of course, grocery bags are the tip of the iceberg. Be aware of all the packaged products that you’ll cram into those bags, some of which can’t even be recycled in our city.

  • Kate July 28, 2008 (10:10 am)

    If you’re a Seattle Times or PI subscriber you can get a free bag by switching to their EasyPay method of payment. I have one and it’s really pretty and very useful!

    You can switch by calling them at 206/464-2121

  • flowerpetal July 28, 2008 (11:41 am)

    We have two really large bags that we bought more than 10 years ago as part of a Pathfinder fund raiser. Not only have we used these for shopping, we’ve loaded camping gear in them; taken them to the beach; and used them at the Friends of the Library book sales!
    But still we wanted more bags, three of which we keep in the car so we are never stuck without one. Those we picked up for as little as fifty cents at yard sales.

  • KM July 28, 2008 (12:51 pm)

    We use the beige canvas Trader Joe’s bags and tell the checkers or bag stuffers (pretty sure that’s not their official job title…) to fill them as much as possible. They are REALLY sturdy.

  • OP July 28, 2008 (5:02 pm)

    The slow ripping away of freedoms is never dramatic; it is always a slow but constant fleecing of them. As in ‘Paper or plastic bag, ma’am? Oh wait, sorry, you have to PAY a TAX for that choice!” What’s next? Telling me I have to choose Pepsi over Coke? Don’t you people—especially you liberals—ever get sick of being told what and what you can’t do? And in the name of what? Being ‘green’. If you bought into this, the only thing green here is the naivety over what this really is: another tax on you.

    Jan Drago was the only person with sense enough to vote against this garbage. Hopefully we can elect a mayor with enough sense to do away with this nonsense.

  • Teri July 30, 2008 (12:22 pm)

    West Seattle’s own Furry Faces Foundation has a new, sturdy, cute, black canvas tote bag with their funny public service annoucement printed on it (in white).

    ‘If you don’t talk to your cat about catnip…who will?.

    It’s a great grocery tote, only $10 and proceeds support their spay/neuter programs and Oliver’s Fund which assists pets whose humans are on restricted income. You can see, and purchase them, at Pet Elements, 6701 California Ave SW, in the Morgan Junction.

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