How do you hold your Shopping Bags

[Jobrag]

This is aimed at societies that use bags with handles not the U.S. style that you hold underneath. When you get home from grocery shopping do you put the bags on the floor or on a work surface? Please state your sex and how your partner, if there is one, does it.

 

[jedishrfu]

Why are you interested in this?

It seems rather trivial.

Never mind, i guess this has something to do with germs right?

 

[jedishrfu]

In our household we place them on the counter.

 

[DaveC426913]

Note sure what "the U.S. style that you hold underneath" is. We use plastic bags. Or, if we remember, reusable cloth bags.

I'll put em on the counter if there's only a few, but the floor if there's too many to lift. Which there usually is.

Because I'm this guy:

 

[zoobyshoe]

Note sure what "the U.S. style that you hold underneath" is.

I think he must mean paper bags.

I don't know what it's like in other parts of the country, but here in San Diego, hardly any grocery stores have paper bags anymore. They all have plastic bags, and these have handles.

 

[Evo]

I think he must mean paper bags.

I don't know what it's like in other parts of the country, but here in San Diego, hardly any grocery stores have paper bags anymore. They all have plastic bags, and these have handles.

My stores have the paper, but you have to request paper. I read a long time ago that paper bags were a bad choice.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/paper-plastic1.htm

 

[jedishrfu]

In Texas we have to bring our own bags. If you forget the market will be glad to sell you one. If instead you choose to use the convenient carryall basket you'll be stopped by the cashier. So it's either bring your bags or use a shopping cart.

 

[zoobyshoe]

My stores have the paper, but you have to request paper. I read a long time ago that paper bags were a bad choice.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/paper-plastic1.htm

It looks from that article like plastic bags are a bad choice and paper bags are a really bad choice.

In Texas we have to bring our own bags. If you forget the market will be glad to sell you one. If instead you choose to use the convenient carryall basket you'll be stopped by the cashier. So it's either bring your bags or use a shopping cart.

There was some talk of switching to this here, in fact, the way I heard it, this system was in the bag. HAH HAH HAH! But then I just stopped hearing about it. I have no idea what happened.

 

[jedishrfu]

One argument against using your own bags was the possibility of e-coli and other pathogens from unclean bags. Things leak, moisture a breeding ground for mold and bacteria.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

One argument against using your own bags was the possibility of e-coli and other pathogens from unclean bags. Things leak, moisture a breeding ground for mold and bacteria.

Just take a minute to clean them.

Paper is almost as bad as plastic because they head to the landfill and don't breakdown because there aren't the necessary conditions deep inside.

 

[Evo]

Just take a minute to clean them.

Paper is almost as bad as plastic because they head to the landfill and don't breakdown because there aren't the necessary conditions deep inside.

Paper is much worse than plastic, see this http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/paper-plastic1.htm

 

[zoobyshoe]

Paper is almost as bad as plastic because they head to the landfill and don't breakdown because there aren't the necessary conditions deep inside.

Personally, I use the plastic grocery bags as garbage bags. I specially selected all my garbage containers to be small enough for this. If they do away with plastic grocery bags, I'll just be buying plastic garbage bags and putting those into the landfill.

 

[JorisL]

Reusable is the way to go.
The only place you can get plastic bags for free these days is in take-away restaurants.
Anyway I like the reusable bags better, usually I'm on foot or by bike so I like a sturdy bag.
The handle is more comfortable too.

@OP usually on a table if there's room (communal kitchen with lazy people :-( )

 

[Evo]

Personally, I use the plastic grocery bags as garbage bags. I specially selected all my garbage containers to be small enough for this. If they do away with plastic grocery bags, I'll just be buying plastic garbage bags and putting those into the landfill.

I do the same thing.

 

[jedishrfu]

I heard plastic was worse in that animals eat the plastic or get entrapped in it. Either way it leads to animal mortality.

 

[Choppy]

I like to hold my grocery bags with my arms out parallel to the ground to demonstrate my incredible shoulder strength!

Unfortunately this is not practical for going through doors.

 

[DennisN]

I like to hold my grocery bags with my arms out parallel to the ground to demonstrate my incredible shoulder strength! Unfortunately this is not practical for going through doors.

Maybe you could turn and walk sideways through the door?

 

[jedishrfu]

I like to hold my grocery bags with my arms out parallel to the ground to demonstrate my incredible shoulder strength!

Unfortunately this is not practical for going through doors.

We used to do that with magnetic tape reels (12" dia). We'd stack 20 on each arm and carry them back to the tape library at the computer center and the door was always the issue as you couldn't bend your arm enough to do anything other than push it open.

 

[Astronuc]

In our household we place them on the counter.

Ditto, but sometimes on the floor, and I use reusable bags, which are fabric or plastic (vinyl).

As for the OP, I have not seen grocery sacks in a long time. The local stores provide plastic bags with handles, but they also offer reusable bags.

 

[BobG]

19 posts and only three actually answer the original question?! How many PF members does it take to carry in the groceries, anyways?

I set mine on the counter and the table.

And after I've emptied the bags, I scrunch them; not fold them!

 

[DaveC426913]

19 posts and only three actually answer the original question?!

meh. Cryptic OP + no follow up clarification + 4 days of silence = off-topic.

Like puttin' yer car in Drive and going in the house for lunch. Wha'did'ja expect to happen?

 

[zoobyshoe]

This is aimed at societies that use bags with handles not the U.S. style that you hold underneath.

19 posts and only three actually answer the original question?! How many PF members does it take to carry in the groceries, anyways?

Do you mean U.S. style PF members, or PF members from societies that use bags with handles?

 

[Lisa!]

On the floor!

 

[BobG]

On the floor!

And when they spill over, all your food is laying on the floor? Yuck!

(You must not have dogs.)

 

[Evo]

And when they spill over, all your food is laying on the floor? Yuck!

(You must not have dogs.)

The things I buy are in packages, even the fresh produce has been placed in plastic bags, so they are protected if they fall out. And I'm sure my floors are cleaner than the places the groceries have been before I bought them. (and I have dogs) Of course I can't place my bags on the floor while unpacking the car because within 10 seconds of placing them on the floor, the dogs will run over, sniff the bag, decide that it smells wrong and hike their leg on it.

 

[StevieTNZ]

We have plastic bags in NZ, although you can buy reusable shopping bags.

 

[BobG]

I don't think it matters to the groceries where they're placed. The difference would be what stuff you're placing on a counter or table you use for food preparation or eating. That's easy to take care of. Just wipe the counter or table off with the dishrag you've been using for the last two weeks and the problem's solved.

Unless you own cats, in which case wiping off your counter with the grocery bags would probably be an improvement over the stuff your cat dragged across the counters and tables.

 

[DaveC426913]

I don't think it matters to the groceries where they're placed.

Well, we can't tell what matters. The operative factor being hygiene is merely an unfounded speculation on the part of responders.

For all we know, the OP is the God of grocery bags, and wants to know whose grocery bags are being placed nearer to His Plasticky Glory, so that He may dole out reward and punishment as He sees fit to us grocery-bag assistants.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Well, we can't tell what matters. The operative factor being hygiene is merely an unfounded speculation on the part of responders.

For all we know, the OP is the God of grocery bags, and wants to know whose grocery bags are being placed nearer to His Plasticky Glory, so that He may dole out reward and punishment as He sees fit to us grocery-bag assistants.

Notice, the OP wants to know the sex of the respondents. This might have been about gender differences in grocery bag handling.

 

[jane austen]

I love to use plastic bags with handle. They are easy to carry and easy to place anywhere as per requirement. Usually i place them on counter.