5 ms·

Is it hard to buy reusable shopping bags (or backpacks, since you're talking about bikes) in Mountain View?

by puller 13y ago

jpatokal 13y ago
Dunno, I'm here on a business trip. But the problem with reusable bags is that you have to know to bring them in advance, which is OK for the weekly massive shopping excursion, but not feasible for the "we're out of eggs and milk, please pick up some on your way back from work" situation. Back in Melbourne I shopped a lot by bike, and I'd never put anything even in my backpack without a plastic bag around it, because meat leaks, yogurt bursts, glass jars break etc. A paper bag would rip if you tried this, and soak through instantly if something did spill.
- dragonwriter 13y ago
  > But the problem with reusable bags is that you have to know to bring them in advance Or, you know, buy them in the store the time you forget. It adds a little expense, sure, but if your walking your not going to be buying more than one or two, and having a few extras around is useful. > which is OK for the weekly massive shopping excursion, but not feasible for the "we're out of eggs and milk, please pick up some on your way back from work" situation. Actually, there are ultracompact folding reusable bags that can easily be carried in a pocket or even fit on a keychain (and, also, would take a trivial amount of room in a backpack, briefcase, etc.) If you really have a non-car-using lifestyle, it really isn't that much of a burden to keep one handy for incidental shopping.
- salmonellaeater 13y ago
  I keep a few disposable plastic bags in my bike bag for this kind of situation. They're almost weightless, and balled up take up very little space.
  - jpatokal 13y ago
    So what are you going to do when you can't get disposable plastic bags anymore? Personally, I kind of like Finland's solution: plastic bags cost money, but not much ($0.25-ish), and they're way sturdier than the usual wispy ones in the US. So they're reusable (unlike paper bags), there's an incentive to reuse them, and they're way more functional and sturdy than paper bags.

Is it hard to buy reusable shopping bags (or backpacks, since you're talking about bikes) in Mountain View?

by puller 13y ago

Is it hard to buy reusable shopping bags (or backpacks, since you're talking about bikes) in Mountain View?

Dunno, I'm here on a business trip. But the problem with reusable bags is that you have to know to bring them in advance, which is OK for the weekly massive shopping excursion, but not feasible for the "we're out of eggs and milk, please pick up some on your way back from work" situation. Back in Melbourne I shopped a lot by bike, and I'd never put anything even in my backpack without a plastic bag around it, because meat leaks, yogurt bursts, glass jars break etc. A paper bag would rip if you tried this, and soak through instantly if something did spill.

dragonwriter 13y ago
> But the problem with reusable bags is that you have to know to bring them in advance Or, you know, buy them in the store the time you forget. It adds a little expense, sure, but if your walking your not going to be buying more than one or two, and having a few extras around is useful. > which is OK for the weekly massive shopping excursion, but not feasible for the "we're out of eggs and milk, please pick up some on your way back from work" situation. Actually, there are ultracompact folding reusable bags that can easily be carried in a pocket or even fit on a keychain (and, also, would take a trivial amount of room in a backpack, briefcase, etc.) If you really have a non-car-using lifestyle, it really isn't that much of a burden to keep one handy for incidental shopping.
salmonellaeater 13y ago
I keep a few disposable plastic bags in my bike bag for this kind of situation. They're almost weightless, and balled up take up very little space.
- jpatokal 13y ago
  So what are you going to do when you can't get disposable plastic bags anymore? Personally, I kind of like Finland's solution: plastic bags cost money, but not much ($0.25-ish), and they're way sturdier than the usual wispy ones in the US. So they're reusable (unlike paper bags), there's an incentive to reuse them, and they're way more functional and sturdy than paper bags.