target totes, take two

Slave To Target points out that Target has a new reusable shopping tote available (to fill full with method products!):

"Latest reusable shopping bag to hit Target is made from recycled plastic shopping bags. - Very cool design. At $5.99, they are a little more expensive than the red tote bags sold (it appears) in most stores across the country, but hey - they may be a nice memento to show your grandkids someday when plastic bags no longer exist!"

The Felt Mouse gives a new post on Target's first reusable red bags (still available, and I think a better option). The only problem with these are they need to be a bit bigger:

"$1.49 for the flat bottomed "shopper" version, and 99 cents for a tote style that zips up into a built-in pouch. Actually, I'd be curious if the bags are sold outside of California, if any of you out-of-state Target shoppers want to chime in. In California, retail stores of a certain size have to start providing affordable reusable bags, and recycling plastic ones, by law starting at the end of the month.

I mentioned previously that I have been using reusable canvas bags at the grocery store for years. Grocery store employees seem accustomed to the bags, and rarely do I have to point out my bags to the bagger.

At other retail stores, however, it has proven more difficult for me to regulate bag usage without coming off like a total b-i-t-c-h, so I stopped trying. I mean, these people get paid minimum wage, and all they are told is to put the stuff in the store's bag so somebody looking at a camera can see if anybody is stealing stuff on the way out. You kind of have to draw the line at how many demands you put on an employee in this position - you know? My cloth bags at Target have been used to carry items that had already been put in plastic bags, or they themselves were put in plastic bags. Other times I have left the store with 10 plastic bags for 5 items. It was difficult to suggest that my reusable bags be used for their true purpose, or that I didn't need a flimsy plastic bag to carry my 20 pound box of detergent, without coming off like an adult talking to a toddler, or a deranged woman ranting about what a waste plastic bags are. So I stopped trying to dictate bag usage for my purchases.

I'm excited to see reusable bags sold by the store itself, and hope using them at the store decreases the psycho bag lady factor. I'm not sure if the employees have been educated about the program yet, though. Both Target stores where I've used the new red bags tried to put them in a plastic bag (been there, done that), and then looked nervous when I suggested they put my other purchases inside the red bag instead. I have since put my name on the bags with the hope that they will seem more like *my bags* versus something I am buying. We shall see..."

But of course, who needs those when you got this! Available on the method home site. (Just get some reusable totes, before I come hunt you down, ok? Ok.) And I say ignore the whole "not trying to tell store employees to use your reusable bags because it seems like "psycho bag behavior." Hey, if it's verbal abuse that will get them to put my purchases in a reusable tote, so be it! Ha ha! And anyway, I seriously haven't had too many issues with telling them I've brought my own bag. Just a couple odd looks, but I have also gotten a lot of great "Oh, you brought your own bag! Good for you!" comments as well... so see, it works!