5 ms·

• Bags aren't big or heavy • What spur of the moment shopping are you talking about?

by dfxm12 3y ago

Wowfunhappy 3y ago
Bags are big enough that they don't fit in my pants or jacket pocket. I don't understand your second question.
- oftenwrong 3y ago
  Some companies offer compact reusable bags that can be stored in a coat pocket. For example: https://seatosummit.com/products/ultra-sil-day-pack https://seatosummit.com/products/ultra-sil-day-pack - I've had a few different versions of this bag for years. There are also cheaper/bigger/different versions of the same sort of thing you can find online for "packable daypack". https://nanobag.com/products/nanobag https://nanobag.com/products/nanobag - I have heard good things about these, but I prefer a backpack because it allows me to be hands-free, or to use my hands to hold more items. However, I would start by carrying a lightweight "single-use" plastic bag, and simply re-use it. Plastic bags are not as strong as these premium bags, but they hold up well enough to be useful in most scenarios.
  - Wowfunhappy 3y ago
    Thank you, these look amazing, I'm going to get one! They don't entirely solve my problem because they don't get large enough (for the smaller sizes, the larger sizes are too large when folded) but they'll be useful to have.
bane 3y ago
The problem is one more unique to being a walker in a city. You're out and about, maybe just walking to the park or something so you brought nothing with you, but the park you like is a 15 minute walk from your apartment. Near the park there's a great bakery. You see they're having a nice sale on a box of a dozen croissants, and their croissants are the best in the city. So do you: - Grab a couple boxes, and a reusable bag to carry them in? - Walk 15 minutes home to get your bag, then 15 minutes back, then 15 minutes back home (45 minutes total) just so you don't pay $3 for a bag? - Carry around a bag all the time even though you had no intention to buy anything when you left, and use it only a few times over the hundreds of time you leave your apartment?
- latexr 3y ago
  I’m not the person you asked, but I’d do none of the above. I’d buy the boxes and carry them. They’re presumably perfectly ordinary parallelepipedical cake boxes, perfectly suited for carrying in your hands. There’s no need for a bag.
  - Wowfunhappy 3y ago
    This is certainly an option (as is not buying the pastries), but it gets pretty uncomfortable over a 15 or even 10 minute walk, because you have to keep the boxes level. You can't just hold them by your side. It's even worse if you have to e.g. jump on a crowded subway.
    - latexr 3y ago
      And now you know for next time: “there’s a great bakery near the park that I like, better come prepared”. You now have two reasons to go there. Take a disposable plastic bag (hint: they are and always were reusable) folded in your pocket. This not a hypothetical. I learned pretty fast to always bring a mostly empty backpack with me to the park. I pack a couple of beach towels, maybe bring a jacket, and an e-reader. Sometimes I may not lay down on the grass, or not read. Or I may meet with someone and have a towel at the ready for them. But I have multiple options and none of them is a burden. Carrying an almost empty backpack for a recreational activity takes zero effort, and it can be used to carry groceries on the way back if I want. Each of the things I carry in it is the result of a previous time where I didn’t have it. People in this thread are acting as if this is an intractable problem. It’s not. Every time you’re faced with a problem of this nature think “what could I do to avoid this next time?” then do that.
      - Wowfunhappy 3y ago
        If I had to bring a backpack or purse† everywhere I don't think I'd want to live in a walkable city anymore. It makes the experience of walking substantially less pleasant. † Or whatever the latest euphemism is for a purse carried by a man
gruez 3y ago
>• What spur of the moment shopping are you talking about? "Honey, can you get eggs on your way home? We just ran out"
- dfxm12 3y ago
  If not being able to carry a carton of eggs in your hands a serious concern of yours, I think there are other issues at play...
HPsquared 3y ago
Reusable bags are big and heavy to carry around everywhere. Ironically the old disposable bags are much better for this reuse scenario.
- orthoxerox 3y ago
  There are reusable net bags that are very compact.
crazygringo 3y ago
If you don't already carry a backpack or other bag, you don't have anywhere to put grocery bags. It's not like they fit in your jeans pocket. And I do a lot (the majority?) of my grocery shopping spur of the moment. Basically when I'm on my way home and realize I have extra time and it's not so late that the grocery stores have closed. And my life is such that knowing whether I'll have time to shop that evening is entirely unpredictable.
- ta1243 3y ago
  The reusable bags in the UK certainly do fit in your pocket (when correctly folded up)
  - Wowfunhappy 3y ago
    Can you please link me to something I can buy? I've never found something both small enough when folded to be pocketable and big enough when expanded to be useful.
    - joh6nn 3y ago
      Not recommending this specific one, just an example of the category: https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Shopping-Eco-Friendly-Waterproof-Lightweight/dp/B07M6JPJR5 https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Shopping-Eco-Friendly-Waterp... Search term was "pocket shopping bag"
    - ta1243 3y ago
      The normal bags from a UK supermarket fit just fine in my back pocket, smaller than the wallet I used to carry around
  - crazygringo 3y ago
    In a pocket on your bulky winter jacket? Sure. In your jeans pocket? Not unless you want to look... well let's just say that bulging pockets on your butt, or on the front of your pant, are not a good look... not to mention not being particularly comfortable.
tgsovlerkhgsel 3y ago
They aren't heavy, but they are big/bulky. You can't just stuff them in a pocket. Ironically, the "bad" plastic bags (thicker and bigger than standard US grocery bags, but still a single layer of soft plastic film) could be folded into a pocket, while the new "reusable" ones can't, making it harder to actually reuse them. > What spur of the moment shopping are you talking about? Groceries. It's common around here to shop often but in small quantities, because the grocery store is likely somewhere on the footpath from work to home, from work to public transit, or from public transit to home. Which means you're either carrying the bulky bag with you all day, or using single-use bags. Or, of course, you could buy a car to follow the "stop whining just throw a few in your trunk" suggestions always posted /s
- dfxm12 3y ago
  They aren't heavy, but they are big/bulky. You can't just stuff them in a pocket. Ironically, the "bad" plastic bags (thicker and bigger than standard US grocery bags, but still a single layer of soft plastic film) could be folded into a pocket, while the new "reusable" ones can't, making it harder to actually reuse them. This is incorrect. There are reusable bags that fold into pocket sized. Ikea has them, among other brands. Now that you know, I'm sure you'll reevaluate your outlook on them, right? Additionally, if you're coming back from work, you probably already have a bag to carry stuff you need for work that you can use to carry a "spur of the moment" amount of groceries or other bags. However, this sounds more like a regular occurrence you are neglecting to prepare for rather than a spur of the moment thing.

• Bags aren't big or heavy • What spur of the moment shopping are you talking about?

by dfxm12 3y ago

• Bags aren't big or heavy • What spur of the moment shopping are you talking about?

Wowfunhappy 3y ago

Bags are big enough that they don't fit in my pants or jacket pocket. I don't understand your second question.

oftenwrong 3y ago
Some companies offer compact reusable bags that can be stored in a coat pocket. For example: https://seatosummit.com/products/ultra-sil-day-pack https://seatosummit.com/products/ultra-sil-day-pack - I've had a few different versions of this bag for years. There are also cheaper/bigger/different versions of the same sort of thing you can find online for "packable daypack". https://nanobag.com/products/nanobag https://nanobag.com/products/nanobag - I have heard good things about these, but I prefer a backpack because it allows me to be hands-free, or to use my hands to hold more items. However, I would start by carrying a lightweight "single-use" plastic bag, and simply re-use it. Plastic bags are not as strong as these premium bags, but they hold up well enough to be useful in most scenarios.
- Wowfunhappy 3y ago
  Thank you, these look amazing, I'm going to get one! They don't entirely solve my problem because they don't get large enough (for the smaller sizes, the larger sizes are too large when folded) but they'll be useful to have.

bane 3y ago

The problem is one more unique to being a walker in a city. You're out and about, maybe just walking to the park or something so you brought nothing with you, but the park you like is a 15 minute walk from your apartment. Near the park there's a great bakery. You see they're having a nice sale on a box of a dozen croissants, and their croissants are the best in the city. So do you: - Grab a couple boxes, and a reusable bag to carry them in? - Walk 15 minutes home to get your bag, then 15 minutes back, then 15 minutes back home (45 minutes total) just so you don't pay $3 for a bag? - Carry around a bag all the time even though you had no intention to buy anything when you left, and use it only a few times over the hundreds of time you leave your apartment?

latexr 3y ago
I’m not the person you asked, but I’d do none of the above. I’d buy the boxes and carry them. They’re presumably perfectly ordinary parallelepipedical cake boxes, perfectly suited for carrying in your hands. There’s no need for a bag.
- Wowfunhappy 3y ago
  This is certainly an option (as is not buying the pastries), but it gets pretty uncomfortable over a 15 or even 10 minute walk, because you have to keep the boxes level. You can't just hold them by your side. It's even worse if you have to e.g. jump on a crowded subway.
  - latexr 3y ago
    And now you know for next time: “there’s a great bakery near the park that I like, better come prepared”. You now have two reasons to go there. Take a disposable plastic bag (hint: they are and always were reusable) folded in your pocket. This not a hypothetical. I learned pretty fast to always bring a mostly empty backpack with me to the park. I pack a couple of beach towels, maybe bring a jacket, and an e-reader. Sometimes I may not lay down on the grass, or not read. Or I may meet with someone and have a towel at the ready for them. But I have multiple options and none of them is a burden. Carrying an almost empty backpack for a recreational activity takes zero effort, and it can be used to carry groceries on the way back if I want. Each of the things I carry in it is the result of a previous time where I didn’t have it. People in this thread are acting as if this is an intractable problem. It’s not. Every time you’re faced with a problem of this nature think “what could I do to avoid this next time?” then do that.
    - Wowfunhappy 3y ago
      If I had to bring a backpack or purse† everywhere I don't think I'd want to live in a walkable city anymore. It makes the experience of walking substantially less pleasant. † Or whatever the latest euphemism is for a purse carried by a man

gruez 3y ago

>• What spur of the moment shopping are you talking about? "Honey, can you get eggs on your way home? We just ran out"

dfxm12 3y ago
If not being able to carry a carton of eggs in your hands a serious concern of yours, I think there are other issues at play...

HPsquared 3y ago

Reusable bags are big and heavy to carry around everywhere. Ironically the old disposable bags are much better for this reuse scenario.

orthoxerox 3y ago
There are reusable net bags that are very compact.

crazygringo 3y ago

If you don't already carry a backpack or other bag, you don't have anywhere to put grocery bags. It's not like they fit in your jeans pocket. And I do a lot (the majority?) of my grocery shopping spur of the moment. Basically when I'm on my way home and realize I have extra time and it's not so late that the grocery stores have closed. And my life is such that knowing whether I'll have time to shop that evening is entirely unpredictable.

ta1243 3y ago
The reusable bags in the UK certainly do fit in your pocket (when correctly folded up)
- Wowfunhappy 3y ago
  Can you please link me to something I can buy? I've never found something both small enough when folded to be pocketable and big enough when expanded to be useful.
  - joh6nn 3y ago
    Not recommending this specific one, just an example of the category: https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Shopping-Eco-Friendly-Waterproof-Lightweight/dp/B07M6JPJR5 https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Shopping-Eco-Friendly-Waterp... Search term was "pocket shopping bag"
  - ta1243 3y ago
    The normal bags from a UK supermarket fit just fine in my back pocket, smaller than the wallet I used to carry around
- crazygringo 3y ago
  In a pocket on your bulky winter jacket? Sure. In your jeans pocket? Not unless you want to look... well let's just say that bulging pockets on your butt, or on the front of your pant, are not a good look... not to mention not being particularly comfortable.

tgsovlerkhgsel 3y ago

They aren't heavy, but they are big/bulky. You can't just stuff them in a pocket. Ironically, the "bad" plastic bags (thicker and bigger than standard US grocery bags, but still a single layer of soft plastic film) could be folded into a pocket, while the new "reusable" ones can't, making it harder to actually reuse them. > What spur of the moment shopping are you talking about? Groceries. It's common around here to shop often but in small quantities, because the grocery store is likely somewhere on the footpath from work to home, from work to public transit, or from public transit to home. Which means you're either carrying the bulky bag with you all day, or using single-use bags. Or, of course, you could buy a car to follow the "stop whining just throw a few in your trunk" suggestions always posted /s

dfxm12 3y ago
They aren't heavy, but they are big/bulky. You can't just stuff them in a pocket. Ironically, the "bad" plastic bags (thicker and bigger than standard US grocery bags, but still a single layer of soft plastic film) could be folded into a pocket, while the new "reusable" ones can't, making it harder to actually reuse them. This is incorrect. There are reusable bags that fold into pocket sized. Ikea has them, among other brands. Now that you know, I'm sure you'll reevaluate your outlook on them, right? Additionally, if you're coming back from work, you probably already have a bag to carry stuff you need for work that you can use to carry a "spur of the moment" amount of groceries or other bags. However, this sounds more like a regular occurrence you are neglecting to prepare for rather than a spur of the moment thing.