We love reusable shopping bags, but sometimes, it’s hard to remember to take them into the store. I’ve gotten much better about bringing my bags into the grocery store (I only have to run out to the car about once every two months now from the checkout line), but remembering my bags at other stores is a challenge. I usually walk out with my arms full of merchandise and fill my bags at the car.
I really like ChicoBags for shopping at stores, not just the natural food store. They sling over my shoulder (and my kids’ shoulders) easily and ball up nicely to fit inside my purse. Reusable bags are such a simple step we can all take to reduce our carbon footprint, but why is it so hard to remember to use them?
Using ChicoBag’s reusable tote bags reduces waste because they are long lasting and promote reuse. ChicoBag will even recycle your reusable bags when you are done with them. What makes ChicoBags better than many other reusable grocery bags is the compact pouch that is sewn into the seam on the interior of the tote bag. ChicoBags make it easy to carry a reusable shopping tote at all times. Single-use paper and plastic bags are harmful to the environment and use up 32% of landfill space because they can take hundreds of years to decompose. Americans use between 300 and 700 plastic bags per person each year, on average. 100 billion plastic shopping bags are used annually in the United States.
Thanks to Two Knobby Tires, we are giving away four Chico reusable bags to one lucky Eco Child’s Play reader. To enter, simply leave a comment to this post explaining your strategy for remembering to bring your reusuable bags into the store. The winner will be selected randomly from the comments on Wednesday, February 25, 2009. Good luck, and don’t forget those bags!

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I get to the checkout and think, “D_mn, next time for sure!”
I have a coat hook by my back door and my reusable bags hang right there so I can remember to take them when I shop. Thanks!
I just put 2-3 in my purse that way when I reach for my wallet I grav them and use them! It’s easy for me!! Thanks
I just received a reusable shopping bag. The bad thing is I’m so busy remembering to make sure I have enough diapers and wet wipes in my diaper bag that I forget to grab the new bag. After seeing this post I decided to put the reusable bag in the diaper bag since I know I’ll have this with me every time I go shopping – at least for the next 2.5 years! I’ll have to get a bigger purse after that.
I attach my grocery list to the tote bag and leave it in my van.I won’t go in the grocery store without my grocery list.
I use the carabiner clip on my bag to always have one attached to my purse. Then I just have to be *fast* enough to tell the checker that I have a bag before s/he starts automatically bagging as s/he scans the groceries.
I love my Chico bag! I only have one but keep it on my car keychain. I don’t ever go in a store and forget my Chico bag! They are awesome.
I would love some Chico bags!
I hang mine on the doorknob out of the house, and pop my wallet in on the way out the door – can’t shop without my wallet! I pretty much never forget them now.
I put mine on the front seat under my purse. Or if I have a small enough one I tuck it right into my purse. Otherwise I’ll forget them completely!
I always have one in my purse, otherwise I would forget.
Thank you!
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
I keep mine stashed in the car, up in the front so they’re easy to see and grab. There are some stores that will offer a discount on all reusable bags, so that’s even more incentive to remember them!
After unpacking the bags I always make sure I put them right back in mt car. If I forget them and go into the store then I always make sure that I go back to the car and get them before I go to the cashier. I took a vacation to Alaska and went hiking and even on a unbeaten trail out in the wilderness I found a little plastic bag hanging from the tree that day was the day I decided I would NEVER use another plastic bag when I went shopping
texasgirl(at)rocketmail(dot)com
I carry one in my purse.Then when I pay, I see the bag and remember to use it.
I keep them in the car or by the door to the garage but they need to be small enough to fit in a purse like these ones and then I’d have them all the time
I keep one in my purse and the others in the trunk of the car – I usually remember to take them to the store but if I do forget it’s OK, I use the store bags as trash bags (I don’t remember the last time I actually had to buy some!!)
They go right back out to the truck after unloading everything.
My bags are around the gear shift on the floor. Then I lay my purse on top of them.
I put my shopping list in them – I definitely need the list, so I never forget the bags.
After we use them we put them back in the car!
We have to otherwise we will leave without them.
I keep them in the trunks of mine and my husbands car.
I finally figured this out after forgetting them in the house way too many times. As soon as I unload the bags, I put them in my purse or on top of my purse and put them in the car the next time that I pick up my purse and leave the house.
Thanks for the nice giveaway.
I am still laking in this area. I have every good intention of using the bags, but I have not taken the final plunge. I guess once I start if I leave one in the car, I would never forget one.
thank you
I keep some in my purse and some in my car- we are a large family so always need several.
As soon as I unpack my bags, I put all the extras into one bag and immediately bring it all back out to the car and tuck them in the net behind the passenger seat. It takes an extra 45 seconds to go back to the car, but they are ALWAYS there waiting for me to grab and go with them!
I have one folded small that I always carry in my purse. Thanks for the chance!
as soon as I finish unloading the groceries, I put the reusuable bags back in the car…I take the same car food shopping, so they are always there.
would love to win this, nice bags!
I keep them in my trunk so I never forget them.
I put my grocery list in my reusable bag(s) and I keep them in my car. This way in order to shop from my list I have to have my bag(s).
I use them for wrapping paper for gifts. Share the wealth of knowledge.
I keep our reusable bags in our ‘granny’ utility cart. We don’t own a car in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint and get healthy and walk to the grocery store each day (almost 4 miles there and back), rain, snow or shine. This ensures that we don’t forget our bags! I often keep a spare or two in our stroller as well.
I put My pop bottles in them and return pop bottles and then use them for groceries
I try to go to the store at least twice a week, thus I make my list twice a week. As soon as I make my list, I put it by the bags. Ta-da! I never forget the bags. I even have an extra bag in the car just in case we stop unexpectedly.
I have to keep it in my car.
My strategy for remembering to bring my reusuable bags into the store is to put a sticky note on my car dashboard reminding me about it.
All of the above are great ideas but I use bags in my current favorite bright color! Even if I forget to put it back in my purse or car, the kids and my husband don’t
They instantly find it and remind me to take it with me.
I love using Chico bags. I put the ones I have in all my jacket pockets. I live in Seattle, so more than 75% of the time I wear my jacket into the store, so I always have one to use in each of my 3 jackets. The other place I always have one is hanging from my rear view mirror. People often ask what is that, so I get to sing the praises of my practical little Chico bags.
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