Meanwhile when I moved here in New York I was shocked at the common practice of "double bagging" where they literally put a plastic bag into another plastic bag.
The argument being that 1 bag isn't strong enough.
The argument being that 1 bag isn't strong enough.
But New Yorkers tend to carry their groceries home in their hands for as far as a mile, instead of wheeling them out in carts to a car trunk and then carrying them 20 feet to the door of the house.
Heavy items (liquids and canned goods and stuff like potatoes) WILL tear through plastic bags if not double bagged. The worst offenders are half gallons of milk/juice, which have sharp corners.
This has happened to me more than once. I've also on occasion just made it home with a bag that's seconds from splitting open.
And then you're half a mile from home with your groceries all over the sidewalk and nothing to put them in.
Downside is that they are weak enough to break if mishandled.
Bigger bags to hold all your purchases - made from recycled plastic - are available from the cashiers for 20 cents.
Edit: Regular small bags are also available free of charge.
We keep them in the car or carry a collapsible one in a backpack, handbag, laptop bag, etc.
Glad to know you're helping bring down the average though
My technique is to always have such bags in my bags so that I never go anywhere without having them on me. Redundancy :)
If shops stopped selling plastic bags people would figure out a solution.
But then we cease to be a liberal (as in live and let live) society.
[1] I for one despise being in the company of someone on their phone while we're talking in the same way that others can't seem to forget the plastic tidal pool in the oceans.
I also walk and ride so the addictiveness of social media is literally a mortal danger to me in a way plastic bits aren't
When you get proper bags that you pay for they are much better. 25lbs in one bag is no problem even with sharp corners on some items.