Walmart Takes A Stand

Back in October of 2021, the state of Washington issued a ban on single-use plastic bags. This was supposed to save the environment by eliminating plastic bags from grocery and retail stores. However, it seemed to backfire.

A year later, in October of 2022, I wrote that the plastic bag ban didn’t really ban anything—it merely upgraded the item that was supposed to be purged. Grocery stores still used single-use plastic bags, they were just higher quality and you had to pay for them. However, at a fee of 8 cents per bag, I considered the product a bargain. These plastic bags were sturdy, dependable, and re-usable. Most of the time I visited the grocery store I was tempted to buy MORE plastic bags than what I needed just because they were so useful for day-to-day life.

This is me holding one of the new bags in October 2021. I found them very useful.

Well, I have an update for you!…

I can no longer purchase these useful plastic bags at the grocery/retail giant our family shops at the most. Why? Because Walmart has banned all single-use plastic bags—flimsy old version AND sturdy new version—from all its stores in Washington. Wally World has swooped in and given teeth to the initiative that the state started.

Walmart started bracing us for the change a couple months ago and then it actually went into effect in April. At the check out areas you won’t see a plastic bag in sight. Unless you bring your own tote bags or pay 74 cents for the Walmart “reusable shopping bag” (made in China), you will be carrying your groceries out of the store by hand. Try doing that after going Sunday grocery shopping.

This is the reusable Walmart shopping bag that I purchased the other day because I didn’t have any tote bags with me.

I miss the new plastic bags we could purchase. At the same time, I kind of respect Walmart for taking a stand and doing what the state had probably hoped it could do at the onset. I will continue to follow future developments. There are still mom and pop stores around Spokane that offer plastic and paper bags free of charge, but I am curious to see what other major grocery chains do. Stay tuned. Don’t Blink.

Re-Visiting the Bag Ban

At the start of this month a year ago, the state of Washington imposed a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags. The plastic grocery bags we all grew up with were “sacked” and a new, heavier duty reusable plastic bag was introduced. What’s not to love, right?

Well, the new bags came with a price. If you go to Walmart, Rosauers, Target, or any other retailer, you must pay 8 cents for a bag. If you scoff at forking out some extra coins for what used to be free, you are more than welcome to use your own tote bags or simply carry your items in your hands. In fact, that is what the state wants. In the name of a healthier environment, Washington prefers that you are disgusted about the bag fee and refuse to pay for them.

Almost a year to the date, I wrote a blog post that examined the ban and new bag fee. I wrote this: It will be interesting to see how this ban is embraced statewide. I wonder where our family will stand a year from now. Will we be bringing our own tote bags into Safeway? Or will we be hanging onto the original eight bags we bought at the end of last week?

This photo was taken a year ago when I brought the new 8-cent bags home for the first time.

It turns out that the answer to both those questions I asked in October 2021 is a big, fat NO.

Although Sidney has tote bags, she doesn’t use them anymore. And those eight bags we purchased the initial week of the ban? We used them the first day we brought them home. Whether for diaper disposal, lunch packing, or toy holder, we utilized them in the exact same ways we used their flimsier cousins.

As it turns out, the ban and bag fee did little to change our habits. When we go to the grocery store, we don’t blink at the bag fee. We just use as many bags necessary to corral our groceries and happily pay the designated toll. Besides, the new bags are larger and sturdier than the ones used pre-October 2021 so we rarely use more than six bags when we go grocery shopping. That adds a whopping 56 cents to our bill.

In my opinion, I actually think it is a bargain! As I have already said multiple times, these bags are considerably better than their predecessors. Put me down for TWENTY bags per visit if you want. I assure you, we will gladly use them for other purposes once we unpack our groceries at home.

I would be interested to know about metrics related to the ban. There is no doubt that it has cut down plastic bag consumption to some degree. I know not everyone purchases them like they are going out of style. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the purge isn’t as significant as hoped.

In the end, I like to think the adjustments made last year resulted in a win-win for everyone involved. A step was taken to reduce the use of plastic bags but those who wanted to continue using them were given a superior alternative at a cheap price. Go Washington! Don’t Blink.

RIP Plastic Grocery Bags

I know this sounds like I am putting myself in front of the environment, but I wasn’t overly excited by the statewide ban on single-use plastic bags that went into effect on Friday. The ban means that in the state of Washington, businesses can no longer offer the plastic grocery bags that most of us have grown up with our entire lives.

Judging by the expressions of Sloan and Beau on the first day of the ban, they weren’t overly excited about it either.

My less than enthusiastic attitude isn’t because I am having a personal crisis figuring out how I will now carry my groceries out of the supermarket. Rather, I am bummed because I will no longer be able to use them for the myriad of miscellaneous ways I employ them once I bring them home.

Basically, I have placed a major overreliance on plastic grocery bags for the following reasons…

To carry my lunch to work
To hold an extra change of clothes
To pack my toiletries during travel
To dispose of Beau’s diapers
For use as mini trash bags

I bought eight bags on Friday. After I purchased them, the Walmart clerk placed them on the rack for us to use.

A couple of these uses really irk Sidney. She finds them tacky, which is likely why she wasn’t impressed by the situation that took place this past Friday. Let me explain…

The ban is meant to encourage people to use their own personal tote bags for their groceries. If you don’t want to make that investment, grocery stores now offer reusable plastic bags for 8 cents. These new bags are thicker and use recyclable material in their production.

On the first day of the ban (Friday, October 1), we went to Walmart after work to pick up a few groceries. We made it to the front of the self-checkout line we were in. While Sid scanned our items, I flagged down the bag lady who was going from self-checkout line to self-checkout line selling the bags.

“I will take 8, please,” I told the lady.

“Yes, sir,” the lady replied as she counted out the bags and typed in the code at our register to apply the charge.

I took a photo of our checkout screen after the Walmart clerk typed in the transaction.

“Why did you buy 8 bags?” asked Sid, indicating that only a couple bags were needed for the amount of groceries that we purchased.

“We need them for Beau’s diapers this weekend,” I replied.

“They make bags specifically for that purpose,” Sid responded, annoyed. “Perhaps this is the kick we need to start buying them.”

So perhaps we will. But let me go on record by saying that the new reusable grocery bags are heavy duty and I consider the 8-cent price a bargain. However, I do realize that isn’t the point of the ban.

The new bags are heavy duty, and, in my opinion, worth the 8 cents. But I know that’s not the point.

It will be interesting to see how this ban is embraced statewide. I wonder where our family will stand a year from now. Will we be bringing our own tote bags into Safeway? Or will we be hanging onto the original eight bags we bought at the end of last week (assuming I didn’t use them for diaper disposal)? Whatever the outcome, I just hope grocery store bagger clerks still have a job. Don’t Blink.