Slog - Comments on Plastic Bag Ban Got You Down? Furoshiki!

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:47:15 -0800

Yeah, and we get to pay 20 cents a bag thanks to nimrods like you for these "cheap" materials.

Comment by COMTE

COMTE — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:54:30 -0800

This will never work here - as many commenters are about to tell you - because basic knot-tieing is a skill beyond the capabilities of most of the people who shop in grocery stores.

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:58:35 -0800

I'll happily go on eBay and buy ECB an Hermes knock-off.

Comment by atlsea

atlsea — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:58:58 -0800

So, who's selling shopping bags that are durable and large enough to be truly practical for groceries?

Comment by Jakub

Jakub — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:59:44 -0800

Cool-now I know how hobos wrapped their belongings to a stick!

Comment by Greg

Greg — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:04:02 -0800

@4: Every grocery store in the county: Safeway, QFC, Trader Joe's, Red Apple, Whole Foods, etc., etc. They're out there, they're cheap, and they work really well.

As for the furoshiki: my grandma loves these things. Of course, she grew up during the Depression and is so frugal that she reuses yogurt containers to store things.

Comment by rb

rb — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:08:37 -0800

Yikes, a potential rash of babushka muggings. Though most of 'em won't go down without a fight.

@4, Safeway and QFC, for like a buck, and they hold about the same as a paper grocery bag. Or go here http://www.reusablebags.com/ for more resuable bags than you can shake a stick at. (And you didn't hear this from me, but you'll find the most babushkas in Everett or Kent).

Comment by Spoogie

Spoogie — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:15:33 -0800

Funny, it looks just like the to-go packaging (styrofoam box in a plastic bag, neatly tied into a darling knot) that I get from Pho Cyclo. If it's got to be a choice between the look and "contents", I go for a fashion statement every time.

Comment by elswinger

elswinger — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:18:13 -0800

Supermarkets will now have to install changing (I mean folding) tables at the end of each register).

Still, it's a cool idea and I will use the bottle wrap next time I gift someone some wine or fancy beer.

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:20:31 -0800

They hold a lot more than a paper bag, because the handles won't pop off if you look at them funny.

This furoshiki thing really works. That's why you NEVER see a plastic bag of any kind in Japan -- no, wait, they have more of them than we do. They're a FETISH item in Japan. Hmm. Of course, they have 30 different recycling bins per household, too.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:27:50 -0800

I think the recycle bins are what does the trick.

But I have a few friends who make craft items from plastic bags - it's kind of fun to watch them do it.

Comment by Greg

Greg — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:46:17 -0800

@10: In Japan, they give you plastic bags for free, but they make you put your groceries in them yourself.

And they only have two kinds of recycling that I recall, but the trash is also separated into burnable and non-burnable.

Comment by Scoop your poop

Scoop your poop — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:59:39 -0800

That's fine for carrying ones groceries, but one hardly wants to use a silk scarf to pick up after their dog, but hey, copies of the Stranger are free, and biodegradable!

Comment by TIP

TIP — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:36:39 -0800

WORD TO THE WISE:

Safeway's reusable bags are best for tall men (6'+) that want to hang a heavy bag on their shoulder. All the other reusable bags have straps that are too short and make it uncomfortable.

For this same reason, they are not great for shorter people that wish to carry the strap by the hand. They will drag on the ground. Use a different store's bag.

Comment by paulus

paulus — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:43:46 -0800

@14, good to know.

It won't be long before retails realize that once size does not fit all, and offer a few different choices, right?

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:07:19 -0800

If you do want a free bag from Fred Meyer, I've found their wine bottle discount bags are fairly sturdy, provided you remove the inserts (scissors work well).

Comment by crk on bellevue ave

crk on bellevue ave — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:59:37 -0800

Right now, somewhere in japan there is a Japanese hipster in a Japanese coffee shop probably linking to a youtube video of a guy in texas using plastic bags for groceries claiming japan sucks because they still use old ass cloth for bags.

Also, in Europe, there are hundreds of salons selling "American Shampoo" sprinkled with a couple words of English to make them look foreign, edgy and sophisticated.

Comment by Garth

Garth — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:08:59 -0800

This is a "japanese art"? We need a youtube video to remind us that squares of fabric are multifunctional?

But damn, that t-shirt folding makes me want to do some laundry.

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:15:54 -0800

@14, really? I have one from Central Market right here next to me, fully loaded with library books, and it hits me in mid-calf. I'm 5'8" tall. Most of my other ones are the same size, though I do have one from the Lake Forest Park Farmer's Market that's bigger. But it still doesn't drag on the ground.