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ChineseMetro Gear: Make Grocery Shopping Easier
[tags]gear, transit, grocery shopping, gadgets, gizmodo, ikea[/tags]
Grip bag holder from whateverworks.com.
A big issue a lot of MetorRider’s run into that those entrenched in the car-culture typically don’t have to worry about is grocery shopping. Most grocery stores in L.A. are modern supermarkets designed around the car-culture. They are surrounded by huge parking lots and you’re supposed to go in and fill you cart with as much groceries as it can hold and then fill your trunk and make your way home to your two car garage. The car-free and the transit-friendly don’t have the convenience of a trunk, instead we must rely on our own two hands. This generally means that you can’t buy as much as you would if you had a car. But that shouldn’t present a problem to the savvy transit user, who by nature are a bit more minimalist and organized than the car’d, so we buy what we need and schedule our grocery shopping around those needs. Even so, sometimes you need some help with those grocery bags, especially if you’re carrying heavier items like a gallon of milk or a bunch of canned goods. This is where these innovative products come into play.
I first noticed the Grip Bag Holder ($12.99 for a set of two) from whateverworks.com on gadget site Gizmodo, it’s actually what inspired the new Gear category for MetroRiderLA. This gadget is meant to reduce the strain of six or seven heavy plastic grocery bags painfully tearing into the skin of your hands, enabling you to carry more bags more comfortably. In the comments section of the Gizmodo post, a few other readers recommended some alternatives to the Grip Bag Holder. The Container Store has the HandiGrip Grocery Bag Handle ($1.49 each), G.A.I.M. Engineering has developed the Totasak ($12 for a set of two), and The Baggler Company offers The Baggler ($4.49 each).
The HandiGrip Grocery Bag Handle from The Container Store.
However, I can’t vouch for any of these products, because when I go grocery shopping I like to bring along my Ikea Blue Bag ($.59 from IKEA stores). The canvas bag is cheap, large, durable, and reduces the waste of all those plastic bags!
The trusty Ikea Blue Bag, 59 cents and super sustainable.
Discussion
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Please keep discussions civil: exercise Troll Controll.
While I do use a car to go to the supermarket, I bring along some plain cotton canvas bags I bought at Stater Bros for $4 at some point. I’ve discovered that one of the niceties of those bags is that they’re a lot easier to carry and don’t dig into your hands like the plastic ones do. I can put one on each shoulder and carry about the equivalent of 10-20 plastic bags at once, (they usually only put 2 items in each bag when they use plastic bag) although I probably wouldn’t want to carry that much for more than a couple minutes.
… the toughest part right now is avoiding the ire of those trained to bag items. Their usual ratio of 2.5 items per bag is inconsistent with conservation (as are most trappings of the car culture). My experience is that most of the big chain grocery store baggers will not bag your groceries for you in your own bags. I wonder if that’s some kind of union/store policy thing or just my luck?
its fifty fifty when it comes to the baggers making/letting u pack yor bags when I go shopping. However, at someplaces they not only do it they also pay u for it. I think its a dime per bag u bring in though its not universal even within one company.
I also use the ikea bags, usually two and they work great. Very durable and the straps r both long enuff and strong enuff to carry over your shoulders.
*hint*hint*
let’s make some metrorider.elhay branded canvas bags.
hmmmm…how about a bag making party!
[...] To go along with Fred Camino’s post a week ago, bring a canvas bag for groceries. He had many choices and I recommend the Ikea big [...]
[...] idea of what you can carry so that you’re not screwed when you check-out. Take a look out our Metro Gear article from a few months back that looks at a few products that will make carrying your groceries easier. [...]