Those of you who use canvas shopping bags for grocery shopping- can you give me some pointers on how to get started? This is something I would really like to start doing, but here's my situation:

Currently, I have two canvas bags. On an average trip to the grocery store I might come home with 8-10 of the plastic ones. I really don't want to go out and buy 6 more bags.The canvas ones I have probably would hold a little more than a plastic one.

Piling 8 canvas bags into my empty shopping cart along with two kids, a backpack, my coupon box.... will there be room left to put the groceries in?

Did you feel self conscious when you started doing this? I have never seen anyone at my regular grocery store using canvas bags. Every now and then at Whole Foods I see someone withe maybe 2-3 canvas bags- no kids, no coupon box and usually a big bunch of fresh flowers. Ah- wouldn't that be some shopping trip?

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I don't believe in miracles; I depend on them

Yes, I have been using them for years. In the beginning I would put them at the bottom Of the cart.
Then as I had children I found that to be more work . So know I take them to the custumer service counter. and ask for they would mind holding them for me. they do then I pick them up on my way to the check out. Or I have the cashier call them .
It works for me.

I see people at the Harris Teeter I shop at with these bags occasionally...I don't think it's strange at all. This is something I want to start doing and the canvas totes are on my yard sale list. I know I can get a bunch for almost nothing (10 cents-25 cents) since I have seen them at almost every yard sale I have ever gone to. Everyone seems to have too many of the "freebie" type canvas bags.

I think 8-10 is a good number to have...don't they fold up?

I can't wait to get mine because they are always trying to cram 8 or 9 items in a bag. They don't take into account that many items are in heavy jars or cans and the bags almost always break on me when I get them home. Of course, with a two year old in tow, it isn't always easy to monitor the goings on at the bagging area of the checkout line and I often don't catch what they are doing until it's too late.

Would it be wrong to use canvas bags other than the grocery store ones? I have several misc bags.

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I would like more ideas on this too!! I have 2 really nice bags that I take (if I remember to put them back in the car after I unpack them). I have a bunch of other canvas bags, but they aren't really made the right way for groceries so I don't mess with them. My problem is that I usually do 1 large shopping trip to the commissary a month to get all our meats, pantry staples, frozen items, and produce for immediate use/freezing- so we are talking a lot of groceries. I don't know that even 8-10 bags would be enough for that. I guess I could just buy the ones I want when I see them at yard sales/goodwill and take what i have? I do always get paper bags and we use them for coloring or package wrapping and then recycle when we are done.

They don't really have a customer service area so i would have to carry the bags with me, but there has to be a way to make it efficient! Keep posting your tricks ladies!

all the bags I use are ones i got for free. some are the heavy canvas, some are the lighter canvas ones. I use them at Aldi's, farmers market and sometimes at the grocery store. currently they are being used for kids different sport teams. I will get them back as I find ones appropriate for the kids to use for their stuff.
I just have dd sit on them in the cart.
allgirls

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allgirls, mom to 3 girls

I use canvas bags too! At first I was a bit self conscious but then people kept asking me where I got the bags or saying, "Great idea. I should get some of those." The cashiers almost always thank me. Now I don't feel self conscious anymore. I feel like an inspiration to others. :D

I either put them on the bottom shelf of the cart or squash them up near the back. Then I take them out when I need them. I keep them in the trunk so I always have them with me.

I got my bags at Ikea. They are huge and really sturdy and they hold lots. I have 4 and I've never needed more.

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I suppose you could just stick them in that weird little rack basket underneath the cart...you know, the one at the end where you push.

I also think that once you get in the habit of putting them in the same place every time for the next time you go out to the car it would be easy to remember. I would probably put them in a stack by the front door or next to my purse. I re-use a library bag and that's where I put it after I unload my books. sometimes I roll it up and stick it in the purse handle.