Reengineering the classic grocery bag
November 18, 2009 in Food & Hospitality, Home & Lifestyle, Transport
As Maslow correctly pointed out, our need for food and water is most basic and essential. The only way to satisfy this need in developed countries is to go to the grocery store. Between the purchase and the consumption lies a critical point – transportation. Its most common form is a platic bag. In Europe, most of them have handles whereas in the US they are carried on the arms of the person because they don’t have any.
Whatever the country, let’s face it: it’s always been a hassle. First, you have to detach the plastic bag and moisten your fingers to open it. Then, you always have to think about the order in which you put the items in (because either the product or the bag might break). Lastly, you always end up with several bags that are a pain in the neck to carry and that will eventually finish in the garbage (which is not environmentally friendly).
We’ve sent a man on the Moon 50 years ago. Why haven’t we found a smart way to carry our food purchases? Several people have tried to innovate, for example by implementing a rolling cart (the ones you see the grandma’s with). I personally think it is way better than the original plastic bags we use, but the problem is it’s unfashionable and you have to bend down to reach for the items.
So I’m looking for your ideas. I am sure we can find a way to revisit the classic grocery bag and turn it into an efficient and fashionable item. Why not have a grocery bag that you can fit on your back, like a school bag?
Joan said on November 19, 2009
I think about a backpack! Really cheap backpack. And if it’s of good quality, it will be like those ikea bags that everybody uses for carrying their laundry: free advertising. No wait.. People actually paid for those bags! and since they paid, it’s another incentive for them to keep the bags and therefore advertise.
Henry said on November 24, 2009
When I did my groceries in Canada, the cashier used to put the items in the bag himself, in the right order, and hand me the bag, which always had handles by the way. I don’t know why it is not the case in the US. It might have changed. Might not. Anyways this system makes the lines really long. This problem should remain a problem anyways. No matter the bag you use, you don’t want to crush your pack of cornflakes with a pack of beers. Except with education or just commonsense, I don’t see how we could resolve this problem.
The problem of paying and keeping the bags is that we forget so often to take it when we go the grocery store. That happened to me 8 times in a row lately, whereas I promessed myself everytime to think about it. People like us often decide to do groceries on their way home or simply not always leave from home to go do it. Now very orgnanized people, with a defined rythm of life, like retired people, housewives, couples on the week-end, or personnel, already know by heart the order in which they are supposed to insert the items in the bag, generally go to the grocery store by car (so hardly ever find that carrying it is a pain in the ass and some of them consider it the exercise of the week) and are not really looking for fashionable bags… So there’s no problem for them.
Being more environmental friendly makes sense to me, the government should incent people to buy reusable bags and reuse it. This is a matter of shift in consciousness.
Do you really need to be fashionable on the way home from the groceries? You probably already have a bagpack, why don’t you do your groceries with it?
I really believe that the future of groceries is home delivery.
Joan said on November 24, 2009
Dude I thought the same about home delivery, however when I made this point to one of my friends, he told me something I found really true: If you take simple things like going to the grocery store away, people are going to be so bored!
I believe that the future of groceries are 24/7 shops.
Henry said on February 8, 2010
That is an interesting debate!
Can the time spent doing your groceries can be considered a leisure?
I don’t know Joan, I guess it depends on people. But according to me, the delivery has a future. If you pay attention to the numbers, the use of this service is only increasing, it creates employment since you must hire more people for delivery than you need cashiers, it reduces stocks and investments in real esate since you don’t need as many stores but more centralized stockroom…
Who really chooses here? The consumer must eat and buy these articles anyways. Therefore grocery stores take an important part in this decision. However I am certain stores won’t disappear; population increases, migrate to cities, have increasing purchasing powers, etc… and grocery stores come first (before the use of these delivery services), just like the market place.
We could conclude that the need for grocery stores will increase as well as the demand for delivery services, the latter one first happening in developed countries.
BUT, I don’t understand why this idea has been rated since there is none. I am not rating it, but if I did, I would give a low grade: according to me, making grocery bags fashionable won’t bring a lot of money.