July 27, 2007
SFist Photo: Lucky vs. Costco, Which is Better?
Which reusable plasticky shopping bag do you prefer - the one from Lucky (nee Albertson's) or from the Costco? We know our choice.
Due to a combination of recent legislation and consumer demand, our corporate overlords are jumping onto the reusable shopping bag movement in a big way. What's a San Francisco Bay Area shopper to do? Find out after the jump.
Now first of all, your favorite Albertsons grocery store will be changing into a Lucky. Deal with it. We just happened to attend grand openings at two local stores and we witnessed surprised shoppers displaying a total of four stages of the Kübler-Ross model - denial, anger, sadness, and acceptance, it all happens pretty fast for most people. (And on Sloat Blvd., we even saw a San Francisco Supervisor in the crowd reprezentin his Parkside peeps. As shown:)
Anyway, Lucky now has 25-cent plastic bags for sale. You buy one at checkout and then you get a 5-cent discount every time you re-use it. Keep on doing that, and you're making money on the deal, as Lucky helpfully explains.
Now Costco has a different approach - buy two monstrously big (that's an 18-inch ruler shown in the flashy graphic), straight-out-of-Saigon polypropylene tote bags for something like a $1.89, carry all your stuff home, and then use them wherever, whenever. Can you really carry 70 pounds of stuff in one of these bags? That's what we were told. Are you going to see these things used as beach bags? You bet.
The verdict? We gotta go with the Costco. Man, these bags are built to last. How many cases of Mexican Coke will you be able to carry home on MUNI now? Unfortunately, our Lucky swag (they're offered for free on opening day) bag is already showing signs of wear, so it looks like you're going to have to go easy on them.
So, these are the two bags we have seen recently. What reusable bags do you like? How long do they actually last? Hemp, what about hemp? O.K., Think Green!
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Paying for plastic bags?? Use cloth bags! Last a looooooooong time; you can launder them after your drippy veggies make them nasty; they come in monstrously large size; and they don't defeat the purpose of eliminating the plastic bags by replacing them with plastic bags.
the costco bags rock. they were 2 for 1.75.
gotta say, i was very, very upset at lucky yesterday. i had called in a Rx on wed. and gotten a machine saying no one at the new lucky/previously sav-on at albertsons pharmacy could answer the phone at the moment. i left a message for a refill and asked them to call me if it couldn't be filled by thursday. no call back, so i arrive at albertsons lucky yesterday evening... but they're closed! the lucky employee explained to all the confused panhandle/nopa/haight-ashbury resident that the store was closed for improvements and that we should come back friday (today). i asked about the pharmacy, as their voicemail doesn't say they're closed, and she gave me a blank stare, so i explained that i needed to pick up an Rx that i take daily, and it's controlled by my health insurance so i could only order one package at a time every 28 days (yep, BCPs!). this was day 29, which meant if i didn't start today, well, things would just suck. she gave me a sickly smile and said, you can come back at 9am. um. lady, some of us don't work in a lucky! we work somewhere else! and we have to be at work at 8am! so i left a voicemail for the sav-on lucky pharmacy asking them to transfer one month's supply of Rx i had ordered to a downtown walgreen's as i wouldn't be able to get back to lucky in time... simple, right? no. they called me this morning, as i'm cramping and beginning to spot, and argued with me that i should pick it up from them. now. at 10AM. across the city. grrr. bring back sav-on!
There's some pretty cool re-usable plastic bags out there right now, including ones that are insulated. The reusability of the bags has gotten to point where I've seen women using the Trader Joe's bags as large sachels. Canvas bags just don't seem as clean -- I'd I've had more than one rip on me. So which is better I can't say -- but $1.89! Wow, out here the stores sell them for like $.99 or less but of course we haven't mandated that you use them -- so the stores are trying to lower the cost of buying them so you'll use them.
And I can't imagine what the shock about Albertson's to Lucky is. They were only Lucky's like 8 years ago anyway. I always thought that name was more fun anyway and was sad when they became Albertson's. Doesn't everyone want to get Lucky?
I forgot how much Ikea prices their big blue bags, but they are of the same exact quality as their yellow bags that you can't take home.
I remember when the Lakeshore Albertson's was a Lucky, and now it's back to being a Lucky? It's like I'm in my childhood again.
Lucky's in the city? Will they bring Lady Lee brand back, please? --AnotherMatt
"And on Sloat Blvd., we even saw a San Francisco Supervisor in the crowd reprezentin his Parkside peeps"
Was that Ed Jew you saw? Where's the picture?
Why on earth would you want a bag that holds 70 lbs of crap...when you can't carry it home! I would sacrifice two trips to Safeway than carry 70 pounds of canned goods and milk through my neighborhood.
A great bag for carrying heavy canned goods is here:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/super-strong-cotton-canvas-messenger-shopping-p-41.html
It's messenger style with deep sling. The only thing that would make this bag 100% awesome would be an adjustable shoulder strap.
I use a free black cloth bag from Accent Arts, a small art shop in Palo Alto (California Avenue).
The best are reusable bags are made by Baggu.
http://baggubag.com/index.html
Also, the new Delano's IGA stores are giving away reusable, canvas-esque "Green Bags" with any purchase over $25.
There's a bag I've seen at a couple of stores, and have gotten two of them at the Faletti's. It's called the chica or chico bag. It folds into itself and can clip onto your purse, if your so inclined. It's not the most sturdy of things, but for hte size it's great.
ps - why use plastic at all?
pps - wtf is lucky? That's the new old name of the Albertson's. God, sometime I feel like I live under a rock.
I dislike Safeway, but I like their reusable bags. Black, recycled plastic but with a cloth-like feel. More like mini canvas totes, and the logo is small enough so that I don't feel like a complete tool for paying to carry around someone else's logo.
Marks & Spencer in the UK has a nice fold-up shopping bag with wheels for sale at every store. I can't find a pic but it's much better than these, or the canvas bags, or the annoyingly pretentious "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" things now for sale on ebay, one from a gothamist commentator.
Interesting that Costco is selling these bags, as I recall getting my Costco goods bundled in re-used cardboard boxes. Did they stop doing that in the last year or two? I always liked that they re-used existing packaging...
As far as art supply store totes, Arch on Missouri & 17th gives away large, sturdy black ones for purchases over a certain amount. They're not canvas, it's a lighter material, but they're quite nice.
Cole Hardware also gives free, reusable black bags to shoppers.
"pps - wtf is lucky? That's the new old name of the Albertson's. God, sometime I feel like I live under a rock."
Did you drift into the Bay Area recently? Lucky is engrained into the minds of long time Bay Area residents.
In a deal of a three way split of Albertsons, Save Mart of the Central Valley got most of Albertsons' Northern California stores. Save Mart is just happening to rebrand some stores to Lucky because Save Mart does not have much of a presence in the Bay Area (besides in Santa Clara). Plus, Lucky has more of a connection with the Bay Area.
Guest #19 is correct. The Lucky brand has been around for a long time (pre-WWII if I recall correctly) in the SF Bay Area.
If you grew up around here, you probably sat in a Lucky grocery cart fifty times.
Has anybody consider the reusable bags may have health related issues?
For example, when a bag first being used to hold raw meat or icecream etc. leaking will dirty the bag. If the bag is not properly cleaned and reuse second time to hold fresh fruits, such as apples. Would you like to see you childrn eat the apple. You know from time to time we do not wash apples thoroughly.
One time plastic bags - no problem with this.
More should be considered for reusable bags!!!
I grew up in Arizona going to a Luckys - kinda weird to think they'll be back. I haven't set foot in one probably 20 years!
I love that #7 mentioned the Lady Lee brand - haven't thought of that in YEARS, but the logo comes right back to mind, 70s typeface and all!
Lucky is sucky. Today I went to buy avocados. Out of avocados. Here, buy an organic avocado for $4.99. Then Lucky overcharged me by a dollar. I went to get my dollar from customer service, and nobody's there. How is it that a name change can suddenly turn the store to poo?
lucky rules! glad it's back. for an awesome hemp made market bag that's super durable, KQED has been pledging on at teh following link: https://www.kqed.org/pledge/catalogue.jsp?id=3243&type=item. Pricey but will last a lifetime.
Meh, I do almost all of my shopping at Trader Joe's (it's just as close as Safeway and almost always cheaper for better stuff) so I just use a combination of one of their cloth bags and the paper ones that my girlfriend insists on saving and reusing until I surreptitiously throw them into the recycle bin.
Lucky nee Albertsons nee Lucky (the low price leader). I totally grew up going to Lucky here in SF... Yes, for most of you who moved here 9 years ago post-Albertsons-buy-out, it used to just be Cala, Nob Hill, Lucky and Safeway.
They also used to have that funny lady as their spokeswoman (who's name escapes me now). And I'm totally stoked for Lady Lee (hopefully) returning.