January 26, 2010, Shop Smart Mag
Stores add incentives for reusable bags
Remembering to use your reusable shopping bags can be a challenge, but I found an extra motivator when I was shopping at CVS recently: $1 coupons! CVS is offering customers with an ExtraCare card a little extra incentive to bring in a reusable shopping bag.
Here’s how it works: You buy a Greenbagtag for 99 cents, and then you get a $1 coupon every fourth time you bring in a reusable bag (and you get to pick your bag—you can use your favorite canvas tote or even reuse another plastic bag).
Other stores also offer small incentives to be a little bit greener:
Target — 5 cents off your bill with a reusable bag.
Stop & Shop — 5 cents off your bill for any bag, including plastic, paper or reusable bags.
Kroger’s — varies by store.
ShopRite and PriceRite — 2 cents per bag for used paper or plastic bags and 5 cents for non-disposable bags.
Whole Food — 5 cents or 10 cents off the bill, depending on the store.
A&P/Waldbaum’s/The Food Emporium/ Super Fresh/Pathmark/Food Basics — 1 cent for re-used plastic bags and 2 cents for every paper bag or The Elizabeth Haub Foundation bag.
It’s the right thing to do, for a lot of reasons. Wegmans asked their shoppers to sum up in five words why it’s important to switch over to reusable bags—one customer said, “Stylish, strong, environmentally friendly, inexpensive.”
