Cool or Not Cool: Retailers Forcing Eco bags on Their Customers?

pic from exhibitoronline.com

Hello. My name is Jcharles and I'm a bag-o-holic.

It's pretty embarrassing to be the guy addicted to baggage. I know this. If you peered into my closet you would see piles of tote bags, book bags, messenger bags, a brief case or two and a gray duffle bag from the late 80's.

And Eco bags? Please. I have every Trader Joe’s eco bag ever made. They're all lying under a pile of Trader Joe paper handle bags. I even have those bags that fold up into cute little pouches so you can throw them inside other bags. Now, mind you, this has absolutely nothing to do with the saving the environment. To a bag-o-holic eco bags are like nips of booze -- they're cheap, easy to carry and they get the job done when you need a quick fix. So I go out of my way to buy a good-looking eco bag. Being forced to purchase one because there's no other option, however, is a horse of a different color. 

"But JCharles," I can hear you crying at this very moment. "Stores like Ikea and Area Kids are making us do just that!" And my answer to you is: I know. And now it's time we explore our feelings about it. 

First, let's consider Ikea. Unlike most reasonable human beings, I love going to Ikea. What sends the average Joe running for Lexipro at that big, boxy Swedish wonderland is exactly what I love so much about it: long lines, grumpy couples ending long-standing relationships over shelving measurements and, of course, cheap disposable furniture (refer back to nip analogy). Now I believe we're all familiar with Ikea’s bag policy. The yellow ones are only available for use in the marketplace, and when you get to the register you have the option to buy its blue cousin bag, also known as a "Frakta," for $.59. Otherwise you're shit out of luck for a way to carry home your Tindra or your Dubla. Knowing what you now know about me, it may not surprise you to learn that I always buy a Frakta. It's half the price of the hot dog I also always get on my Ikea trip, and it has a 1,001 more uses. No joke: I moved most of my apartment using a legion of Fraktas. They're certainly cheaper than those rip-off U-haul boxes you'll never use again. 

Moving on.

I've never shopped at any of the 70 Area Kids locations -- not even the one in Park Slope. After reading some of the Yelp reviews, I'm not too sure I ever will. But again, in all fairness, I've never been to one. Area Kids, in an attempt to care for the environment, charges $5 for an eco bag. Let's hear from a couple of Yelpers on this one:

They don't offer you a shopping bag and instead, you are stuck with an option to buy a $5 eco bag. And the sales person preached me that they care about mother earth and we don't have that luxury for plastic bags. Guess what, $5 eco bag is a luxury we don't care, and taking advantage of the 'go green' ideas and trying to squeeze a little case out of people doesn't seem to be a positive intention.

But not everyone is a naysayer. Another Yelper writes, “I’m glad they're charging for shopping bags... I wish more stores would.”

In Ikea, I get it -- not everyone needs a bag when they're buying a ginormous Billy bookcase, and honestly, charging $.59 for a large, durable bag is not the end of the world. But when you're a clothing retailer (whose best advertising is sometimes done on a shopping bag) $5 for an eco bag looks a lot like price gouging, even if it's to encourage environmental awareness. 

Honestly, Urban Outfitters may be the one who nailed this issue. They ask you if you need a bag and if you say yes, they give you an eco bag FOR FREE (and yes, I also have a few of those too). 

But enough about me, what do you FIPSters think? Should retailers charge for bags? Or should they give 'em away?