Paper vs. Plastic vs. Trying to Sell Me Shopping Bags

MSN had a thing on Paper vs Plastic the other day.
It was some interactive stuff and some survey stuff and some consumer response after San Francisco banned grocery stores from distributing disposable plastic bags. Most people said, "I reuse those bags" whether they were talking about paper or plastic, which is kind of where I have been.

When Whole Foods invaded Chicago, the reusable bag frenzy hit, too. I shop at Whole Foods occassionally. Not for actual grocery shopping, but the "what's for dinner tonight"? The soup is good. Whatever.

I find the organization very smug. I am the Whole Foods shopper that searches the produce section for "conventional" because the "organic" label irritates me. It's pretty hard.

My point was about the bags. Whole Foods did a pretty smooth thing in offering up 10 cents for each bag they did not have to give you at check out. 10 cents is a joke on a Whole Foods order, but I appreciate the concept. I still refuse to buy the Whole Foods reusable bags. I bought mine a Half Price Books. I have two and they were a dollar each. When you are only shopping for two, those two bags go a long way. And a dollar is not much of a commitment, which is really good for me.

I don't know from what the bags are made. To papery to be cotton, to fabric-y to be paper. What is that stuff?

I have been using these for a couple of months, and while I am by no means a fanatic of the cause, I am impressed that these companies got an inherently careless shopper like me to participate.

Of course, I forgot to bring them with me to the regular grocery store this week...