Tote Bag Tales – The Reusable Fail

The Market Tote Bag.

It’s unfathomable that some still use plastic bags to carry shopping. I feel like the majority of us have a stash of reusables hidden away. And hopefully remember to take them with us, the majority of the time at least. I wrote a post here about the number of times a cloth tote bag needs to be used for it to be viable as a sustainable option. Here’s a clue, it is a lot of shopping trips!

Unfortunately, I made a mistake when I bought the tote bag above. In terms of its Instagrammableness (am I just making up words now?) the tote is a winner. It reminds me of shopping at food markets in the summer in far off pretty European villages. In reality, at the moment at least, I’m queuing outside a vast supermarket, faffing around with a facemask and trying not to get too close to anyone. When I finally make it to the checkout, I’m left with the creeping feeling of unease that all my shopping will fall through this bag. It’s another worry that I’m not willing to put up with. To be honest, even if there wasn’t a pandemic sweeping around, I still don’t want my shopping to fall all over the street.

Plus, do I want everyone judging my shopping choices on the way home? I could, in theory, stash all the fruit and veg in this bag and everything else in another. But can I be bothered? No.

I admit I’m overthinking the situation, which is why this bag gets left at home—relegated to the bottom of the reusable tote bag pile while I try to keep my daily awkwardness at bay.

Sidenote: the bracelet was my grandmother’s and is worn way more than the tote bag!

For bags I actually use – check Basket Bags – The Favourites!

For more sustainable fashion info

100 Ways to Embrace Sustainable Fashion