Reusable bags have really caught on. I know I personally have at least 25 of them (all free!) and I am shocked at how much they hold.
Here are the stores I know offer incentives for bringing in your own bags:
- Bi-Lo – 5 cents per bag
- CVS – sells the Green Bag Tag for 99c. Bring your own bags and have them scan it and after 4 trips (must be on different days), you will receive a $1 ECB at the register
- Fareway – 5 cents per bag
- Foodland – 5 cents per bag
- Fred Meyers – 5 cents per bag
- Giant – 5 cents per bag
- Hy-Vee – 5 – 10 cents per bag (select locations?)
- King Soopers – 5 cents per bag
- Kroger – 4 cents per bag (some give 5 fuel points)
- Military Base Exchange – 5 cents per bag
- Pathmark – 2 cents per bag
- Pick n Save – 5 cents per bag
- Raley’s and NobHill – 5 cents per bag
- Redners – 3 cents per bag
- Stop N Shop – 5 cents per bag
- Shoppers – 5 cents per bag
- Shoprite – 5 cents per bag
- Stew Leonard’s – 5 cents per bag
- Sun Harvest – 5 cents per bag
- Sunflower Markets – 10 cents per bag
- Target – Offers 5c per reusable bag that is used to bag your purchases
- Trader Joes – entry into a drawing
- Whole Foods – 10 cents per bag
- Winco – 5 cents per bag
Which stores do you shop at offer a credit for bringing your own bags?
Stop and Shop just announced they will no longer give the 5 cents per bag.
Well that stinks :(
I always forget about doing this. thanks for the tip.
Kristen, how do you get the reusable bag credit when using the self-checkout at Stop & Shop? I haven’t been able to get the credit at all?
The Albertsons (LLC) in Gainesville, Fl takes off 5c per bag at checkout, but sometimes you may need to remind the cashier.
Can anybody tell me how to get the reusable bags at a reasonable price I don’t use any because they are so expensive too and the plastic or paper bags are free I would love to go green but can’t afford to. Thanks for tha help
I’ve gotten most of my bags free at environmental fairs or other festivals. They’re often given away as little prizes. Also, if you are ‘crafty’ there are lots of tutorials online for making your own bags from old t-shirts, etc.
If all else fails you can just keep bringing the bags back to the store you got them from and re-using them. Tehcnically any bag is re-usable. I know the Price Chopper I shop at accepts that. Hope this helps! Good luck going green!! =)
Price Chopper in the Northeast also offers .03 per bag. I often have to remind the cashiers, though, but no big deal.
Thanks for the list!!!
We only get the $0.05 off at the Target. I though keep a bunch of my own bags in the back of my car, and we take them into all the stores regardless. We live in Chicago, so from the list above, we have around us Target, CVS, Trader Joe’s, and a Whole Foods.
Our Giant no longer does this. Are there other PA Giants still participating?
Roche Bros (Local MA grocery store) gives you $.05 off, or you can donate it to Children’s Hospital Boston.
You have on the list that Winco gives 5 cents per bag. My Winco in Puyallup, Wa doesn’t give 5 cents and they never have. Is it just some Wincos?
Our local Kroger has never offered $$$$ for using our own bags. My Daughter works there. I have asked her if this was every offered.
I do use my own bags for Target and CVS. And I always have to check my receipt at Target to make sure the cashier has taken off $$$ for using my own bags.
Whole Foods does not do it anymore. I take my own bags in there and for the past 2 years I have not recieved anything off.
My local Whole Foods still offers money for bags, but it’s only .05 here.
A friend of mine was just there recently and still got the 10c off… I wonder if you have to ask? :(
My local Whole Foods gives $.05 per bag.
I updated the post through this comment. :)
I bring my own bags all the time. Target, Pick & Save and Sendiks (a local chain) give me 5 cents per bag used. I also bring them to Trader Joe’s. This week I got to fill out a raffle ticket for each cloth bag I used at Trader Joe’s. Not sure what the prize is, but it was a fun idea!
we live overseas.. the stores over here don’t give you cash back for your bags but they don’t provide bags either. Some stores have them but you have to pay for them. We have been using our own bags for 8 years.. makes a difference on the mess in your pantry w/o so much plastic or paper to deal with. BTW IKEA has GREAT bags – really large if you are looking for good ones.
That’s where I started using them. Still have a few lightweight bags which have held up through the years.
In the cities, one would also have to pay for parking in just about every lot and deposit a coin to get a shopping cart. When you return the cart and relock it, you’d’ get the coin back.
Did like not having sales tax, though I think it’s already taxed before purchase. This isn’t marked on the receipt.
Our local store, Foodland, does $.05 off each bag, but since I still have a kid in diapers, I like to get the plastic ones for now- even though they are trying to outlaw it here.
Super 1 (a regional grocery store) gives 5 cent credit.
Also, when we lived near a Kroger it was hit or miss if they gave the credit. Where we lived it was like 3 cents and it wasnt worth it to fight it if you noticed they didnt put it in.
our hy-vee only gives 5 cents per bag
The HyVee we go to in West Des Moines is also only 5 cents
The hy-vee by me doesn’t do it. The Target does, and Price chopper in the midwest.
I didn’t know about Kroger, either! I’ll have to ask customer service next time I’m in. Also, this isn’t a discount or anything but at Trader Joe’s you get entered in a drawing each time you bring your reusable bag!
Never hurts to ask.
Our Kroger is in the Delta district. They offered 3 cents off per bag. Cashier said the discount offer ended at the end of January. Maybe they’ll restart it.
I do not have the CVS bag tags but I use my bags at Target all of the time. There are no tags for Target, the cashier just takes the .05 off my order.
I only do it at Target right now. I did not know about Kroger … is it all Krogers? And I really should get that CVS tag. Thanks for the reminder!
I tried to get a new bag tag from target for a co worker of mines and I was advised that they no longer had them. I don’t know if it was just my local CVS or if it was a limited time offer.
Ask your Kroger. Ours temporarily offered 3 cents per bag.
I don’t have Kroger where I live, but I think they all offer the program.
When I was last in CVS, they still had some bag tags. I hope they wouldn’t stop doing it!
I get the discount at CVS, Target and Stop & Shop. Funny thing is the guy at CVS today reminded me to scan my card for it. I guess I am becoming a regular if he knows to ask me for my card. ( I got tired of forgetting my bag card so I taped it to the back of the actual CVS card)
That’s a good idea! I often forget the bag that has the bag tag attached. :(
I hooked mine onto my wallet for this exact reason.
Stop & Shop offers 5¢ off per bag. If only we’d remember to press that option on the self-checkout more often!
They’re a regional chain in the southwest, but Sunflower Markets offers 10 cents per bag. King Soopers (part of Kroger) offers 5 cents per bag.
my King Soopers (in Cheyenne,Wy) stopped offering the .05 per bag quoting something about costs being to high or something.
Dillons (part if Kroger) no longer offers the 5 cent refund here.