Do you put bananas in a bag at the grocery store? POLL ADDED!

[idnib]

I pick the bunch from the very bottom of the pile 

 

And I only pick from the top because of my (mostly) irrational fear of tarantulas....  :lol:

[zoobie]

Oh, I found another make your own produce bag tutorial. I think I like this one better than the t-shirt version above. I'd be worried about the t-shirt stretching after a while.

You can use really cheap, thin muslin, and those are washable. :)

 

(On my list of Things To Do Eventually)

[trulycrabby]

And I only pick from the top because of my (mostly) irrational fear of tarantulas....  :lol:

Gee,I never thought of that... but then again, I like tarantulas. :o

 

 

Three pages for banana bagging. Only at WTM. :)

[Mom in High Heels]

And I only pick from the top because of my (mostly) irrational fear of tarantulas....  :lol:

 

Hahaha!  I would never have thought of that.  I generally take from the top, but only because the stockers generally put the new batch on top, instead of rotating them.  I prefer to buy mostly green bananas with just a hint of yellow, because they last longer, and I don't like mushy bananas.  To be honest though, they don't last very long in our house.  I bought 5 (in a bunch-no bag!) 3 days ago, and they were gone yesterday.  sat night I bought 9 (two bunches), and 3 of them are already gone.  We all like bananas!

 

Gee,I never thought of that... but then again, I like tarantulas. :o

 

 

Three pages for banana bagging. Only at WTM. :)

 

I know!  Who would have thought this would be such a hot topic!  At least it hasn't deteriorated into no baggers vs. baggers.  Perhaps I should give it time though.   

[Mom in High Heels]

You can use really cheap, thin muslin, and those are washable. :)

 

(On my list of Things To Do Eventually)

 

Yes, but with muslin bags, the cashier can't see the number tag on the fruit, and then s/he'll have to take at least one out of the bag (Gasp!  She's going to touch it!) to find the number.

 

Last night, along with the 2 bunches of bananas, I bought 3 kiwi (kiwis?), 6 sumo clementines (Has anyone ever tried these?  OMG, so good!  Ugly on the outside, freaking delicious on the inside!), 4 apples and 3 potatoes, and I put none of them in bags  I'm wild like that.  The cashier didn't seem to have a problem with it, and even if she did, who cares?  It's my stuff and if I don't want to bag it, that's my right!  Yeah!  Non-baggers unite!  

[bluemongoose]

I use bags for anything that has an edible peel or no peel at all.  I used to be a cashier, so I know how nasty those belts can be.  Things like bananas and melons I do place right on the belt without a bag.  I will do the same if I only have 1 orange or avocado etc., but if I am buying several I put them in the bag for the convenience of the cashier.

[MissKNG]

I bag bananas only because I usually pick from the "singles" and not take an actual bunch. So the bag keeps them together.

[Amy in NH]

A poll!  Yay!!  :D

[Wheres Toto]

This is a funny thread!  I'm another ShopRite shopper so the bananas are usually bagged already.  I'm within easy distance of 4 different ShopRites and I think only one of them bands the bananas together so you can't separate bunches.  I do occasionally separate bunches because we won't always eat enough bananas for them to stay good so I try to get some green and some ripe.

 

I think all our produce is sold by the pound.  Watermelon will have a few different per pound prices depending on whether it's a whole watermelon, half watermelon, sliced watermelon, or a container of balls.

 

I think the items sold pre-bagged to a specific weight aren't weighed - 5 pounds of potatoes, 2 pounds of onions, 5 pounds of apples.  I don't think they bother re-weighing them to see if they are exactly accurate.  Berries may occasionally be sold by quarts.

 

 

[Melissa in Australia]

we put them in a box. but we only buy bananas while on special and we buy lots- a box full

[Trilliums]

Ok, what an odd coincidence!  In the checkout line at the grocery store last week I put my bag free bananas on the belt and the customer behind me had hers in a bag.  She volunteered that putting bananas in a bag prevents them from getting too cold on the way home in the car.  We have had record lows, but I have yet to get frostbite on my bananas during the winter.

[itsheresomewhere]

No bag on bananas here.  But I get strange looks at my reusable produce bags for other veggies/fruits.  

[Venia]

I bag all fruits and veggies. I don't separate bunches..to me that is strange (unless its a HUGE bunch and the only ripe set). I bag them because the cart is absolutely filthy and it keeps them compact and less likely to get separated. I also bag fresh meat regardless of its packaging; to protect all my other food. Melons and other things get washed before I cut them. Shopping carts are one of the most disgusting surfaces ever. Toilet seats are cleaner, seriously. I am also a microbiologist ;)

[LibraryLover]

ETA:  I like that, Non- baggers unite! lol No. I don't even put lettuce or apples (unless they are already in a bag). Sometimes I bring my mesh bags and sometimes I forget. I try to keep the rolling things together to make it easier on the cashier.  It's common here, checkers are used to it. You can't even get plastic bags in some stores.

 

I do tend to put my items on top of my cloth bags, or in my market basket, as I shop. I have done this for years. Just wash everything well. I use a vegetable soap for lettuces (and I might remove and feed to the chickens a couple of the outer leaves), and a quick hot water rinse for apples etc.

 

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/?ar_a=1

[KungFuPanda]

@Heels    Yes. I do most of the grocery shopping, because my wife says I do it faster and with less expense.  I put Bananas into plastic bags. And, almost every kind of fruit and vegetable that I can think of. We use the plastic bags for other things when they are empty.  My wife has taught me to put the bananas with the curved part up, when I place them in the grocery cart or into the refrigerator. Apparently they last longer that way.  The same for "Platanos" (Plantains in English) which neither DD or I enjoy eating.

 

  

 

Isn't the ENTIRE banana the curved part?

 

You take your produce to a machine (in or out of a bag) ;) , place it on the tray, punch in the produce code, et voila, the machine weighs the produce & a sticker with the price prints out for you. I think it saves times at check-out.

I don't bag most of my produce & just place the sticker on the produce (or one of the item, depending on what I buy). I do bag lettuce because I always seem to pick it up just after the misting.

If by "produce" you mean "bulk candy at Wegman's" then I've totally done that.

[Mom in High Heels]

  

 

Isn't the ENTIRE banana the curved part?

 

 

If by "produce" you mean "bulk candy at Wegman's" then I've totally done that.

 

Yeah, I'm confused by the whole "curved" part.  Is there a non-curved part of a banana?  Also, bananas in the fridge?  Huh???  I've never heard of that!  People put bananas in the fridge?  What is going on in the world?  

 

 

 

Bulk candy!  Well, THAT calls for a bag!

[milovany]

Yeah, I'm confused by the whole "curved" part.

I think they mean putting the bunch in the bag upside down .... frowning instead of smiling if you will.

[Peaceful Isle]

No bananas in bags here. Only pajamas

My son loves that show :)

[Ausmumof3]

I do. Because sometimes those people who like to tear individual bananas off only do half the job and you buy the bunch and go to load it in the car and snap... There goes one of your bananas.

 

I can't imagine snapping off individual bananas for some reason but I will snap ginger root in half if I can't find a small one. That stuff is expensive and we never use it all. I also always open the top of the corn to check for grubs.

 

When dh bags fruit he squeezes extra air in to cushion it.

[Ausmumof3]

Other thing is don't bananas produce a gas that make other fruit go off quicker? Though I don't think the bags trap it anyway.

[Pawz4me]

Yeah, I'm confused by the whole "curved" part.  Is there a non-curved part of a banana?  Also, bananas in the fridge?  Huh???  I've never heard of that!  People put bananas in the fridge?  What is going on in the world?  

 

 

 

Bulk candy!  Well, THAT calls for a bag!

 

I don't routinely refrigerate bananas, but if we have some that have reached our perfect point of ripeness but I know we won't eat them for another day or three I'll put them in the fridge.  The cold air slows down the ripening process.  The skins turn black in the fridge, but the fruit is fine.

[Ausmumof3]

I have some bananas in the freezer to use up... Kids have gone off smoothies and never been into banana cake. Any ideas?

[Butter]

When we lived in Germany, our local shop had a scale with a price sticker machine. So, you put your bell peppers in a bag, poked the bell pepper button and a scannable sticker printed that you stuck on the bag. They didn't actually have scales at the registers. I think that is what she means?

 

Yup, except we do have scales at the registers.  Having the scannable sticker saves time at checkout and makes the checkers really happy.  We have to type in the 4 digit code into the machine rather than just pressing a button for the item.  The stickers are too big to put on a banana, though.  They are 3 or 4" squares.

[brehon]

<snip> If by "produce" you mean "bulk candy at Wegman's" then I've totally done that.

Oh, absolutely bulk candy (at HEB for me) counts as produce!

[LucyStoner]

No bags here unless it is impractical to not use a bag. It is impractical to not bag mushrooms and loose Brussels sprouts and a lot of the same item (apples, carrots etc). I also bag wet stuff like collards, kale and lettuces to keep the other stuff dry.

 

Bananas are definitely in the no bag group. Today I bought red peppers, avocados, garlic, a couple of tomatoes and bananas. No bags but I would have if buying a lot. As it was I got enough to sate my BLATP craving and call it a day (a BLT with avocado and peppers added).

[Shellydon]

I've never seen anyone NOT put them in a bag.  My grocery store has you weigh the produce in the produce section and the scale prints a sticker with the price.  If you didn't bag your bananas, you'd have not place to put the sticker.

[Mbelle]

After reading this thread I was at the groacery today and waiting for someone to put their banana's in a bag!  I have never paid attention. I have never ever put banana's in a bag.  I only use a produce bag if I have a lot of apples or something.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Okay, this is incredibly random, but I need to know!  Do you put your bananas in a plastic bag at the grocery store?  If so, why? I just put mine in the cart, but almost every other person shopper I see with bananas has them in a bag.  I don't understand.  I generally try not to put things in bags, except for lettuce, broccoli or brussel sprouts.  I get strange looks from cashiers when I just put loose fruits and veg on the belt, but whatever.

 

So, please, someone explain this practice to me!

 

Can't explain, the only things I put in a bag are broc., green beans, brussel sprouts, and lettuce.  Cherries and small loose fruit would go in a bag.... grapes for example.  Everything else, bananas, tomatoes, eggplant,  zucchini, squash, etc. are left loose.  I get funny looks too.

 

I try not to think about the hygiene aspect of it, I mean, what happened to the fruit and veg BEFORE it got to the produce section?  Gives me the willies.  Another couple people putting their hands on my food isn't going to make it any dirtier then it already is. 

[Matryoshka]

It's never even occurred to me to put bananas in a bag.

 

However, the local supermarket shrink-wraps almost all its produce, including bananas (so, not in a bag, but in one of those styrofoam trays, then shrink-wrapped). :confused1:   I only ever buy produce there in dire emergencies, so I voted "no bag, that's weird".

[Matryoshka]

I've never seen anyone NOT put them in a bag.  My grocery store has you weigh the produce in the produce section and the scale prints a sticker with the price.  If you didn't bag your bananas, you'd have not place to put the sticker.

 

How huge is this sticker?  Can't it go on the banana peel like the brand sticker?

[M&NMom]

I didn't ever use a bag for bananas until a few weeks ago. I can't remember why I did start (I may have read about it somewhere), but for some reason it seems to keep them from getting too ripe too quickly for me.

[Janie Grace]

I bag everything except bananas. Nice thick skins on those babies. (I guess it's a hygiene thing? But probably more of a "how mom did it" thing.)

[Word Nerd]

I've seen patterns on Pinterest for crocheted produce/market bags.

[Butter]

How huge is this sticker?  Can't it go on the banana peel like the brand sticker?

 

Nope.  I just measured.  The brand sticker is almost 3/4 inch by 3/4 inch.  The price sticker the machine prints out is about 2 1/2"x2 1/2" square.  It wouldn't fit on the banana peel.

[texmom777]

Yes, because I'm a germaphobe and I've seen some icky stuff on conveyor belts (blood from meat/chicken, unkown liquids & unknown white powders - maybe detergent, other chemicals, etc). 

I also bag my meat & chicken so it won't leak onto my other groceries.  :-) 

[brehon]

Nope. I just measured. The brand sticker is almost 3/4 inch by 3/4 inch. The price sticker the machine prints out is about 2 1/2"x2 1/2" square. It wouldn't fit on the banana peel.

 

Well, I just place the sticker so that the barcode is readable by the scanner. No problem.

[KungFuPanda]

I thought of you all today. At the grocery store I put my meat into a bag. At the register, the cashier asked if I wanted it in a plastic bag before he put it in my reusable grocery tote. I felt confident that the two layers of plastic already surrounding my ground beef was quite enough, so I told him no thank you.

 

Unrelated, but amusing . . . I ALWAYS try to bring my own bags to this store especially. They have this one cashier who feels a plastic bag can only hold one or two items. She makes me insane.

[milovany]

The checkers who honor my request to "get as much as you can into one bag, I'll be careful when carrying it" crack me up when they go to lift that one well-filled bag into a second one for double protection.  :D

 

[Mom in High Heels]

I thought of you all today. At the grocery store I put my meat into a bag. At the register, the cashier asked if I wanted it in a plastic bag before he put it in my reusable grocery tote. I felt confident that the two layers of plastic already surrounding my ground beef was quite enough, so I told him no thank you.

 

Unrelated, but amusing . . . I ALWAYS try to bring my own bags to this store especially. They have this one cashier who feels a plastic bag can only hold one or two items. She makes me insane.

 

I don't buy meat very often, as I don't eat it, but on the occasions I do, I admit I put that in bags because I have an insane fear of salmonella.  If I know I'll be buying meat, I make double sure I have hand sanitizer with me, and use it after bagging the meat.  I still feel like I need to run jump in the shower though.  Ack.

 

I HATE when they bag one thing per bag.  Why?  Just why???