I had this idea to get rid of plastic bags. It's pretty bold, so stick with me. We do like Sam's club. Wrap everything in a thick piece of plastic. We take, let's say, two items and stick them together with thick shrink wrapped plastic. So when you purchase two or four or eight items, you're really getting two, four, or eight times the packaging.

Then you just eliminate bags. It's great!

Rand:

Can't Walmart end all plastic bag waste instantly by not offering them anymore?  Obviously, you'd give people notice, then charge a fee to offset the environmental damage for the paper bag they'd need if they don't bring their own.  In short, why go so slowly?

While I applaud Walmart's efforts to cut down on plastic bag use, as someone who lives in a rural East Texas community, I'm sad to hear that Walmart isn't making the move to completely get rid of plastic bags. I have reusable bags from Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and a few from Whole Foods that I've gotten during trips to Austin. The cashiers at my local Walmart (#226, as well as Walmart stores in Texarkana, Longview, and Tyler, where I've purchased reusable bags-- I wanted to see if this was limited to just my local store) won't use them. Instead, they fold them up and put them in a plastic bag. The greeters don't want to let you in the door with the bags. I think that unless Walmart makes a move to using nothing but reusable bags/starts charging for plastic bags, we're not going to see much of a difference.

At the least, I'd love to see the cashiers being re-educated in using the reusable bags (that is, if they were ever trained about the reusables to begin with). I want to take my resuable bags to Walmart and use them, but I don't want to have to argue with the cashier about their use.

Here in the UK, all supermarkets are either stopping providing plastic bags, or charging you for you providing them.  This is a great move - however they still provide the smaller, thiner plastic bags for putting fruit and vegetables in.

I have always thought here in the UK should follow the lead of the US - brown recyclable paper bags for carrying your shopping.  I did not realise you had the scourge of the plastic bag too!

I live in rural Utah (Price, store #1573) and have been using reusable bags when I shop at Smith's and Albertsons where I get cash back for using them.  When I asked the Wal-Mart cashier if they offer a discount for using reusable bags she had no idea what I was talking about.  I applaud Wal-Mart for implementing "green" policies in other areas of the company, but on this matter they have really missed the boat.  On any given day, I can buy 7 items, for example, at Wal-Mart and the cashier will send me home with 5 bags.  It's just amazing how wasteful they are in an area where it's so easy to conserve.  

I like and use the reusable bags but have also found a reason to be disgruntled at the checkout. The cashiers seem to get REALLY confused when you tell them you have your own bags and they don't sack right. I have taken to telling them to put the items in the cart and then sack at my vehicle. I feel like they should have a "self-sack" lane with the conveyor being operated by the customer to be able to sack themselves! Or self-checkout lanes.  I live in Lawrence, Kansas. We had self-checkout until they remodeled the store!!!

I am a college student at Penn College in Williamsport, PA. The closest Wal-Mart to the college is about 10miles east (it's not even a super wal-mart). Having a vehicle gives me the opportunity to shop there once in a while. Because I mainly shop at grociery stores closer to home, I take the reusable bags I bought from closer stores to the Wal-Mart so far away. Some people look at me funny and have asked why I bought them when they provide plastic ones free of charge. Hopefully people will realize the reckless action of poluting our world with toxic, non-biodegradable plastics is a cause to many respiratory health problems. This is a big deal and the production of all plastic bags needs to seize. We are only hurting ourselves. America is so sensitive to consumers whenever a new 'way about' is introduced. The judicial system ruled in favor of that woman who spilled McDonald's coffee on herself while holding it between her legs, driving. Where was the Dept. of transportation on that one? The point I'm trying to make is, get rid of the plastic bags in one shot. Write some clauses to cover yourself from 'I'm gonna sue someone to get rich' people, and help save ourselves and the planet.

I live in Conway, AR.  I have bought a lot of the bags for use.  I also find either the clerks dont use them or act mad at having to use them or pack them very badly.  I do wish they would put in either a self check area so I can pack them myself or a self packing area.    Also the Wal Mart I shop at has stopped shelving the GV brand items,  I wonder if it has anything to do with the prices going up on name brand items because of the gas prices.

I agree with reducing the plastic bags, if not eliminating them.  They are very very bad for the environment!!

It would help if the cashier would put more than 2 items in each bag.  I marvel at the fact that I end up with 8 bags after buying fewer than 15 items.  Come on, people!

I'm wondering if they have cut down on the thickness of the plastic bags that they're now using to bag your items with. Four times now I've had bags rip while I stand there watching 2 liter bottles bounce around at my feet.  Luckily, my toes have been saved by some fancy footwork. Maybe it's a ploy to get everyone to switch to cloth??   While I commend the thinning of the plastic bags, the checkers don't seem to have any problem with "double bagging", which of course defeats the purpose. 

I am in the process of changing over to the cloth bags, but at the same time, they're going to need to make it easier, somehow, for the cashiers to use them.  The lines are very, very slow when you give them your cloth bags to fill.  People standing in line are already impatient and I have a feeling that something else to slow the lines down further, is not going to get a very positive response. 

I use the Wal-Mart bags that I purchased at WM, but the checkout people rarely know how to approach using them.  I have found that if you take the long handles and wrap them around the metal bag holder hooks, it enables the bags to stay in place so that the checkout person can pack them as they would the plastic bags.  Each time, they comment, "hey that works," and say that they'll use the approach next time they get the bags.  Maybe the tip can be passed along. 

Why not just charge for plastic bags then pahse them out?  Marks & Spencer in the UK decreased usage 60% by charging about 5p.  You can do better than a 30% reduction goal.

I completely agree with Teresa when she stated that Walmart should consider putting in self-sack lanes with conveyors or something.  Just today I went grocery shopping with about 17 reusable bags and the clerk looked at me like I had lost my mind or something.  I'm strongly considering not shopping there anymore b'c they don't award us who are trying to be green like other stores do such as Albertson's and WinCo.  Those stores are always so kind to me and my family for bringing our own bags.  They help me with bagging (and making sure my cold food ends up in the insulated bags I bring) and they also give me .06 cents off for every bag I brought and used.  Nice.  I mean... not only are we saving the earth a little at a time, we are also saving the stores money by them not having to spend it on plastic bags.  Yes, they really should just phase out the plastic bags and start charging those who use them.  :0)~

Can we get so-called "green bags" that are made in the U.S.A.?  *Nothing* made China should be called "green."

I'm with Richard Flaccid on this one.  I thought of purchasing those nice black shopping bags, but isn't it ironic that they are made in China, one of the biggest polluters on Earth?  That's not very "green" to me.  Why not bring reusable bags to plants in the USA?  It just seems redundant and besides the cashiers aren't using them. Until you have MADE 

IN THE USA, I refuse to buy your Wal-Mart "GREEN" bags.  What a slap in the face of the American people!

Let me just clarify what you are proposing as part of Walmart's "sustainability" plan: In FOUR years time you are aiming to reduce plastic bag waste by roughly 33%? If Walmart was actually concerned about sustainability, the corporation should keep with with trends throughout the country and get rid of plastic bags all together. Or maybe Walmart could offer an incentive for costumers who use reusable bags. I would also like to remind you that sustainability starts in sustaining communities on a micro scale, which Walmart perpetually works in opposition with by crushing small businesses in communities and small towns throughout the country. 

I have recently started using the canvas bags when shopping.  I have several bags from Wal-Mart and several from other retail outlets.  Recently at one Wal-Mart, I ask the check-out clerk to use them; she grumble the whole time about how she hated these bags and went so far as to throw my yogurt containers into the bottom of the bag and then put the can goods on top of them!!  When I got home, the conatiners were busted open or cracked from the way she bagged them. 

So when I went to the Super Wal-Mart yesterday, I decided to use the self-check out lane.  That was even worse!  Every time I filled up a bag and had to change bags the register would say "Unexpected item in bagging area" and the guy that monitored the station would have to come and type something into the register for it to work again.  After the register did this several times the guy came over and told me that I could not use these registers to check out with these bags!!! He said that I had to go through the regular lanes!!  I was told that I was holding up the check out lane even though there was no one behind me (I went to the store during a when it wasn't that busy!!)  I didn't realize that there was a limit to the number of items you can have to use the self check-out lanes or is there?  There is nothing posted above these lanes anyway; and most of the time these lanes are empty or shut down.

  Wal-Mart needs to train or retrain their employees about the uses of the new bags and how to be more curtious to their customers who do use them.  I don't mind scanning and bagging my own items, but I do mind being treated with more respect than what I was shown yesterday.  Maybe WalMart should consider putting in more self-check out lanes and start phasing out the regular lanes (half of those are never open anyway and are just taking up space).  Wal-Mart could save money by having 1 checker covering the 4  self services lanes.  Then it could passing the savings onto there customers!!

I went grocery shopping at my local Wal-Mart two days ago and took my reusuable bags.  The cashier at the check-out seemed totally frustrated with the bags and told me she can't stand it when people bring in these bags because they slow her down too much.  She told me she would scan the groceries, but I would have to bag them myself!  If I hadn't been so furious I would have laughed because one entire side of the aisle was lined with their black reusuable bags for sale. 

Another local grocer gives you a five cent credit for each reusuable bag you have (even if they don't put anything in all of them) and the cashiers always ask if you brought your own bags.