The Impact of Paper Bags on Shopping

Almost all of us identify one way or the other with paper bags when it comes to shopping. In most supermarkets and grocery stores, shoppers have the option to choose either paper bags or plastic bags. Paper bags while undoubtedly very popular still, have been getting very stiff competition from plastic bags which many shoppers prefer because of their durability and the fact that they are water proof meaning it is easier to buy fruits and transport them. But paper bags too have their advantages and they still feature in many stores when it comes to carryout assistance.

Paper bags were first processed by one Francis Wolle back in the 1852 era. This was the time when the modern retail revolution was taking place in the US and other Western countries and hundreds of supermarkets were springing forth. This posed a great challenge to these markets because shoppers did not have an adequate way of storing their shopping items. Wolle,who was an ordained clergyman who worked in the family grocery store and could empathize with customers, capitalized on this shortfall and developed one of the earliest paper bags for stocking shopping items.

Today, most retail chains and supermarket joints offer the option for the shopper to bag their purchases after shopping. The use of paper bags or plastic bags, has been at the center of all retail shopping and bagging the world over. The paper bag has indeed come a long way in the way it evolved to the way it now handles shopping goods. With grave competition coming from the plastic bag, the paper bag manufacterers have indeed made some innovative moves to try and compete. Below are some advantages that paper bags have over plastic bags.

The first advantage is durability. Paper bags today have been fortified with newer brands which are made of treated paper that is more resilient and durable than ever before. Paper bags can now withstand much more in the form of pressure and shoppers can load much more inside than ever before.

Another great advantage that paper bags have as a shopping bag is that they are considered safe. While plastic bags do offer paper bags stiff competition, they have been cited for safety concerns. One of the ways in which plastic bags can be unsafe is if they a child pulls one over their heads. There have beeb numerous cases of freak accidents that happen when a child accidentally plays with a plastic bag and slips it over their head therefore inducing suffocation. While this same scenario cannot be completely ruled out with paper bags, it is far harder because if a child was to slip a paper bag over their head and panics, any extended pressure would easily tear the bag apart rendering it usesless as a weapon. Plastic bags on the other hand are hard to tear and someone may struggle trying to free themselves from its grip but to no avail.

Paper bags are also condered cheaper and therefore more cost-effective.

Paper Bags Also Have Advantages

In the US and other countries, when someone shops, they are given an option to choose whether they want their newly purchased merchandise to be placed in a plastic bag or a paper bag. Many stores actually stock both and it is not hard for some customers to actually carry out both depending on what they have bought. Plastic bags are easily stealing the limelight because they are attractive and shopping outlets are able to embroid them with different designs and use them for advertising. They are also water-proof which comes in handy when doing grocery shopping because some foods are stored in or around water, eg fruits. But paper bags have been able to hold their forte too and have also retained their popularity over the years.

Paper bags first hit the scene in the 1800s. This was when the modern retail revolution as we know it today was spreading around the West and most of the major retailers that we know today were being born. It was a time when the world was rapidly modernizing and people were shopping in the newly created department and grocery stores. This was a stark contrast to earlier times when most stores were full-service, with someone behind the counter to get you whatever you wanted. The new stores were self-service and customers could walk inside the store from one isle to another and choose from the different rows that were filled with an assortment of goods and foods. Customers usually had access to a shopping basket which could either be carried or pushed. After the customer made their way to the cash register, there the dilemma began. An ordained clergyman, Francis Wolle, who was at the time working in a family-owned store, saw the need to develop a bag where shoppers could bag their purchases. He was later contracted by the Union Paper company to produce a version of the bag for them and there was no looking back. The paper bags that we know today were in existence.

Paper bags have their own inherent advantages. One of the advantages is cost. Almost all indications show that the world is in a global recession and companies are trying everything they can to compete. They are doing this by cutting costs and one of the ways companies can cut costs is in buying paper bags instead of plastic bags.

Another advantage accrued from paper bags is safety. Shoppers who have chilldren are weary of plastic bags because when children get a hold of them and play with them, there is a risk of asphyxiation. This has caused many deaths in the past. With paper bags this risk is greatly minimized because if one plays with a paper bag, the worst that can happen is that it is shredded and contributes to litter.

Paper bags are also stronger now than they used to be. This was as a result of numerous complaints that they were brittle and hence could not contain a reasonable weight of groceries.