By Tom Ryan
For many retailers, the shopping bag has undergone a makeover. Flashier and more durable that the traditional flimsy paper bag yet still free, the bags are not only making a statement at the counter but many retailers are counting on consumers to reuse them over and over again so they become human billboards for their brands.
"It's an unspoken goal," Terron Schaefer, senior vice president for marketing at Saks, which just redesigned its bags to be sleeker and heftier, told The New York Times. "We want people to keep the bag."
An extreme case is Lord & Taylor, which introduced new bags last fall featuring rich, white canvas-like paper and thick, synthetic handles. Lord & Taylor is embossed rather than printed on the side. Costing 80 cents each, more than twice the industry average, it's been a hit with customers.
"It's a gorgeous bag," said Mozel Browne, 75. "I could honestly give it away as a gift."
According to the Times, the movement away from the standard, cheap unembellished paper or plastic bags began in the 70's, when European brands such as Cartier started bringing over sturdier bags. Companies such as Avon began experimenting with paper bags enforced with a thin layer of plastic. But not until the last several years has it gone more mainstream, with retailers such as Victoria's Secret, Banana Republic and Swatch flaunting luxury bags as a point of differentiation.
Stores such as Macy's and Juicy Couture have recently added touches such as plastic-coated paper while bags from Abercrombie & Fitch now feature heavy fabric cord handles. While avoiding handing them out for free like other retailers, many grocers are still selling extra-thick versions of their regular bags partly to encourage consumers to cut down on waste.
For consumers, the luxe shopping bags seem to complement rather than replace their ritzy leather handbags. Many are using shopping bags for weeks, if not months, to handle menial tasks, such as carrying laundry to the cleaners, books to the beach or lunch to the office.
Allana Cummings, 19, of Irvington, N.J., called her Lord & Taylor bag "my second purse." An inspection revealed several wrapped gifts, a short stack of books, an umbrella and her real purse, an expensive leather handbag.
"I can put everything I need for the day in here and it will never break," she said.
Discussion Questions: Do you think shopping bags have become a more critical part of the shopping experience? What's driving this trend? Do you think some stores are overdoing their shopping bag makeovers?