Safeway's 'useless' handle-free bag policy in SF has no end in sight

"Safeway quietly switched to paper bags without handles sometime in April, despite some customers calling the bags " completely useless " because it's more difficult to carry heavy groceries without handles. On Monday, SFGATE confirmed that all 13 Safeway stores were stocked with handleless bags, although some stores also carried paper bags with handles in addition to the handleless options."

""You can buy $7.00 bags there that are very heavy, adding to weight to carry upstairs, or cloth bags that don't sit well on stair steps," Aitchison told SFGATE via email. Aitchison added that she saved some of Safeway's previously handled bags and is currently using those, having to "patch them up with strapping tape when needed.""

"Handled paper bags have been spotted occasionally at some of the city's Safeways, but SFGATE found that the vast majority of the stores are still stocking handle-free bags. Employees at Safeway stores located at 2300 16th St., 850 La Playa St. and 625 Monterey Blvd. confirmed that those locations had limited handled bags in stock. A customer service representative at 15 Marina Blvd. said that the store recently had handled bags but quickly ran out."

"Whether Safeway is planning on bringing back handled grocery bags is unclear. Numerous SFGATE requests for comments sent to Safeway's parent company, Albertsons Cos., went unanswered. Meanwhile, a store clerk at 735 7th Ave. said the store expects to get handled bags sometime this month, but couldn't share a specific date."

Safeway switched to handleless paper bags across all 13 San Francisco stores in April, and the bags remain in stock. Some customers reported the handleless design as difficult to carry, especially for heavy groceries and for trips up stairs. A long-time customer described frustration carrying bags three flights to her home and said she alternates between purchasing heavy bags and using cloth bags that do not sit well on steps. Some stores still carry limited quantities of paper bags with handles, but availability varies by location and may run out quickly. Safeway’s plans to restore handled bags were not confirmed, and requests for comments were unanswered.

Read at SFGATE