{"id":102,"date":"2011-03-10T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2011-03-10T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.specialtystoreservicesblog.com\/2011\/03\/10\/its-in-the-bag\/"},"modified":"2011-03-10T13:30:00","modified_gmt":"2011-03-10T13:30:00","slug":"its-in-the-bag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.specialtystoreservicesblog.com\/testblog\/its-in-the-bag\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s in the Bag"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A bag is a bag is a bag, right? Au contraire<\/span>, mon<\/span> frere<\/span>! Just as your window display or entryway give customers the first impression of your store, the bag you send home with them gives the last impression. No, I\u2019m not saying that you need to spend big bucks on some fancy-shmancy<\/span> bags, I\u2019m just suggesting that it is a good idea to put more thought into the bag selection process than “Meh<\/span>. I guess this bag will do.” Let\u2019s explore some options to help make the decision a bit easier.<\/span><\/div>\n

Paper or plastic? That\u2019s one of the big questions nowadays. It is possible to get quality bags either way you go. Let\u2019s start with the plastic options. The most common bag that we all see is called a t-shirt bag<\/a>. You know, the type with handles that the majority of grocery stores use. These bags are 100% recyclable, economical and come in a wide variety of colors, weights and sizes. Plain white<\/a> is popular but black<\/a> is gaining in popularity, not only because it provides a bit of privacy for one\u2019s purchases but it\u2019s also a hip yet classic color. You can thank your customers all the way home by investing in \u201cthank you\u201d bags. These bags are available in white<\/a> or black<\/a> and the white bags also have the option of a happy smiley face<\/a>. Color t-shirt bags<\/a> in blue, green or red are also fun and are especially appropriate if the colors match or complement your business\u2019 color motif. Frosted shopping bags<\/a> or merchandise bags<\/a> with handles are a stylish option in plastic bags. So you see, plastic bags are functional and can be attractive but some customers perceive paper bags to be a little more polished than plastic.<\/p>\n

Paper shopping bags<\/a> with twisted paper handles are attractive and stand upright on their flat bottoms when unfolded which makes it a snap to bag items at checkout. These modish yet functional bags are available in classic kraft<\/span> and in white as well as a wide variety of sophisticated colors<\/a>. And, as if they weren<\/span>\u2019t already terrific in their own right, the paper shopping bags are also super easy to personalize. Just place an appealing and eye-catching custom label<\/a> on the sides of the bags and you\u2019ve<\/span> got yourself some stylish bags that do double-duty as advertisements! Don\u2019t have access to a printer? Not a problem. Custom labels can be created for you! If you need something just a little more basic than shopping bags there is a variety of natural kraft<\/span> paper bags<\/a> and colored merchandise bags<\/a> for you to choose from. Feel like getting fancy? Pop a little tissue paper<\/a> into the top of the bag to give it a festive and fun appearance. Now let\u2019s think outside the disposable bag.<\/p>\n

What about reusable shopping bags<\/a>? These non-woven polypropylene tote bags are water-resistant and washable so they can be used over and over, perfect for those customers who don\u2019t care for paper or<\/em> plastic. The reusable bags come in a variety of popular colors and can also be custom printed<\/a> with your store\u2019s information. So, not only will customers actually purchase these bags from you, they will actually be advertising your store every time they reuse the bag!<\/p>\n

I, personally, am torn between paper and plastic. Both types are recyclable, which I think is important for the environment. The reason I like to receive plastic bags while shopping is because I use them for other things after unpacking my purchases, like cleaning the cat box or as small trashcan liners. I also enjoy receiving paper shopping bags because I like to use small bags for toting my lunch and larger bags for easy handling when I\u2019m carrying items one-way, like to Goodwill or to a party. And here’s the thing: when I reach for a bag to reuse, the store that I received<\/span> it from pops into my head. What I\u2019m saying is, even after you send your customers home, many of them still hang on to your bags to reuse rather recycle them which is why \u201cMeh<\/span>. I guess this bag will do\u201d maybe should be “Which bag do I want my customers to associate with my business?”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A bag is a bag is a bag, right? Au contraire, mon frere! Just as your window display or entryway give customers the first impression of your store, the bag you send home with them gives the last impression. No, I\u2019m not saying that you need to spend big bucks on some fancy-shmancy bags, I\u2019m Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-retail-merchandising-insights"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.specialtystoreservicesblog.com\/testblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.specialtystoreservicesblog.com\/testblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.specialtystoreservicesblog.com\/testblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.specialtystoreservicesblog.com\/testblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.specialtystoreservicesblog.com\/testblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.specialtystoreservicesblog.com\/testblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.specialtystoreservicesblog.com\/testblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.specialtystoreservicesblog.com\/testblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.specialtystoreservicesblog.com\/testblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}