Totes to Grocery Shop- Why?

I am not a super dooper eco friendly person, as I forget to recycle a lot and I do buy books like they are going out of style. However, there is one thing that I feel is of utmost importance to use recyclable grocery bags to grocery shop. Reason number one- They on average carry more groceries in one bag than a plastic bag can, and they have very nice handles unlike paper bags. Both paper and plastic tend to snap. Also, for women who are single or have a useless boyfriend, you either have to make a dozen trips to the car, or you get nasty cutting marks on your arms as you try to carry all the bags inside at once, while you are fiddling with your keys, something always falls,or spills etc. Reason number two- they are inexpensive, handy when you need them, can be folded into your already over-sized purse, and can even be very very adorable. Reason number three- you are saving the lives of animals, reducing landfill, and reducing clutter in your own home. I on average buy enough groceries that about 10-12 plastic bags are required. When I remember to bring my bags, which I usually keep in the back of my car, minus the one I always keep in my purse, I end up with three bags. Three bags full of the same groceries that took 10-12 plastic bags to bring home. Not to mention some of the bags are usually double bagged for strength. So that would be say 14- 16 bags total. Again, I still only use 3-4 of the reusable bags. If everyone was smart, and remembered to bring their bags, or purchased at least one everytime they shopped, we could reduce the need for the plastic bag! This would mean that grocery stores and shopping centers would need to buy less, which would lower their overhead. Which would what, my friends? Lower the cost of foooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So next time you shop, think about this. Now here is the big issues, how to sell this to guys... because men don't carry purses to tuck them into, they might carry backpacks, but that is rare in the adult male, and they don't tend to want to carry anything before there is a need to carry it... i.e. bringing in a bunch of bags before they shop. How do we encourage men to use reusable shopping totes? Any ideas?

Shopping Carts

In this age of convenience, drive-thrus, and internet shopping, texting, emails, etc. - we are all obsessed with things being easy. One would think that I would be this type of person since 80% of my life is internet based. I shop online, I read online, I watch television and movies online, I even buy my groceries online. Yet, because my daughter has auditions that take me all over, sometimes a bit of whimsy catches me and I feel like walking into a grocery or other store to peruse the aisles and get a little bit of shopping done- to kill two birds with one stone so to speak. I like to make sure that I don't waste gas to just run her to an audition. So what is my point?
As I was at the Ralph's (a chain in Los Angeles), and as I was blissfully walking out having prided myself of great purchases and a new little pot of Campanulas when after unloading my shopping bags (re-useable) into my trunk, I turned to find the spot to return my cart. Searching and searching, I spotted the designated corral located a good 100-150 feet from where I was standing. Scouting the parking lot for any activity (paranoid mom always looking around for child abductors), I walked briskly to the area, noticing that there were abandoned carts all over the parking lot, some that stood a mere 20 feet or less from the corral. This caused me to be a little peeved. Why are people so lazy that they can't spare the 30 seconds to take their cart back to the appropriate place? One wants the convenience to shop with a nice rolling basket, relieving the need to balance food in one's arms (Which might be a good idea! It would keep people from buying more food than they need and give their flabby arms a little workout!) , and the ease of rolling it out to another vehicle to transport it easily home. Yet, they cannot even walk to put the carts back! Are we in such a hurry that a simple walk is too time consuming? These same people I bet bitch because there is an abandoned cart in a parking space that they wanted to use. Those same people would then go into the store and complain to the manager or staffer that the carts are not being brought in by them which inconvenienced them. As I drove home, another maddening part of the equation... shopping carts strewn all over the sidewalks, alleyways, and doorsteps. People that choose to walk and then steal the shopping carts to take their groceries home. Another crime of gluttony and sloth, which drives the bottom line for a grocery store up which ends up filtering into the price of groceries. When operating costs go up, it reflects in the price points for food, along with other factors of course. So I guess what I am saying here, is: PEOPLE PUT YOUR CARTS BACK, DON'T BE LAZY!