I have one reusable shopping bag that is set up with all of my bulk shopping supplies, it just makes it much more organized and easier. My kit consists of:

• • Large reusable shopping bag to carry it all
  • Smaller reusable shopping bag that has all my mesh produce bags in it
  • Assorted glass jars and lids
  • Sharpie pen (I’ve recently learned they’re not vegan due to animal products in the ink, and they’re not zero waste due to the plastic case, but we have a bunch of them and I’m using them up and not replacing them). These are great for marking on glass jars. And believe it or not, Sharpie marker scrubs easily off glass jars, so you can do it over and over and over again!
  • China marker/grease pencil, the kind wrapped in paper, also for marking on glass jars.
  • Stash of large reusable shopping bags

Bulk Bin Shopping

Weigh Station at New Seasons Market

Here’s where things get intimidating for people, and I totally understand, I was intimidated too! And the intimidation was all about the tare. Tare simply means the weight of the container, including the lid, alone, before you fill the container. Most bulk food areas have a scale where you can tare your containers, but some don’t; so I try to mark the tare on my containers before I go, using either the Sharpie or China marker (both of these wash right off glass later with a little elbow grease). I have an electronic scale a neighbor gave away for free on Facebook, but you can pre-tare a bunch of jars at a bulk area that has a scale in case you ever go to a store that doesn’t have a scale for you to use. I have learned to put the tare weight in pounds and ounces, because some stores use pounds, others use ounces, and some use the different units of measurement for different types of things (some even use fluid ounces). I don’t worry about the tare weight of the mesh produce bags because they don’t weight much at all.

Tare marked in lb./oz., pounds only, and ounces only. You never know how it is in their system!

Once you have your tare marked, you can start filling your containers. Most places have different spoons or scoops for organic versus non-organic, but some have clean spoons to be used for each separate items, then you put that spoon into a dirty container after that single use. Fill up with what you want and then mark the bin/item number on your container. You can also write the name of the item on the jar so you remember what it is. Some folks write the price per unit on there too in case the cashier has trouble looking up the item number or there is a question about the price.

If you run out of containers or find you forgot them, most bulk areas do have containers you can purchase. Or you can choose to use a paper bag (if there aren’t any in the bulk area, look for them in the produce section by the mushrooms). Some folks use plastic bags and just reuse them.

Forgot your China marker? Sometimes they have masking tape or stickers you can use to tag your containers.

Troubleshooting Bulk Bin Shopping

Some stores don’t allow using containers, other than your mesh produce bags, for bulk bin shopping. Sometimes, stores who used to allow use of your own containers stop allowing it. So what do you do? In the case of a change in store policy, you can politely inquire about the reasoning, thank them for letting you know, let them know, politely, that this is disappointing because you’ve liked shopping at their store, and ask if they can ring up your bulk items that you’ve put in your containers already, this time. Some folks continue to go back and fill their own containers after being told this, pleading ignorance each time, but I don’t do that. I simply let them know I’ll be shopping elsewhere where I can use my own containers, and that it is too bad, because I did like shopping there. I also follow up with an email to the store manager.

In the case of being told up front that I can’t use my own containers, I use my mesh produce bags. Oddly, most places don’t have a problem with the mesh produce bags but do have issues with other containers. Most of the time, those stores don’t have registers set up to remove tare weight when checking people out, leading to that policy. I have found that they are ok if I use paper bags from the produce department for things that can’t go in mesh. For stores that won’t allow either jars or mesh containers, I personally don’t shop there any more. But, if that is the only place you can buy in bulk in your area, you have a dilemma. I do know some people that will reuse the same plastic bags from a specific store’s bulk area—they clean them out after each use and bring them back in a reusable shopping bag. It’s not something I do or recommend.

Bulk bins at PCC Market, Redmond, WA.

The final thing you will encounter is that not all stores carry the same things in their bulk bin areas, even different stores in the same chain! As you start your foray into bulk bin shopping, make a list of what things you like to buy and note which stores you can find them at. This will save you a wasted trip later. I keep a running list of what things I need at what stores so I can stop in if I find myself in that area of town. A shopping app can help with this. And, if you are buying the same things at a specific store every time, you can keep your jars marked with their tare weight and the bin/item number, which will save you time shopping.

I recommend transitioning step-by-step into bulk bin shopping. If you have already mastered the reusable shopping bag, move into reusable produce bags. Then try getting one item in the bulk bin section, learning how that works for your particular market. After mastering those things, start building up what you buy this way, and it becomes second nature. Jumping all-in can be a lot to deal with at first. Learn what works and doesn’t work for you with just a few items rather than a whole, full shopping cart.