When A Bag Is More Than Just A Bag

Target Re-Cycle Bag

Okay….this blog is really not going to be earth shattering. You won’t read any new, hot off the press news. So, now that’s out of the way here we go.

The subject of this blog post came to me because I noticed that we had a ridiculous number of re-cycle bags all over the place. One of my “honey-do” tasks was to clean them up and decide which one’s we want to keep and which one’s we wanted to get rid of. Like I’m sure most of you we often collect things and something I have been collecting recently is re-cycle bags. Now - not just any bag. For it to make the final cut it must pass a rigours test - ideally it should have some sort of meaning and of course, it should be useful. And if it’s made of cloth even better.

I think this began for me a few years when I would take my lunch with me to work and I started to use the “Lululemon” bag they give you when you make a purchase. The small one’s are a perfect size and most importantly they send a “message.” Sort of joking here - because the message they send is probably not that important. However, one can get caught up in the marketing game that is being played. The idea of carrying a bag like this is telling people that your cool, wear the latest and have a sense of style - yes, I know it’s silly.

There is some good that comes out of this as we do our part to reduce waste and move away from plastic bags. I am old enough to remember that prior to plastic bags, the grocery stores put everything in brown paper bags. In Florida, I noticed that the local Publix still provides brown paper bags. Anyways, when I am out and about, I look at the different bags available. If the place is memorable and the bag is worth keeping, I will buy it and add it to the collection.

Dean & Deluca NYC

Eataly Chicago

The bag on the left is a “collectors” item for me. It’s from a now defunct store that began in NYC. It was a high-end grocery experience that could take a lowly vegetable section and make it look not only wonderful but make you want to reach for your wallet and spend twice the price for that item. They had a few stores in NYC and also in various parts of the United States. Not the first of it’s kind but they managed to capture the essance of retailing to a certain target market. They always had great sections - spices, cheeses, produce and of course you could have a simple cappuccino if that’s all you wanted - and it wasn’t cheap.

Giorgio DeLuca, a school teacher turned cheese merchant, and Joel Dean, a publishing business manager, opened the first Dean & DeLuca in September 1977 in SoHo, an area in lower Manhattan, at the corner of Prince and Greene streets. In October 1988, a new flagship market was opened at the corner of Broadway and Prince Streets. Smaller retail outlets followed in Manhattan's Rockefeller Plaza and the Paramont Hotel. Espresso bars were also located around New York and in Washington, D.C. We actually visited a location one the drive to Florida in North Carolina and it was very good. They expanded quickly and eventually ran into financial issues and they don’t exist anymore. Too bad - because I always made an effort to visit them and this bag can’t be replaced.

Dean & DeLuca

In my previous life, I used to go to Chicago a lot and I would often go in a day early and either stay in the city or make a trip downtown and high on the list was a visit to Eataly. Now, remember this was before the Toronto location was open. I’ve been to the Eataly in NYC and off course in Toronto and I always enjoy going in and walking around and seeing how they make food look sexy. This bag is not really a collectors item but who knows when I will ever get back to Chicago.

Trader Joe’s NYC

Trader Joe’s NYC

Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s

The bags above are from the famous “Trader Joe’s.” They have locations all over the United States and they have a fervant client base. A trip to Trader Joe’s is an odyssey, with struggles, discovery and the spoils of victory. But Trader Joe’s shoppers inevitably leave with an exciting new snack addiction and a respectable bottle of wine for under $5. That odyssey, the emotional, is part of what has inspired consumers’ obsession with Trader Joe’s. They stock primarily private label products with funky names at aggressive prices.

A visit to Trader Joe’s reminds me of the the former days of the Loblaws “Presidents Choice” newsletter. It would created by a former Loblaws marketing guru Dave Nichols, who saw an opportunity to take basic products, jazz them up with exciting new names and take shelf space away from National Brands.

Some of the first PC products included Belgian biscuits, chocolate chip cookies, and passion fruit sorbet. The brand's advent coincided with a new marketing tool, Dave Nichol's Insider's Report, first published in November 1983. Described as a cross between Mad and Consumer Reports that combined "zaniness and food tips in a comic book format", the newspaper supplement was a quirky, tongue-in-cheek product review modelled after flyers from California supermarket chain Trader Joe’s.

Presidents Choice

Farm Boy

In Toronto, you can visit a Trader Joe’s clone called Farm Boy. They do a pretty good job of copying the Trader Joe’s experience with fun products - the key is to get you spend more for something that you wouldn’t normally.

Summerhill Market

St Viateur Bagel

The bag on the top left is from Summerhill Market. They are a small chain of high-end grocery stores in Toronto. I don’t go there for the basics but they have a fantastic prepared food section and if you get lucky you can find things marked down significantly. The bag on the right is from St. Viateur Bagel - note, I didn’t just buy the bagels but also bought the bag. See what I mean!

Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t speak about the very top bag - Target. I have no shame - I like Target. I know they tried to make it work in Canada but they failed miserably. And I don’t think they are quite the same as they used to be - tough times in retailing has probably forced them to change. I think of them as a Wal*Mart with style.

The Merchant of Tennis

Suburu Triathlon Series

My final two bags are above. I worked with THE MERCHANT OF TENNIS recently and I think they are one of the best tennis retailers around. They have had their own bag for awhile and it’s a keeper. The bag on the right is from the Suburu Triathlon Series. The bag itself is not unique but it comes with positive memories, therefore it’s worth keeping.

Well, like I said at the beginning this blog post wasn’t going to be earthshattering - just some odd musings about nothing that important. That’s it for now….