How to Properly Pack a Grocery Bag

There was a time when packing a grocery bag properly was common sense. Those days are long gone. Grocery store cashiers, if they pack grocery bags at all, today are accustomed to packing three or four items in a plastic bag and depositing bag upon bag in the customer’s shopping cart. These plastic grocery bags have been part of our culture for decades now and have obliterated the art of properly packing a grocery bag. Now that many people are switching to reusable cloth grocery bags in the name of environmentalism, it’s time to reclaim that lost art.

So how do you properly pack a grocery bag, whether you pack the grocery bag yourself or encourage the store cashier to do so? There are three general principles that govern proper packing of grocery bags: pack like items together, pack each bag from bottom to top with heavy items first and then lighter items, and distribute the heaviest items among several bags to avoid packing any one bag that is too heavy to carry.

To Properly Pack a Grocery Bag, Place Heaviest Items at the Bottom

When packing grocery bags, prepare to have several bags open and ready for packing at once. As items come off the conveyor belt, choose the heaviest items to pack first – cans, jars, jugs of milk and laundry detergent, for example- and place these items in the bottom of the grocery bags.

To Properly Pack a Grocery Bag, Distribute Heavy Items Among Several Bags

To avoid having some bags that are too heavy to easily carry, distribute the heavy items among several different grocery bags.

To Properly Pack a Grocery Bag, Stand Boxes Up

When packing a grocery bag, stand boxes up inside the bag. Standing the boxes gives the grocery bags form and makes them easier to handle. It maximizes the use of grocery bag space, enabling you to use less grocery bags total than if items are tossed into the grocery bag carelessly. Standing the boxes when packing grocery bags also protects the contents of the boxes.

To Properly Pack a Grocery Bag, Pack Frozen Items Together

Frozen items need special care when packing a grocery bag. These items should be packed together. There are two reasons for packing frozen items together. The first reason for packing frozen items together is that it helps them maintain their temperature. The second reason is that on arriving home, all of the frozen items, which generally are unpacked first, are easy to locate. Just carry the bag(s) with frozen items to the freezer and unload. This makes the job easier, protects the food, and eliminates the need to open the freezer multiple times.

To Properly Pack a Grocery Bag, Pack Refrigerator Items Together

Similar to the freezer items, the refrigerator items have special needs. They need to maintain their temperature. Refrigerator items need to be put away quickly for their sake and the sake of the other items in the refrigerator. Packing all refrigerator items together addresses these needs.

To Properly Pack a Grocery Bag, Pack Fruits and Vegetables Together

While fruit and vegetables logically could be packed with other refrigerator items, it makes sense to pack them together. These items go in special drawers in the refrigerator and it is easier to open a drawer and put them all in at once than to have to open it several different times or scavenge through multiple bags looking for the fruits and vegetables.

To Properly Pack a Grocery Bag, Pack Cleaning Items Together

When packing a grocery bag, segregate cleaning items from edible items. In case of leakage, this will protect food items from contamination.

To Properly Pack a Grocery Bag, Pack Fragile Items at the Top

Fragile items- eggs, breads, and berries, for example- belong at the top of the grocery bag. Placing fragile items at the top of the grocery bag protects them from being squished by heavier items.

Using these simple tips will protect your purchases and simplify the task of unpacking and putting away groceries.