Giant Eagle Opens Up Another Bag Option

Grocery bags have gone through a bit of an evolution over the years, from paper to plastic to reusable. Now, Giant Eagle Inc. is offering another option to shoppers, adding a washable, reusable fabric bag option that can withstand bulkier groceries but not wind up in a landfill or recycling bin.

This month, the retailer will begin offering the new bags at Giant Eagle and Market District stores in Cuyahoga County in northeast Ohio. The fabric bags – which look like standard paper bags – are also available at stores in Maryland, Indiana and in parts of Pennsylvania and will roll out in central Ohio locations over the summer. 

[RELATED: Progressive Grocer Names the 10 Most Sustainable Grocers]

“After hearing feedback from our customers that they were interested in a bag option that would help them more effectively transport heavier items, we sourced a new fully washable reusable fabric bag option for our stores. Once the new bags are in circulation, we encourage our customers to incorporate the fabric bags into their reusable bag collection and to utilize reusable shopping bags whenever they shop with us,” spokesperson Jannah Jablonowski told Progressive Grocer. 

This is one of the grocer’s latest efforts to become more sustainable, as it pursues goals of eliminating single-use plastics and diverting 90% of waste by 2025. 

Giant Eagle operates approximately 480 stores throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana. The Pittsburgh-based company is No. 40 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Top Regional Retailers.