# Do you want your milk in a bag? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 8, 2015, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510 "2015-03-08T06:24:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/21 "2015-03-08T16:32:53Z")
What really bugs me is when the checker/bagger puts a 5lb bag of potatoes in a bag… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/22 "2015-03-08T18:08:28Z")
> [@andrewm](#): > > It’s been a while, but I’ve seen stores stick bright orange “PAID” stickers on unbagged items at checkout. They still do that in some stores. The only milk I buy is occasionally buttermilk, but only in quart containers that get bagged with everything else. But I do buy gallons of water, which are harder to carry if bagged. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/23 "2015-03-08T18:24:43Z")
My county has a bag tax. Therefore, I don’t get a bag for anything that already has its own handle. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/24 "2015-03-08T19:03:46Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > And, honestly, I wouldn’t want to be walking out of Target with just a bottle of Tylenol in my hand for exactly that reason. I do this all time time. I keep the one item and my receipt in my hand. Odd note: Target gives me a nickel off if I bring my own bag. At least at my local one, it isn’t a discount for not using their bag - it’s actually for bringing mine. If I don’t use any bag at all, they don’t give me the discount. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/25 "2015-03-08T19:07:14Z")
I have never been asked this question, nor have I seen it asked of other shoppers in my vicinity. Everything (that can fit) goes in the bag. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/26 "2015-03-08T19:56:51Z")
Depends on if the container has a handle and how much/how many others things I’m buying. ---
**Author:** ![Dinna\_Fash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@Dinna\_Fash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinna_Fash)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/27 "2015-03-08T20:31:48Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > FWIW,[milk in a bag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTJ8A0uUXVk). Thanks for that. I live in 'merica and have never heard of milk in a bag. Ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/28 "2015-03-08T20:40:37Z")
I guess I might not if all I was getting is milk, but that’s pretty much never been the case. I’m not a city dweller who can just go pick a single item up every day. We go from nearly empty fridge to having trouble rearranging things to get everything to fit. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/29 "2015-03-08T21:34:00Z")
> [@andrewm](#): > > It’s been a while, but I’ve seen stores stick bright orange “PAID” stickers on unbagged items at checkout. > [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Even something pocket sized, like a candy bar or bottle of aspirin? Yep, even something that small. Those stickers were around at the time, but they weren’t good enough. > [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Yes. \*\*Especially if you are not white, you worry about being stopped on suspicion of shoplifting. \*\*And I never, ever put anything in my pocket before leaving the store. And this is why. ---
**Author:** ![May\_20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@May\_20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/May_20)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/30 "2015-03-09T00:24:53Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > Always in a bag. I have occasionally had milk leak or have milk on it from another container on the shelf. I usually check for that in the dairy section but I’ve been known to get distracted. **Milk in carpet is unpleasant**. Yes, it is. It’s even more unpleasant during a Texas summer. _shudder_ I was never asked about whether I wanted my milk jugs in a bag until we moved to Chicagoland. Milk was routinely bagged without question in the stores I frequented in Texas and elsewhere in the South. (It’s been several years, though, and things may have changed.) Here, though, if the checker doesn’t bag it, I bag it. I don’t want spilled milk in my car. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/31 "2015-03-09T00:57:14Z")
No “I’m french and I don’t want my milk by the gallon” option ? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/32 "2015-03-09T01:01:50Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > No “I’m french and I don’t want my milk by the gallon” option ? ☹ Sure, milk comes in various sizes, from a pint all the way up to a gallon. It’s usually much more economical to buy a gallon if you’ll use it up before it goes bad. We pay for a gallon about as much as it would cost to buy 2 quart containers, and we do use it all up before it spoils. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/33 "2015-03-09T14:57:14Z")
I’ve never seen milk bags in the store. Looks like a neat idea but how does one reseal it after opening? Seems if you couldn’t reseal, the milk would pick up odors from other foods. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/34 "2015-03-09T15:03:09Z")
“You want your milk in a bag?” “Uh, can’t you leave it in the jug?” ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/35 "2015-03-09T15:06:59Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I’ve never seen milk bags in the store. Looks like a neat idea but how does one reseal it after opening? Seems if you couldn’t reseal, the milk would pick up odors from other foods. I think there’s some kind of sealable pitcher you put the bag in when you open it. We had the tiny milk bags in the school cafeteria when I was in high school. They came with a sharpened straw like on a juice box to stab in. There were a lot of jokes about them being leftover breast implants they’d filled with milk instead of silicone. Never bag my gallon jug–the jug handle won’t saw into my hand or break the way the bag handles will. Don’t bag my half-gallon jug if it’s all I’m buying. Do bag my half-gallon jug if I’m buying a bunch of other stuff. Always bag my carton, regardless of size. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/36 "2015-03-09T15:14:06Z")
Not all Canadian milk is in bags. 🙂 At the convenience store near me, the four-litre packages of milk are in bags. Two-litre milk is in cartons or plastic jugs, depending on brand. One-litre milk is in cartons or jugs. Anything smaller (500 mL, 250 mL) is in cartons. The 1-L, 500-mL, and 250-mL cartons have the same square base dimensions; they are just of different heights. The two-litre carton is the same height as the one-litre, but larger. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/37 "2015-03-09T15:23:06Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I’ve never seen milk bags in the store. Looks like a neat idea but how does one reseal it after opening? Seems if you couldn’t reseal, the milk would pick up odors from other foods. I don’t reseal my milk bags, and I’ve never noticed odors particularly. You take individual bags, (just under a quart and a half,) and put them in reusable hard plastic [pitchers](https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1680&bih=897&q=pitchers+for+milk+bags&oq=pitchers+for+milk+bags&gs_l=img.3...1640.5122.0.5324.22.14.0.8.0.0.95.1079.14.14.0.msedr...0...1ac.1.62.img..9.13.1006.Ausf5OE2g-o#imgdii=_&imgrc=WFtJXx5T9rf44M%253A%3BW_WVRlmRCvWc1M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fjunkdrawer67.files.wordpress.com%252F2011%252F10%252Fmilk-bag.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.reddit.com%252Fr%252Ftoronto%252Fcomments%252F2ei0l6%252Fbagged_milk_how_also_why%252F%3B357%3B480) that leave the top of the bag exposed. Then you use scissors to cut a small hole in the top corner of the bag, away from the pitcher handle. Then you can pour milk out of the pitcher until the bag is almost empty, take the bag out of the pitcher, extend the hole along the top of the bag and drain the rest out. Then you reuse the pitcher with the next bag. Does that help give any context? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/38 "2015-03-09T15:32:28Z")
When I worked at Safeway (and bags were free) the policy was to ask so we could save the bag, saving the store a minuscule fraction of a penny. And now that they can charge 5 cents for the bags, they ask out of courtesy, so the customer can save the 5 cents. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/39 "2015-03-09T15:44:37Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Some people worry they’re going to get accused of shoplifting if they don’t have a bag. > Ask any cashier how often a customer says, semi-jokingly “I don’t need a bag, hopefully I don’t get stopped at the door ha ha ha” > > And, honestly, I wouldn’t want to be walking out of Target with just a bottle of Tylenol in my hand for exactly that reason. This. For single small purchases I try to avoid taking a bag. But I always preface it with “As long as they’ll let me out the door without one”. It’s meant as a serious question. And not one I ask in a small store with one employee on duty. I have no interest in getting jacked up by some “loss control” person at the door. Especially since I throw away loose receipts at the first trash can I see, usually somewhere between the cashier and the door. My hands are already full of my purchase(s); the paper is just a distractor. Back to the OP: Milk cartons & jugs go in a shopping bag along with other groceries. They carry more easily that way. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-your-milk-in-a-bag/714510/40 "2015-03-09T16:05:59Z")
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