I don’t mind using a ‘feminine’ bag - it shows I have a girlfriend. 
I don’t mind accompanying a woman shopping (and holding her purse), because she’s grateful for that - and that gratitude translates into (insert euphemism here…) 
I think my wife would object if I inserted my euphemism into her bag.
In some locales AKA dad :dubious:
Nothing, unless he is with his wife.
You’re not my uncle!
One chain near here has the handhelds that let you scan and bag it yourself as you shop, as Uncle Bob++ described.
I hate hate hate hate them. I tried them a few times and found that they roughly quadrupled my shopping time - especially when I was getting produce, which required me to: put the stuff on a scale, figure out what it was on the poorly-positioned keypad, print a sticker, stick that on the baggie I’d put the produce in, print another sticker because I’d misapplied the first one, then finally put it in the cart / trolley.
Yes, checkout itself was amazingly fast except when I got selected for a spot check.
- Takes longer
- More work for me
- Helps reduce the use of employees, who might kinda need the job
Yeah, no…
To be fair, when I was shopping for a Girl Scout event and needed to stay within a specific budget, that let me know how much I had left to spend.
Back to the original post: we have some really, really nice bright green mesh shopping bags, that my manly husband has happily used for literally decades (I’m not sure they are older than my son, I am sure they are older than my daughter… who is almost 22). Sadly, they’re not made anymore. Too durable, I guess :D.
From the store’s viewpoint that’s a feature, not a bug - the longer you’re in the store the more stuff you’re likely to buy.
But you are correct - the current systems are not without flaws.
A lot of produce is prepacked with a barcode. When my store first introduced the system there were nowhere near enough sets of scales, but that was soon rectified. Selection is on a touch-screen with a picture of the item in question, so that’s easy.
The big advantage to me is that I put my groceries in a bag and (spot checks excepted) they stay there until I get home. Without the scanner, I have to handle everything three times; shelf to trolley, trolley to conveyor, conveyor to bag. I can also keep a check on special offers to make sure they are correct; I have found a few cases where I would have overpaid. Having the scanner also means that I can check a price when the shelf-edge label is obscure or missing.
Supermarkets in this area are not overwhelmed with applicants for wannabe checkout operators.
Real men ask for plastic then, after unpacking, throw them out the window for the wind to carry away.
Just a reminder that if you use the extra large Hefty bags to dispose of Man, remember to wear gloves because those things take fingerprints, and don’t be dumb enough to hold on to the unused roll - they can match it to the bag later on.
What?
If you REALLY want a manly bag, google “scrote’n’tote”, and you won’t be disappointed.
I couldn’t resist. Now I need to wash my eyes out with bleach.
How big is the Hunk O’Man that needs bagged? I prefer sheet plastic combined with stretch wrap myself. Or you can find bags for Man here. Just depends on your needs I guess, I never really considered Man to be groceries myself.
That’s one grocery bag for man, one giant sack for mankind.
You’d have to be nuts to go out in pubic with that!
This one might also be sufficient.
I endeavor to often be nuts in pubic.