apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I paid $1 for one of those blues a couple of months ago. Which is fine. I'll take it whenever I go there.

Bought one of the blue bags a few weeks back. Keep it in the trunk and use it for IKEA runs and marketing. Probably the next must-have accessory for the Hollywood Prius/Seventh Generation/Pilates set.

They have them for $.59 already in America. (The Baltimore, MD location)

When I went out to IKEA the other night, they already had the sign up that said they weren't going to have the free yellow bags anymore, so I bought a bag.

And the sign continued to say that they plan on donating a nickel tot every bag purchase in March? I think...

Based on my IKEA experiences here in Southern California, they have always allowed you to purchase the blue bags. The yellow ones were "in-store use only".

Either way, I think the bags are great and making them more eco-friendly (and donating proceeds) is even awesome-er!

What they are implementing is they are going to charge you 5 cents for each of the cellophane (sp?) plastic bags you get when you check out. You can use the yellow bags in the store, but you can't take them with you. They are trying to encourage you to buy one reusable blue bag rather than 4 or 5 of the thin crappy throw-away cellophane bags. When I went last week in Dallas there were signs up saying that this was being implemented, I think beginning this month.

As a London resident, can i please point out that they have been charging for plastic bags at IKEA for over a year now, and that a blue bag costs 25p. This is most certainly 100% true for the large store at Lakeside Thurrock, near Bluewaters.

This came about a year after they scrapped the brown paper bags in favour of plastic ones and started charging a fee to use Credit Cards.

At one point last year i was going there 2/3 times a week, so trust me!

I have absolutely no complaint with paying 5 cents for the plastic bags. My problem is with the irony: most IKEA products probably end up in a landfill sooner rather than later.

Living in Sweden, buying bags is the norm. Even at grocery stores you have to purchase bags (and... gasp... bag it yourself). In a way, it's a smart move. Having come from the US, I never recycled the bags nor brought my own. Now, every time I grocery shop, I bring my messenger bag.

With IKEA, I bring along a few blue bags as I always end up getting more than expected.

sounds fine to me. i'll bring my own bags. i can see buying a bag if what i bought is a funky huge size & heavy though.

Saw a sign in a NoCal IKEA the other day that they will be doing this starting soon. (Emeryville store, just south of Berkeley, to be specific.)

Maybe they're just waiting to see if it works in the SF area before doing it in all US stores?

The cashier at the Seattle store told me that the pay for throw-away bags policy would start on March 15th. I bought a blue bag anyway.

Ireland was the first country to pass the "Plastax" and charges everyone about 15 cents for a plastic bag and almost everyone I know shops with reusable bags. Not only should Ikea do it, but the USA should pass a law (such as the one the other commenter in Sweden mentioned) to charge for each plastic bag used. I fear the USA is too entitled a community for it to go through but it certainly would have a positive impact on the environment.

I don't mind IKEA charging for bags now, but at the Burbank, CA location you can't wheel the cart all the way to the parking garage, which means bags are required. Otherwise, I would just throw my stuff in the cart and be done with it. Oh well...

In Germany the situation is similar to Sweden- i.e. buy the bags or bring your own. So I always carry a light nylon backpack that I can roll up and stuff in my purse when not in use.

In Holland you pay everywhere for bags...Ikea included. It definitely motivatives you to "BYO"..and works to save the environment. Thumbs up Ikea UK.

In Finland those bags have been for sale as lon as I can remember and I think it's the same here in Sweden. But you pay for the bags in grocery stores as well. I think it's a good system, I try to always take my own bag with me.

And my experience is that the ikea-bag is the most common laundry bag in both Sweden and Finland. It's perfect for that purpose.