A decidedly mixed bag
“Paper or plastic?” A few years ago, grocery shoppers had just two options when deciding how they wanted to carry out their purchases. Today, while most stores still offer free bags, many shoppers bring their own as a way of being “green.” Many stores have encouraged the shift to reduce waste and energy consumption, and to recognize the burgeoning movement to ban disposable plastic bags. But carrying rumpled canvas totes and recycled cloth bags may do more than make for an environmentally friendlier trip home from the store. Startling new research from the Harvard Business School (HBS) suggests the bags also exert a surprisingly powerful influence over what products people buy. Shoppers bringing reusable bags are more likely not only to load up on organic and “green” goods than those who use the free paper or plastic bags provided by the store, but also more likely to spend more on indulgent, not-so-healthy foods...