Lucky Debuts With Bag Offer in San Francisco

ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

MODESTO, Calif. — Lucky Stores, the banner Save Mart Supermarkets here began re-introducing in the San Francisco Bay Area yesterday, will distribute a limited number of reusable plastic grocery bags free of charge, while they last, before putting them on sale at 25 cents apiece. The bags will eventually be available at all Lucky Stores as the chain converts eight former Albertsons locations per week to the banner, a spokeswoman said; bags will also be sold at all Save Mart stores beginning in the fall, she noted. The bags are in compliance with the San Francisco Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance, which requires grocery stores in the city to provide reusable and/or compostable plastic bags to customers; similar ordinances are also pending in other Northern California cities, the spokeswoman said. According to Save Mart, the bags measure 18 inches by 16 inches by 8 inches — 15% to 20% larger than paper bags with handles — and can hold more than 25 pounds of groceries, or approximately 50% more volume and weight than a standard plastic bag. Customers will receive 5 cents off their register total each time they bring a bag to a store to be reused.

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