May 4 is approaching quickly. This is the day when plastic and paper bags will disappear from grocery stores in NJ.

With just weeks until the ban goes into effect, many are still wondering how "shop from home" is going to work.

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Have you been hoarding your plastic bags and stocking up on reusables?

Businesses and retailers not giving us bags is going to take a little getting used to.

Some places are training us ahead of the "big ban."

The other night I went into Walgreens to pick up a prescription. In the past, I always got asked "would you like a bag?" I always said no because why do I need a bag for a script.

This time instead of "would you like a bag," I was told, "I'm sorry, we're no longer offering bags."

No big deal. But, if I had a cart of groceries that would be a different story.

Full shopping trolley
paul prescott
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Friends of mine stopped into a grocery store and this particular location already had the reusable bags for purchase set up at the end of checkout and the plastic bags were nowhere to be found.

I guess many retailers are not ordering bags because what's the point? But, I still think we need some time to get used to the new way of life. Especially since the ban hasn't even gone into effect.

So, we know that we have to be ready for May 4 and have our reusable bags ready to go. But, how is "shop from home" going to work?

Agrocery delivery man delievering food to a woman at home
Kritchanut
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Do you need to provide your own bags for "Shop at Home" orders in New Jersey?

No. In fact, as of now, it doesn't look like that is even going to be an option. It makes sense if you think about it. How is a grocery store, for example, going to keep track of thousands of reusable bags? They can't.

Are stores in New Jersey going to provide bags for "Shop at Home" orders?

Yes. At least some are.

This sign was hanging today at a Saker Shoprite.

Matt Ryan, Townsquare Media
Matt Ryan, Townsquare Media
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You'll still have the convenience of shopping at home and picking up your order or having it delivered, but it will be a bit more expensive.

 

A $1.50 charge will be added to every "Shop at Home" order to cover the bags that according to this sign have been "tested and approved."

This is only at Saker Shoprite, but one would imagine most other stores that offer this option will be following suit.

Look at it this way, after several large 'shop from home' orders, you'll have more reusable bags than you'll know what to do with.

By the way, if you think that stores that are tacking on a fee are making a profit off of this, think again.

Let's say you have a $200 grocery order, it's most likely going to require 20 bags minimum. A buck-fifty isn't going to make anyone rich.

One more question.

Can you bag your own order at the store when you shop from home order to avoid the fee in New Jersey?

As of now, no. And that really does make a lot of sense. Think about how chaotic it is already. Now think about people with random bags reaching into carts and bagging. Not a pretty sight.

Had it with Jersey? Here's where Jerseyians are moving to.

Is the plastic ban the last straw for you, but you still love the beach? LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

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