November 7, 2024

Shopping Center

Delighting shopping center buffs

Retailers will test ‘bring your own bag’ and returnable bag schemes

Retailers will test ‘bring your own bag’ and returnable bag schemes

Retailers will test ‘bring your own bag’ and returnable bag schemes

Image provided by Closed Loop Partners.

Shoppers will be encouraged to bring their own bags at certain retailers or to receive returnable bags under a pair of pilot tests at more than 150 stores, according to a press release.

The consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag, managed by Closed Loop Partners, announced the two pilots with retailers including CVS Health. Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dollar General, The Kroger Co., TJX and Ulta Beauty. The pilots will include bag drop kiosks with touchscreens.

The first pilot, Bring Your Own Bag, will include posting signs that encourage shoppers to bring reusable bags wherever they shop.

All participating retailers will test the same solutions, including signage, marketing and customer prompts about reusable bags in stores across Denver, Tucson and the surrounding areas.

The consortium’s second pilot, the Returnable Bag Pilot, will test a new reusable bag solution to serve customers when they forget to bring their own reusable bags to stores.

CVS Health and Target will pilot a new returnable bag service model across multiple stores in New Jersey, offering customers the opportunity to buy a bag at checkout, to be returned to any participating store to get their $1 deposit back. The bag will then be washed, redistributed and reused by other customers.

The Returnable Bag Pilot will run from April to July 2023, while the Bring Your Own Bag Pilot will be active from May to July 2023.