We’ve been in the bag business for a long time and we’ve seen it all. We have mentioned time and time again, you aren’t just buying a bag; you are buying a walking billboard. And if that billboard rips in the parking lot, your brand image rips with it.
We have all been there. You get a free bag at a conference or a checkout counter. You use it once, the handle snaps or the seam rips, so it goes straight into the trash. When you opt for the cheapest possible bag, you are essentially paying for your logo to be thrown away.
Quality matters! Ensuring that you are buying durable reusable grocery bags is just as important as the artwork you print on them. When you invest in quality, you are purchasing impressions. A high-quality bag gets reused 50, 100, even 500 times. That is thousands of eyes on your logo for pennies per view. The strategy behind buying durable reusable grocery bags is about maximizing that lifespan. You want your bag to be the “favorite” one—the one they dig for in the trunk because they know it won’t fail them.
This idea is one of the cornerstones of Bulletin Bag. It’s a huge reason why we hand pick every single bag we sell, and test them out ourselves before we commit to selling them to you.
Here is some important lingo that you should pay attention to when comparing bags (and yes, we are happy to help with this, whether the bag is on our site or not!):
- GSM (Grams per Square Meter): This is the thickness of the fabric. The higher the GSM, the more durable the material. Higher GSM numbers will feel more substantial and the bag will better hold its shape.
- Stitching vs. Heat Seal: Heat-sealed seams generally are found on the least expensive bags, giving it a lower weight capacity. For heavy loads, always look for stitched seams. We only have a few bags that have heat sealed seams, and we call that out clearly on the product description.
- X Stitch: Look at where the handle meets the bag. Is there a box with an “X” stitched inside it? That is reinforced stitching.
- Gusset: This is the side and bottom width. A bag without a bottom gusset is generally called a flat tote. You want at least a 5” gusset to place bulky grocery items flat in a bag.
Not all durable reusable grocery bags are created with the same material. Here are some of our most popular fabrics (For more information on what material makes the best reusable bag, read this FAQ)
- Non-Woven Polypropylene: Affordable and comes in lots of colors. Just make sure you get that 100+ GSM weight. Bottom inserts for stability are often included or available for a charge to level up the durability.
- rPET: Made from recycled plastic bottles. It is strong and demonstrates your commitment to sustainability, which your end users will appreciate.
- Cotton: The premium choice. They cost more, but people treat them like fashion accessories rather than utility items.
Don’t let cost scare you away from quality. If Bag A costs $2.00 and lasts one month, and Bag B costs $5.00 and lasts three years, Bag B is infinitely cheaper in the long run.
Buying durable reusable grocery bags seems simple, but they’re one of the most visible, most-used branded items out there. When you get them right, they quietly do the marketing for you.
