Safeway's 'useless' bag policy in SF has no end in sight

Key Points:

• Safeway switched to handleless paper bags in all 13 San Francisco stores around April, sparking customer frustration due to the difficulty of carrying heavy groceries without handles.
• Some stores still stock limited quantities of handled paper bags, but the majority continue to offer only handleless options, with no clear indication from Safeway if handled bags will return.
• The switch was attributed to a global supplier shortage and increased costs of wood pulp, which makes handled bags more expensive to produce compared to handleless ones.
• California's ban on reusable plastic bags does not apply to San Francisco, potentially allowing Safeway to use heavy plastic bags with handles as an alternative, though this has not been confirmed.
• Longtime customers, such as senior Karen Aitchison, expressed frustration with the new bags, citing challenges in carrying them up stairs and resorting to reusing older handled bags patched with tape.