So Fancy: Lotus Trolley Bags Up Your Grocery Game

I don’t really do New Year resolutions. I don’t want to set myself up for failure right out of the gate. But I do set my intentions on improving some area of my life. Just shifting the needle in that general direction. For 2020, I decided to be more mindful of our plastic use. If I can afford to buy something in a glass container vs. plastic, I do. I started using bar soap instead of body wash. And I began looking into reusable shopping bags that would be easier to use.

So when an email showed up in my inbox asking me to review the Lotus Trolley Bag, I was very intrigued.Then, the same day my package arrived, my dog did this to my old shopping bags:

It was like he knew I wouldn’t be needing them anymore. They were a mishmash set of bags from Sam’s, Aldi, and my aunt’s ginormous reusable bag collection. They weren’t pretty, but they got the job done.

So when I took my new Lotus Trolley Bags to the store the first time, I felt so fancy. Like, who am I with these matching, lovely totes? I almost bought a Starbucks frapputhingy and drank it with my pinkie sticking up while perusing the aisle of the organic food aisle wearing my Lululemonlime yoga pants. j/k I do actually buy organic food when I can, though. Okay, and I do enjoy an occasional latte from the green mermaid lady. And I do wear yoga pants most days. I do NOT stick my pinkie up though! #sobasic

I actually wore sweatpants and no make up the day I went grocery shopping, and ran into a woman from church who caught me staring blankly at the breakfast sausages, like an exhausted zombie looking for brains in the freezer section.

Any concern that the Lotus Trolley bags lacked in function what they made up in fashion was definitely relieved. As per the package instructions (they come with a very user-friendly guide), simply unloaded my full cart onto the conveyor, then un-velcroed (that’s a word now, btw) the handle, and spread out the bags in the cart.

Caveat (that’s Latin for warning, but looks like cave eat, so that’s fun): The bags do tend to want to un-accordian (also a word now) fold back up in the cart when they’re empty. Once items start going in, they stay open, but that was a little annoying. Then, the friendly bagger at your local grocery store simply places items in the bags. Now, I will tell you I caused quite a scene with my “bougie” bags. They were a source of both wonder and entertainment for the cashier and bagger, who ultimately decided the bags were “great” and didn’t know why more people didn’t have them.

Once you get out to your car, you simply un-velcro (again, totally a word) the bags apart, and place them separately in the car. Another thing that was slightly anyone was dealing with the rods that stick out when they’re not in the cart. (The rods can come out, but to me it’s not worth pulling them out and putting them back in for this purpose.) It’s just something to think about when putting them into a tight space or maneuvering them.

All in all, I definitely love my Lotus Trolley Bags. Obviously, there are situations they wouldn’t work for, like doing curbside pickup or shopping with a hand-held basket because you only go into the grocery store for a few items you freak! Who does that? Okay, I did last night. Taking them somewhere like Aldi or Trader Joes might prove a little tricky as one doesn’t have a conveyor and one throws your groceries into another empty cart with the speed of a cheetah chasing a gazelle. But there are ways to make it work. And the friendly folks at Lotus even give you instructions for that.

I also used the Lotus Produce Bags, which are a great replacement (and much more sturdy) than those flimsy oh-dear-lord-please-just-open-already-you-stupid-plastic-junk bags that you’ll find at the store.

Want to get a set for yourself? Grab a set here (Amazon affiliate link, yo). You can also comment on my Facebook page, and tag the friend who would be most likely to embarrass you in the grocery store by singing “loud and clear for all to hear,” doing the “Git Up” dance in the beer aisle, or sneaking some “adult items” like condoms, whipped cream and a feather duster into your cart when you weren’t looking. I’ll be drawing for a giveaway! You get the Lotus Trolley Bags, and your super-fun friend gets the produce bags. 🙂

Oh! If you want your mind COMPLETELY BLOWN, I encourage you to listen to this podcast from NPR’s Throughline about why we even have so much plastic in our society to begin with. Un. Freaking. Believeable. Thank me later:

Also, if you need to brush up on your Git Up skills: