Save Money and the Earth at the Supermarket

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a Mommy Blogger luncheon hosted by Stop and Shop/Giant. It is Andrea Astrachan’s job as VP of Consumer Affairs to listen to customer feedback. She shared with us some of the ways that they are trying to meet the needs of earth-conscious consumers (and to encourage others in this direction).

Bringing my own canvas bags is one change that I have wholeheartedly embraced. There’s less waste, and they are actually sturdier and hold more than paper or plastic bags, and they can even be used in other ways (I recently wrote about my use of them at the library in Libraries are Green). Stop and Shop/Giant wants to encourage this change. For one thing, they are offering a 5 cent rebate for each bag that you bring from home. Of course it saves them money not have to supply those bags, but I applaud corporations for doing what they can to encourage people to start that new habit — and for most of us, money talks.

Speaking of money — as a self-proclaimed “light greenie,” higher cost is one of the obstacles that prevents me from buying organic on a more regular basis. I want to support more earth-friendly farming practices, and to avoid the chemicals and hormones that find their way into the foods I feed my family, but the (much) higher cost is a reality. Stop and Shop/Giant has a full line of store brand products designed to help save you money. Their Nature’s Promise line offers natural and organic foods at a much lower price. They will even be offering natural fresh meats under the Nature’s Promise Label.

I will definitely look for these products when I am making choices at the supermarket. They sent us home with a box of mac-and-cheese from the Nature’s Promise line. My daughter has known to turn up her nose at some of the store brands I try to buy in lieu of the blue box, but she gave this non-bright orange mac-and-cheese a thumbs up!

For some reason this is one of the things that really stood out to me from the time I spent with the Stop and Shop executives. The fact that they are using their corporate time and resources to develop a lower cost store brand of organic and natural products, to try to meet the needs of those who want to buy those products says something. As an added benefit, since money does motivate most of our choices, as it becomes more affordable, more people will be encouraged to make these choices with their buying dollars.

What changes can supermarkets make to convince you that they are earth-conscious?

Jennifer Donovan is Managing Editor of 5 Minutes for Books and a Contributing Editor at 5 Minutes for Mom. She blogs about her life and loves at Snapshot.

Read all of the other posts in this series on food for your family and grocery shopping featured on our sister sites today:

Save Money (and enter to win) at 5 Minutes for Mom
Stay Sane at the Supermarket at 5 Minutes for Parenting
Shop with Special Diets in Mind at 5 Minutes for Special Needs
Kids in the Kitchen at 5 Minutes for Books