AT SUPERVALU, COST CUTS ARE IN THE BAG

U.S. retailer Supervalu is training workers at its 1,100 Albertsons, Acme Markets and Jewel-Osco stores to pack more items into shopping bags, a move that shaves costs by a few pennies per customer and adds up to millions in annual savings, the company says.

The efforts carry risks, as Northeast grocer Wegmans Food Markets Inc. discovered in 2009 when it tried its own bagging switch. The Rochester, N.Y., chain of 77 stores adopted a bigger, sturdier bag to boost the average number of items per bag, but customers complained that the filled bags were too heavy, says spokeswoman Jo Natale.

Last year, Wegmans returned to a smaller bag, and this year it is testing a smaller bag that includes 40% recycled plastic.
Based on a Wall Street Journal Story