The magic health vegetables at least have more credibility with me than the magic fat pills that every channel is selling (right under the FDA's nose). You know the one's where the very attractive, thin, man or woman says "are you unable to lose weight no matter how hard you try? It isn't your fault." And then proceed to explain to you that their magic hundred bucks a pop fat pills will make your metabolism work like a thin person's implying that you don't have to diet or exercise. Annoying! Almost as bad as Billy Mays. As a matter of fact, he may soon be selling these!

That bugs me too, how they can slap on some statement about how this brand of lima beans is so much better because its a bean and beans have fiber. And it costs more.

So I pretty much stick with the store brands for frozen veggies.

What's the value of a bag credit?

Five cents. I've almost paid for one bag. :-) EL

You know what's a terrible flavor combination? Licorice and chamomile tea. Trust me.

Joyce, have you noticed that on every one of those diet commercials and under every photo of someone who lost weight it says "results not typical." If I see an ad where someone says "I lost 10 pounds using this stuff" and it says that is not typical, one has to wonder what IS typical? They must know what is if they can tell you what isn't.

As for reusable bags, Home Depot has some LARGE ugly orange nylon bags with elastic and plastic pieces that both hold the bag open in a shopping cart (by clipping to the sides) and hold it shut when you're taking stuff home. Just like the small ones at the markets, they are 99 cents. And they are strong enough for me to carry TEN two-liter bottles of soda in one bag.

RiE (and EL) -- I think I've only bought one or two of the 7 bags in my inventory. The others were Earth Day freebies, BOGO deals, or other store giveaways (e.g., for Giant's unveiling of its new logo). True, the Home Depot bags may be larger, but you'll use fewer of them at the checkout, thereby getting fewer of the five-cent credits.

IKEA has the best deal on bags. They last, too, unlike those paper fibre jobbies that never quite last a year.

I prefer to have another human being check me out. There are several reasons for this. Having done my basic shopping at the same store for 19 years, the regular check out staff know me pretty well. Many times I have been sent scurrying down an odd aisle when Boots or Phyllis or Sue or Sandy noticed that I was missing a regular item. Bless them! Plus, when I check out with them, it means they are getting paid, unlike the self-check counters.

I buy at least one bag from each place I do business with, and that makes me feel better about putting other bags on the belt. By now I have paid for them all. The pile in the back of my CRV includes three from Giant (including a terrific insulated version that keeps stuff good for 2 hours), one from Wegmans, one from Whole Foods, one from Fresh Market, a great one (double size, but also perfect for a long loaf of bread) from Savona, two generic canvas bags and one from our Claggett Conference Center.

We are fans of frozen corn, peas, limas and Blue Lake green beans. I have occasionally used frozen pearl onions for Beef Bourguignionen, but swear I will never do it again, until I do.

RiE - you are quite correct. I've also noted that when they introduce their M.D. to discuss the "medical" contribution of their "drug", the M.D. is usually a Resident or a Chiropractor or something equally as non-specific to the product use.

I'd also like to know how these people lost 125 lbs and are muscular like professional weight lifters. You know it's implied that it's from just taking the magic fat pills!

Like hmpstd, I have acquired most of my bags through promotions, so I am way ahead on the bag equation. My helpful hint is not to pay up until they subtract that bag credit. With my trips to the store I generally come out at least 10 or 15 cents to the good.

I'm with MD Canon on preferring the personal interaction. When our local Giant brought in the self-service machines, several checkers told me their hours had been reduced. I never ever use the self-serve as a result.

I tried a self-scanner when they were first installed. (This was several years ago>. With each item scanned a big deep monotone voice slowly announced (for instance) Twelve pack Charmin toilet paper. Three dollars and forty-nine cents. Please scan your next item. In an effort to maintain some privacy, I thought I'd just scan the next item while the current was still being announced. Nope. And continued attemtps to staunch the flow of mechanical conversation jammed the machine.

I've bought some of my bags and acquired others free through various promotions. But this year I bought several kind of fun and funky ones, used them as the gift bags at Christmas with a big bow and made sure the recipients knew they were part of the gift - so a bunch of people who did not have reusable bags before do now. I know that at least some of them use them, but haven't heard from others . . . I certainly hope that my dad and stepmom, who bellyache a lot about global climate change (they sure hope they don't live to see how bad it will get!) while driving an SUV, failing to recycle and not changing lightbulbs (among other things they could be doing) are using the shopping bags!

I like the checkers at Whole Foods. Sure some of them have the intelligence and personality of a box of hair, but then again sometimes they are so lazy that when they see some odd fruit or vegetable in my basket they just give it to me rather than call for backup. And sometimes plantains costs the same as bananas because the code for bananas is easier to remember.

I've used my own bags for 3-4 years, and enjoy that the weekly trash load has become much smaller because (a) there are no plastic bags in it, and (b) we recycle everything we can. I just wish Safeway gave bag credits; maybe I'll just shop Giant until they do.

The self checkout I was talking about is Giant's new hand-held scanner units you take around the store, scan each product as you get it, put it in the bag, and when finished go to any of the live person checkout lanes to pay. Since I am putting stuff in the bags as I go around the store it is easier to have one or two large-mouth opening to put things into. I don't think I've ever used the no-cashier Self Service lanes.

Friends ... in light of the exchange between Joyce W. and Retired in Elkridge, I want to clarify that the MD in MD Canon refers to Maryland, not to a medical degree.