Delight.com is debuting some new reusable, foldable shopping bags. They are called RuMe (ReUseMe) bags and come in sets of three in four different styles.
They are giving away ten sets of bags! See the end of this post for details.
I was lucky enough to get ahold of some RuMe bags a little early and really like them. They have the nitpicky feature I like in a reusable shopping bag - you can hike it up over your shoulder using only one arm (leaving the other free to clutch keys/accept change/hold on to an energetic toddler).
The bags come in four styles,
Spring In New York are colorful bags which come in a set of three plain, or three patterned.
Silicon Valley are gray and black bags that come in a set of three plain (two black, one silver), or three patterned. I have verified with
Scott that the plain
Silicon Valley set is in no way threatening to masculinity.
The bags are well sized, a bottle of wine can lay down in the bottom of the bag and you can fit a free weekly newspaper without folding it. The handles are long enough to sling over a shoulder (again, using one arm, good feature), but not so long that the bottom of the bag drags on the ground when my 5' 1" self holds it like a tote. The handles are wide enough to be comfortable on your shoulder when you have a bottle of wine and several books inside. It folds up to the size of a cell phone and is secured by a velcro strap which is located at the top of the bag (it won't dangle and possibly drag on the ground). The bags are made of water resistant polyester and are very lightweight.
Overall, these bags are ideal for hiking your groceries home, not just carrying them out to the parking lot and putting them in your car. I have a sweet little market about ten blocks away from my house and the trip carrying groceries back is made far easier with bags like these. RuMe bags are manufactured in a Fair Trade Factory, and RuMe dedicates the portion of its proceeds to a social or environmental cause.
RuMe bags are exclusive to Delight.com and they carry them in the
shop, however the Spring in New York designs are for sale for a special price today (Monday, April 21st). The Silicon Valley style bags, I hear, will be up on Delight for a special price tomorrow.
To celebrate the debut of RuMe bags Delight.com is happy to give away 5 sets of each style (each set has six bags, a $55 value) to ten lucky people! Hooray!
If you'd like to win a bag set please leave a comment with this entry before 8 a.m. on April 25th. On the morning of Friday, April 25th I'll let the Random Number Generator choose ten numbers. I'll then contact you to get a mailing address. When I contact you I'll ask if you have a preference in style but please know I cannot say which style you'll receive. The Random Number generator has chosen, thanks for playing!
fine print:
- You don't need to leave your real name, but do leave a valid email address. I'll be the only one who can see your email address (just don't put it in the actual comment box as well). I'll write to get a shipping address when you've won.
- If you have never left a comment here before I'll need to approve it before it publishes so don't worry if your comment doesn't show up right away. That said, you might not end up being the comment number you see so know that if you want to say "lucky number 351!" you might not be comment number 351. I don't know why it works that way, and I'm sorry, there is very little certainty left in this world and this isn't helping any.
- If I have not heard from an initial winner by May 1st I will choose another winner.
- The winners will be picked by the cold, unfeeling
random number generator.
added: A few people have wondered how these compare to
Envirosax so I'll give my best comparison. The Envirosax are slightly lighter weight and fold up smaller, and as such I'm more likely to keep them in my purse. The Envirosax have a snap closure that hangs from the bottom of the bag when you hold it, the RuMe closure is velcro and located at the top of the bag. Both bags are about the same size, but it feels like the Rume bags might be a little stronger, though I've hauled some heavy stuff in the Envirosax and had no trouble. The RuMe Bags have a more defined box shape,
see this picture, whereas the Envirosax have squared off corners like a typical tote bag. Both kinds you can hike onto your shoulder using one arm, both have nice wide, reinforced handles. An advantage of the RuMe bags is that the plain Silicon Valley (black or silver) are not girly at all and as such Scott is far more likely to reach for them and keep them around in his car or gig bag. Envirosax don't have any plain bags and even the most basic of graphic prints still have an air of decoration that might discourage some guys. Let me know if you have specific questions, I'll try to answer them.
update the second: Also take a look at
this review of RuMe bags over at NOTCOT for a different comparison to the Envirosax as well as a side by side photo of a Whole Foods reusable bag, a paper grocery bag and a RuMe bag.
third update: The people at Delight have had a look at the number of people who have signed up for this giveaway and would like to offer a discount in case you aren't picked by the Random Number Generator: use the code
RuMeLove (case sensitive) and you'll receive 15% off your total order through April 30th, thanks Delight!
