Shopping in bulk for the very first time can be intimidating. This is the reason why I reached out to my local co-op to host "Bulk Shopping for Beginners" workshops. But I thought I could take advantage of this experience to share it with you here on the blog.

By now, faithful readers, you should know what to put in your shopping bag before leaving for the grocery shop, but let's repeat it here for the newcomers.

What to bring:

a tote bag
mason jars (for dry goods or even shampoo & body lotions)
glass bottles (for oils, kombucha)
bulk bags (for dry goods, vegetables)
a crayon or Sharpie to write the tare and PLU on your containers

[Most of these items can usually also be purchased at the co-op.]

your shopping list
your wallet/cash/card

How to buy bulk food

1. Identify a place to shop
Ask around, reach out to a zero waste blogger in your area or be patient and wait for the launch of Bea Johnson's app. I live in NE Portland and shop at the Alberta Cooperative Grocery, so this article is based on my experience and the products that are available there.

2. Write your shopping list
Shopping in bulk makes things so easy. All you have to do is open your cupboards, your fridge or your pantry and identify which containers are empty.

3. Get your shopping kit, put the empty jars in it, and head to your favorite shop

4. Weight your containers
Put them while still empty on the scale. You shouldn't have to touch any button, unless the screen shows a negative number before you put your containers on the scale, which means you should just press the "clear entry" or reset button.

5. Write the tare and the PLU (item number) on the containers
I usually write them like this:
T = xxx

= xxxx or PLU = xxx

Some people prefer to keep a list of tares and PLU on their phone and tell them to the attendant during check-out. Chose what you feel suits you best. There's (usually) no rule.

6. Fill your containers with dry goods

7. Use your cloth bags for loose fruit and vegetables

8. Fill your bottles with oil, maple syrup, etc.

9. Fill more containers with cosmetics

10. Cut your own soap
Then put it in a muslin bag and don't forget to write the PLU on it (or enter it in your phone and tell it to the attendant during check-out).

11. Bring your own egg cartons or use the ones provided by the coop
I now skip this part, since my hens started laying this spring!

12. Fill more bottles at the kombucha tap
This coop is pretty rad, but I'm sure you can fill your bottles at your local café. Also, bring a growler to your favorite brewery!

13. Check out!
If you haven't written the item numbers on the muslin bags, don't forget to tell them to the attendant. Same thing for the tare of the bags.

14. Put the jars, the rest of your items and your shopping kit back to where they belong.
There's no need to unpack items, transfer them into airtight containers, throw the packages in the trash. Shopping in bulk makes life so much easier!

This seems like a lot of work. And it is! But you don't have to do it all at once. Start with only a couple containers, shop with a friend, look for workshops at your local coop. Once you've done it once, you'll realize it's not that hard and will probably (I hope) want to go one step further. Watch out, it's addictive!

Have you ever shopped in bulk? How did it go? Where do you shop? Who do you shop with? I want to know everything!.