For those who aren’t aware, the city of Seattle is trying to impose a 20-cents-per-plastic-bag tax and are now selling reusable bags at many stores. The bags cost anywhere from $1.00 to $4.00 in price – you can buy “trendy” ones on the internet and spend a lot more. I bought 2 at the library for my kids to keep their library books in and spent $1.00 on each of them. You can find them almost anywhere now – Target, Safeway, Albertsons, even Marshalls.
Not only are stores selling these reusable bags, but there are now businesses emerging that are selling items that are supposed to make it easy to get groceries home without a car. It is the attitude of many Seattlites to “Go Green” and live to save the environment (and put a little extra money in the retailers’ pockets). So, they have come up with a few suggestions.
First, there is the Hook and Go – costing $59.95 plus shipping at www.hookandgo.com. This could work while walking with 3 kids for 3 miles. Not realistic, but we’ll see what else there is.
The Hook and Go – $59.95
Second, there is the xtracycle – costing only $489.00 (yowzas!!) at www.xtracycle.com. I have to say that I was impressed that they designed a bike to carry kids and groceries – however, still very expensive.
The Xtracycle – $489.00
Third, there is the bakfiets (bok-feets) – costing only $3,000 at www.dutchbikeseattle.com – apparently the guy selling them can’t keep them in stock. My question is: Who are the people buying them?
The bokfiet – $3,000
While these SEEM like good ideas, I don’t think they would work well for someone in my situation – mom with 1 preschooler, 1 toddler, and 1 baby. Not to mention the fact that they are expensive! Could you imagine trying to walk home from Costco with a Hook and Go? I don’t think so! I would rather make the 5 minute drive to the grocery store once a week in the comfort of my own car and the reassurance knowing my children are strapped in their car seats and can’t escape.
Thanks anyways though and good luck with your products guys!
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Shannon Gurnee is the author of Redhead Mom formerly "The Mommy-Files", a national blog with a loyal following. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development with a Minor in Business Management. Shannon and her husband, Frank, have a large family with 6 awesome kids and love living on the Central Coast near San Luis Obispo, California, as well as traveling around the world. A full-time Social Media and Professional Blogger, Shannon also serves as a National Brand Ambassador for many well-known companies. Her blog focuses on motherhood, family fun activities, traveling, fashion, beauty, technology, wedding ideas and recipes while providing professional opinions on products, performances, restaurants, and a variety of businesses.
The Hook and Go – $59.95
The bokfiet – $3,000
I thought the xtracycle was expensive, too. How expensive is your car? To buy, and then every mile?
And… what *else* is it costing?
Folks have a right to make their choices… but “it won’t work” generally means “I don’t want it to work.” Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that – you’re not comfortable with the kids being in the bike, not ensconced in the big armor-plated car.
What swayed me on the Xtracycle was looking at where their energies and parts of the profits go – http://www.xtracycle.com/home/company/history/ They used to have a website about building the bikes in Central America … folks who can’t begin to afford cars. So it fired up the idealist in me 🙂
We are so used to buying things *cheap* at Wally World. What are the hidden costs there? Long as it doesn’t cost me, do I have to care?
Welp, maybe … look at what’s happening in the world because of the greed driving big business.
Honest craftspeople can’t make prices that would compete. It kinda restores a little faith in the world that Xtracycle is starting to catch on just a tiny bit…
(Oh, and in my town, yes, there are parents who have bought Xtracycles, with small children. THere are child seat options and trailer options that work for them… no, they *don’t* ride everywhere but they wanted to use cars less so they stopped looking at problems as excuses, and started looking at problems as things with occasionally possible solutions. )