Paper shopping bags are a mainstay of many retailers, used to advertise a store and develop brand image. They are also used for individual gift packaging, promotional pieces, or events. This installment in our series of packaging guides considers paper shopping bags and their many uses and forms.

Shopping bags come in many varieties. They are most often made from paper, but may be constructed from low-density polyethylene or other plastic (plastic shopping bags will be considered in a subsequent packaging guide). Even for paper shopping bags there is much choice of materials and finishes, from simple natural kraft paper to high gloss laminated colors. The choices range in price, but choosing the right look for your store can be about style as much as economics.

Paper shopping bags are available in a range of sizes. Their sizes are measured in three dimensions: width x side x height, so a standard 16x6x12 bag (known as Vogue-size), is 16 inches wide by 6 inches at the bottom and 13 inches high. A smaller size, perhaps 8x4x10 shopping bag, is known as Cub-size. Larger, squarer bags (such as 18x7x19 shoppers) are known as Queen-size bags. Most stores will do well to order their chosen style(s) in several sizes to package varied items.

The standard paper shopping bag has a flat bottom (often with a cardboard reinforcement), side gussets (a fold of paper which allows the bag to store flat and expand for use), and comes with two handles attached to the edges of the bag. Some paper shoppers, known as trapezoid shopping bags, taper from the top to bottom, so the top width is greater than the bottom width. Measurements for these bags are given as top width – bottom width x side x height, as in a 20-16x6x12 trapezoid shopper, where the top is 20 inches and the bottom width is 16 inches. (A less-used variety, known as the inverted trapezoid, has a longer bottom than top.)

As a standard, paper shopping bags come with twisted paper handles in white, natural tan, or matching the color of the shopper. Other handles are also available, the most popular alternative being macrame or braided handles. Usually found in combination with laminated paper folded over at the top, a cardboard reinforced bottom, and metal grommets (rings which strengthen the paper at the handle), rope handles are the defining characteristic of Euro-style paper shopping bags. Also known as eurototes, Euro-shoppers signify a more refined packaging look and are common in high-end retailers or for use as gift bags.

More expensive than grocery sacks or T-shirt bags, paper shopping bags were traditionally limited to stores marketing expensive merchandise who wanted to promote their store and brand. Today, clothing and giftware retailers use paper shopping bags as functional packaging and a sure-fire way to establish an upscale image. Fine jewelry and cosmetic retailers use small sizes of paper shoppers as part of their packaging program. Even supermarkets, especially ones in areas that have a large walking trade, choose paper shopping bags over traditional, less expensive SOS grocery bags.

This bag style also offers a wide variety of end uses that far exceed the traditional retailer’s need to package purchased goods. Paper shopping bags, especially in smaller sizes, can be used as stand-alone gift bags, replacing a gift box. When constructed of colorful paper, or printed with unique designs, the bag is a quick and creative way to wrap a gift. Retail paper shopping bags can also popular with non-retail businesses to use as a promotional piece, or as a give-away when introducing new products, or when exhibiting at trade shows or industry conventions.

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If you enjoyed this guide to paper shopping bags, you’ll love:
Packaging Guide to Merchandise Bags
Packaging Guide to Grocery Bags (SOS Bags)

We will be adding more packaging guides to different varieties of retail packaging available in at SWalter.com. Bookmark this blog or subscribe to our feed to catch the latest articles.

Standing out from your competitors is more important than ever in these tough economic times. With shrinking budgets and outlets for advertising, customized bags provide an important means of communicating with customers.

Personalizing your packaging with a logo or company name publicizes that logo and name as customers carry and reuse their shopping bags. It’s an easy way to engender customer loyalty and create a positive brand image. A custom bag becomes more than post-sale packaging, it is sale-generating advertising.

We’ve all seen iconic images of chic shoppers carrying armfuls of bags from designer stores. but you don’t have to be Fifth Avenue store to reap the benefits of customized bags. With modern printing methods, its easy to print clearly and boldly on a variety of bag types, from bright frosted plastic shopping bags to simple natural kraft paper merchandise bags. You can use the logo you made for your storefront or website and place it on the bag or bags of your choosing, with an order of as little as a few hundred bags. Don’t have a logo? Use a contemporary font to personalize bags with your company name.

The ability to print just a few customized bags provides an opportunity to accent your special event, promotion, or private occasion. Customized bags make great give-away carriers for trade show booths, containers for conference info packages, or even keepsakes for weddings or parties.

S.Walter Packaging now makes it easier than ever to embark upon your own custom bag program with a new online Bag Builder. In a couple simple steps you can explore, visualize, and create the ideal customized packaging. Choose from our top bag styles, sizes, and colors; select ink or hot stamp printing; and quickly upload text or images to get a fast low-price quote for your custom bags. Check out the Bag Builder today and watch as custom bags carry your brand further.

The new S. Walter Packaging Resource Guide 2009/2010 is almost out, presenting the hundreds of top-quality retail products we offer. In preparing the new catalog, our pricing team completed an exhaustive survey of the retail packaging marketplace. We discovered that in many instances S. Walter was already ahead of our competitors in providing high-quality products at the lowest prices. In instances where our pricing was at the upper end of industry comparisons, we cut our price to the customer. We can now be confident that our prices for bags, boxes, and other retail packaging accessories are the best in the industry across the board.

Three examples of products whose prices we have slashed!

Top right: A case of 50 (fifty) 15x11x4 Gloss White Apparel Boxes (SKU: XT151) was $55.95. It is now just $42.97. (A 23% price cut!) Made from 100% recycled paperboard,these high quality boxes protect merchandise and add a touch of elegance to your packaging. This popular size is ideal for dresses, shirts, and sweaters. Also available in seven low-priced, convenient sizes!

Middle left: One of our most popular products, 16x6x12 High Gloss Paper Shopping Bags (SKU: G16) are now just $106.67 for a case of 250, reduced from $127.50 (a savings of 16%). Available in eleven shades (black, white, gold, silver, electric blue, yellow, pink, sky blue, dartmouth green, ivory, and red), these attractive bags can be used as gift bags or shopping bags for retail or promotions. They feature a high-gloss finish and contain 20% recycled fibers. Also available in four other sizes, all at unbeatable prices!

Bottom right: The translucent Ameritote Plastic Shopping Bags have fast become one of our most popular retail shopping bags. Now a case of 250 (two hundred and fifty) 16x15x6 Ameritotes (SKU: H16) is just $46.57, down from $58.80 (a reduction of 21%). Made of sturdy high-density film with matching soft loop handles and bottom gusset, Ameritotes are available in six attractive colors (marigold, clear. dark blue, citrus green, purple grape, and hot pink) and three other value-priced sizes.

S.Walter is committed to finding new cost-effective ways to get the best products to our customers at the best prices. Visit SWalter.com to see our selection of great shopping bags, gift boxes, tissue paper, and more!