How to Buy in Bulk With Stasher

If you’ve ever visited a Whole Foods, Sprouts, or independent health food store, you’ve probably noticed an entire section dedicated to unpackaged groceries. This way of shopping has become increasingly popular, and for good reason: buying in bulk helps to reduce your environmental impact while saving you money.

We don’t mean supersized-cereal-box type of bulk, but instead when you bring your own containers to fill up with everything from grains to cleaning products. Not only does this lower the amount of waste you accumulate, but it’s often cheaper as you’re no longer paying for the extra packaging and can buy the exact amount you need.

Luckily for you, Stasher reusables are perfect for keeping bulk food and other household items fresh. Below, we’ll walk you through how to get started as a sustainable bulk shopper and provide downloadable tare weight guides you can save on your phone for easy reference.

1. Find a bulk-friendly store.

Not sure if there are any bulk grocery stores near you? No problem, just use this guide to navigate what options you have in the U.S. and Canada. You can also contact your local chain grocery store, such as Safeway or Kroger, to ask if that particular location has a bulk section.

2. Gather your gear.

Think about what your needs are on a weekly and monthly basis for groceries. How much flour do you go through a month? What snacks do you eat throughout the week? Then, get together what reusable containers you have — such as glass jars, cotton produce bags, and Stasher bags – to determine which you’ll use for storage.

While glass jars are great, they’re more likely to break during transport and don’t have as many uses as Stasher bags and bowls. We recommend reaching for Stasher bowls (as they stand upright and stay open) and larger bags (like the Half Gallon Stasher Bag) as they’re best suited for bulk shopping. You’ll also want a non-toxic chalk marker like these for jotting down bin numbers and tare weights.

3. Tare your containers.

By that, we mean noting the weight of each container when empty so that cashiers are able to charge the correct price (by weight) of whatever you’re purchasing. All new Stasher bags and bowls already have the tare weight printed at the bottom in ounces and grams, but if you’re having trouble reading it, you can always write the weight directly on the matte side of bags or the seal of bowls with your non-toxic chalk marker. (Psst: Here’s how to write on your Stasher bags.)

You can use the scale in the bulk section of your chosen grocery store to weigh your containers. For your Stasher bags and bowls, scroll down for downloadable tare weight references you can save on your phone. 

Image courtesy of @beegological on Instagram

4. Fill with bulk food and more.

All you need to do now is pour or scoop your bulk stuff into your Stasher bags! Be sure to write down (either on the containers or on a notepad) the code listed on the bulk bin so that the cashier knows what’s inside. This is the number, along with the tare weight of each container, you’ll provide at checkout to get an accurate price.

Like we stated above, larger bags and bowls are better for bulk shopping if you’re getting things like flour, rice, soap, etc. For snacks, feel free to use the Stasher Sandwich Bag, 4-Cup Bowl, or Stand-Up Mid Bag. However, we don’t recommend keeping food like pretzels or chips in a Stasher for long periods of time as silicone is naturally air permeable, meaning these foods will eventually lose their crunchy goodness. 

Save these Stasher tare weight reference guides.

Save these images on your phone for easy tare weight reference when bulk food shopping with your Stasher bags and bowls. 

Stasher Bag Tare Weights • Stasher Bowl Tare Weights

So, how did your bulk shopping trip go? We’d love to see it! Share your experience and tips on social media and tag @stasherbag plus #SaveWhatMatters!