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Reusable bags: A license for junk food?

Study says shoppers who brought their own totes bought more treats and organics.

Shoppers who bring reusable tote bags to the store are more likely to buy organic foods, according to a new study out of Duke University and Harvard Business School.

But here’s the better part: while those shoppers are filling their bags with organic food, they were also 7.3 percent more likely to buy, well, a little treat. The study looked at shoppers in one California supermarket between 2005 and 2007, and found that their purchases of so-called indulgent items went up when they brought their own bags.

The conclusion from the study? That bringing your own bag makes you feel a little smug. A little like you earned it. The researchers described it as being “licensed” to buy treats.

One important exception: parents with reusable totes actually bought fewer indulgent items.

Good job, moms and dads.

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