​Stewart's Shops Readies for New York's Plastic Bag Ban

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — As New York State's plastic bag ban nears its March 1 effective date, Stewart's Shops is saying goodbye to plastic bags in a unique way.

On Feb. 21, the Saratoga Springs-based convenience store retailer took to Facebook to announce that once they run out in the stores, it will say goodbye to "these Collector's Item bags and hello to paper and reusable bags."

Stewart's Shops' remaining plastic bags, which bear the company's logo, currently read: "I'm one of the last Stewart's bags, a collector's item."

Kevin Chapman, manager of the Stewart's Shop in Black River, said the "collector's" plastic bag is the company's way of having a little fun and educating customers to both reuse the plastic bag and prepare for the change come March 1, reported WWNY.

"I expect that people are really not going to want them once it's a 5-cent charge on paper bags. Then, the reusable ones are going to be flying because for 99 cents, you can use it for however many times it's good for," said Chapman.

According to Chapman, any Stewart's Shops location that runs out of plastic bags will offer customers free paper bags until the ban takes effect.

In all, there are more than 335 Stewart's Shops in 31 counties across upstate New York and southern Vermont.