I can (potentially) explain the double bagged paper. Growing up in the South that was the de-facto cooling rack, no wire racks or wax paper like you see today. They were cut open, laid on any flat surface, them cookies or cakes or what have you were laid on them to cool. They’d wick away moisture or grease and be easy clean up.
Free with groceries and if they were double bagged you had enough for a double batch of chocolate chip cookies while also usually guaranteeing (usually) the bag wouldn’t split from condensation or something before you got home.
Another more practical reason (besides free bags for use around the house) is that produce is often wet from the misters and refrigerated items condensate once you go outside (especially in the south). Double bagging helps prevent the bags from tearing if/when they get wet. Also, for people buying lots of canned goods, single bags can rip if they’re overloaded. Cashiers and baggers will still double bag plastic bags when they are filling it with a lot of heavy items.
Another reuse for brown paper grocery bags was DIY textbook covers.
I can (potentially) explain the double bagged paper. Growing up in the South that was the de-facto cooling rack, no wire racks or wax paper like you see today. They were cut open, laid on any flat surface, them cookies or cakes or what have you were laid on them to cool. They’d wick away moisture or grease and be easy clean up.
Free with groceries and if they were double bagged you had enough for a double batch of chocolate chip cookies while also usually guaranteeing (usually) the bag wouldn’t split from condensation or something before you got home.
Another more practical reason (besides free bags for use around the house) is that produce is often wet from the misters and refrigerated items condensate once you go outside (especially in the south). Double bagging helps prevent the bags from tearing if/when they get wet. Also, for people buying lots of canned goods, single bags can rip if they’re overloaded. Cashiers and baggers will still double bag plastic bags when they are filling it with a lot of heavy items.
Another reuse for brown paper grocery bags was DIY textbook covers.
that’s actually super cool, that’s a neat piece of history I didn’t know about