When I think of buying in bulk I think of the floor to ceiling shelves of Costco, packed with giant boxes of cereal and enormous cans of tuna, or of the bonanza of beans and grains that fill the bulk bins at my local health food store. What doesn’t come to mind is buying my beauty products in bulk.
After comparing prices on body lotions today, I wandered into the “bulk” section of Rainbow Grocery’s health and beauty section, where huge pump bottles full of lotions and shower gels and shampoos sit on a shelf off to the side. I had seen these plenty of times in the past but had never stopped to examine them until today.
The idea is that you can buy a reusable (and recyclable) plastic bottle, with or without a pump, and fill it with the product of your choice. You are charged for the bottle the first time — a 16-ounce bottle cost .95 cents — but only for the product when you reuse the bottle.
And it is the product that makes this such a great deal.
Today I bought 16-ounces of Alba Unscented Original Body lotion and a 16-ounce bottle for a grand total of $7.39. Compare that to buying the same product in the manufacturer’s packaging — 12-ounces for $10.95 — and I saved $3.56 and gained 4-ounces of product. Next time it will be even cheaper since I’ll bring in my bottle and reuse it.
The lotion itself is terrific — I am a big fan of all the Alba products I have tried. Add to that eliminating waste and saving money? It is the perfect example of reduce, reuse, recycle and might just be enough to make me remember to bring my bottle back to Rainbow for a refill.
Tags: Alba, Alba Unscented Original Lotion, body lotion, bulk, bulk bins, cosmetics, eco, Eco to the People, eco-friendly, green, Heather O'Neill, Rainbow Grocery, recycle, recycled packaging, reduce, reduce reuse recycle, reusable bottle, reuse