Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Bag

A bag is a container that is typically used for storing or holding something. Bags are non-rigid, usually made of paper, cloth, thin plastic or some other flexible material. A bag may have one or two handles or none at all. Sometimes a money bag or travel bag has a lock. Sachets may be fabric bags that are filled with pot pourri and tied off with ribbons. Youth giving a purse to a sitting courtesan the word probably has its origins in the Norse word baggy. Although paper had been used for purposes of wrapping and padding in ancient China since the 2nd century BC, the first use of paper bags in China came during the later Tang Dynasty.
Bags vary from small ones, like purses to large ones for use in traveling like a suitcase. Cheap disposable paper bags and plastic shopping bags are very common in the retail trade as a convenience for shoppers, and are often supplied by the shop for free or for a small fee. Customers may also take their own shopping bags to the shop. There are environmental concerns regarding use and disposal of plastic shopping and trash bags. Efforts are being taken to control and reduce their use in some European Union countries, including Ireland and the Netherlands. In some cases the cheap bags are taxed so the customer must pay a fee where they may not have done previously

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