Meijer Is Ready For Your Returnables

After months of bottles and cans piling up in your house, we can finally start taking them back to the store.

Meijer just announced that they were going to start accepting returnables on Monday, June 15th. Just like everything else though, there are going to be some changes from the way we used to return bottles and cans. The main thing you should know before heading to Meijer, is that they are only accepting $25 worth of returnables at a time.

The changes are necsesary, because according to the press release, Meijer estimates there are about $65 Million in returnables out there. That's why Meijer lays out the rest of the changes in great detail on their website.

• Separate your bottles and cans before coming to the store to help keep the flow of customers moving.
• Drain all cans and bottles and place them in clean bags/containers before coming to the store.
• Only bring beverage container brands that are sold at Meijer stores.
• Plan accordingly before you arrive as the bottle return rooms will be busy.
• Please be patient, practice social distancing and wear a face covering.

Honestly, if you weren't doing most of these things before the pandemic, you've been doing it wrong anyway. The only things that are way different is the $25 limit, and the face covering.

I am really bad at bringing in returnables when I actually have a reasonable amount. I always end up waiting until I have four huge bags filled with bottles and cans in my garage. That's when I trick ask one of my kids to go with me and I might use our new found loot to buy them something. Editors note: This trick works less and less as they get older.

I can imagine that the first few weeks are going to be returnable raves for most people. I can see couples walking into the returnable area separately so they could get around the $25 rule. I can see myself waiting until August to even think about returning any bottles.