Plastic bags at Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh's hidden history & 'Yes, J.C. Penney'
Just seven minutes of your time — or four minutes faster than Katy Perry's time in space.
Hello, dear readers,
Some things become so familiar we barely see them anymore.
A storefront you pass every day.
A historic marker you never stop to read.
A department store you assume is past its prime.
But look a little closer: J.C. Penney is reintroducing itself with a new campaign. The Heinz History Center is dusting off hundreds of forgotten artifacts for fresh eyes to discover.
Sometimes, the things we think are over or outdated aren't over at all — they’re simply waiting for us to notice again.
The same goes for far more serious things.
Democracy, for instance.
Freedom.
Justice.
When these feel commonplace, we risk underestimating how fragile they really are — or how quickly they can erode when we're not paying attention.
Sometimes we miss the warning signs until they’re gone.
🍒
Giant Eagle ends plastic bag ban at Erie County stores
Plastic bags have returned to Giant Eagle stores in Erie County.
The plastic bag ban reversal comes three years after the Butler County-based grocery chain eliminated them in 2022.
A company spokesperson confirmed the change to the Erie Times-News, citing customer feedback as the reason for the reversal.
Like other aspects of Giant Eagle, its bag policy has not been consistent across the company, with some stores never discontinuing plastic bags.
Rather than being a leader in eliminating plastic bags, Giant Eagle said it will follow local regulations, such as the city of Pittsburgh, where plastic bags are banned.
The company alleges that the reintroduced plastic bags are made from 75% “recycled material,” but the story offers no confirmation of what those materials are, nor how the bags are manufactured.
Giant Eagle stores have recycling bins for used bags.
However, most plastic bags that are dropped in those types of bins do not end up being recycled.
You can search for news stories and research links about it, but I found a few for you. (Here. Here. And here.)
Giant Eagle’s spokesperson acknowledged that while bringing personal bags is ideal, it isn’t always practical for customers making unplanned store visits.
The company’s reversal has drawn criticism from environmental advocates, including Erie Benedictine Sister Pat Lupo, who called the decision "a crime" and stressed the need to reduce single-use plastics.
Lupo, the environmental director at the Inner-City Neighborhood Art House in Erie, argued that consumer inconvenience should not outweigh environmental concerns.
Giant Eagle had previously highlighted the environmental impact of its original plastic bag ban, calling single-use bags one of the most visible sources of waste.
Its website touts the removal of plastic bags at several locations.
Gian’Iggle and its plastic bag use
I messaged several friends and asked if they shop at Gian’Iggle. (I haven’t walked into a Gian’Iggle since maybe 2018? Wegmans all the way, baby!)
The people I asked said the locations they shop in all have plastic bags — Moon, Hopewell, Robinson, Brentwood, Bethel Park, Homestead and Mount Lebanon.
The only exceptions to that are Giant Eagle locations within the city of Pittsburgh.
(For those wondering, the Waterworks location along Route 28 is technically within the city of Pittsburgh municipal limits, as is the Parkway Center location near Green Tree.)
Wegmans banned plastic bags across the entire company
Unlike Gian’Iggle’s confusing plastic bag situation, Wegmans easily banned bags across all of its stores — ending the use of single-use plastic bags in 2022. So, it is possible.
Heinz History Center digs into Pittsburgh’s ‘hidden history’
Tucked away inside the Heinz History Center are thousands of pieces of Pittsburgh’s past — rarely or never before seen by the public.
Now, 300 of those artifacts are stepping into the spotlight with the opening of “Pittsburgh’s Hidden History.”
“These are things we’ve always wanted to share with people, but we’ve never gotten the opportunity,” Anne Madarasz, director of the museum’s curatorial division, told WESA. “They have great stories, they’re striking objects.”
Curated in sections like "Scary Pittsburgh" and "That’s Really Old," the exhibit highlights everything from a 14,000-year-old flint tool to a green vampire figure once lurking at Kennywood.
Visitors can also see pieces of the city’s industrial and theatrical past, including a 1915 Garden Theater ticket booth.
Other highlights of the display include:
An 18th century key to Fort Duquesne
An original sign from the former and iconic gay Downtown nightclub Pegasus
A circa-1978 denim outfit custom-made for Alfred “Deano” Dean, who was the first Black hairdresser at the old Downtown Horne’s department store
This exhibition is on display through Oct. 5.
Notice: Musk, Trump succeeding at ‘delegitimizing’ Social Security
Andrew Springer at Notice News succinctly describes what’s happening with Social Security:
Social Security is the most popular government program in America.
Nearly every worker in the country has paid into it—in every paycheck, at every job—trusting that one day it would be there for them.
But from the moment it was created, rich people have hated Social Security. They've spent nearly a century trying to dismantle it—because they resent paying taxes to support anyone but themselves.
Now Donald Trump and Elon Musk are succeeding where others failed—not by eliminating it outright, but by defunding, destabilizing, and delegitimizing it from within.
Read more of Andrew’s special report here.
Yes, J.C. Penney: Venerable department store challenges long-held perceptions
J.C. Penney rolled out a new marketing strategy aimed at challenging outdated perceptions of the 123-year-old retailer.
Under its new "Yes, J.C. Penney" brand positioning, the company looks to surprise consumers by showcasing its style, value and range of offerings.
The campaign began with “Anonymous Ads” — stylish, label-free visuals in high-traffic locations like Times Square, revealing the products are from J.C. Penney via QR codes.
TV spots highlight affordable fashion and home goods, promoting the message that Penney’s offers trend-savvy choices at budget prices.
In a tongue-in-cheek news release in early April, Penney wrote a post “apologizing” to its loyal customers for what the company’s doing.
Marisa Thalberg, chief customer and marketing officer, told Retail Dive that the goal is to spark "huh!" moments that encourage shoppers to reconsider the brand.
In addition, J.C. Penney will relaunch its "Really Big Deals" promotion through a creative partnership with “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” with comedian Guillermo Rodriguez unveiling new deals weekly.
The push builds on J.C. Penney’s $1 billion turnaround plan and seeks to attract nostalgic customers as well as younger shoppers who reportedly are increasingly drawn to malls.
Marketing refresh comes as operating company lays off 9 percent of corporate roles
Catalyst Brands — the operating company for J.C. Penney and several of its private labels and other brands under Authentic Brands Group — cut about 9 percent of its corporate roles not long after the new marketing campaign started.
(By the way, in addition to J.C. Penney, other brands you’ll recognize under the Catalyst Brands name include Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Forever 21, Lucky Brand Jeans and Nautica.)
Related:
All Forever 21 stores to be closed by May 1 following closing sales, operator says (USA Today)
Tracking Trump
Here’s an exhausting nonexhaustive look at some stories I’ve read recently:
The retired J.P. Morgan executive tracking Trump’s deportation flights (The Atlantic)
Texas county that swung to Trump grapples with immigration crackdown after bakery is targeted (AP)
‘I was a British tourist trying to leave the US. Then I was detained, shackled and sent to an immigration detention centre’ (The Guardian)
Trump skips honoring soldiers killed in Lithuania to watch golf (Rolling Stone)
Trump fires at least 3 national security aides following a meeting with far-right activist Laura Loomer (NBC News)
Trump touts $5M visa gold card: ‘Anybody want to buy one?’ (The Hill)
Trump’s new tariff math looks a lot like ChatGPT’s (The Verge)
Trump tells Americans to 'hang tough,' golfs again as universal tariffs begin (USA Today)
Other things to know…
Here’s a look at other stories I’ve read recently:
Pennsylvania
A science program was poised to reach kids across Philly. Then DOGE killed the funding. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Invasive plants take the spotlight in new Carnegie Museum of Natural History exhibit (WESA)
2,651 jobs terminated in one of the largest layoffs in Pa. in recent years (The Patriot-News)
WITF
In which all of the stories come from WITF — the public broadcasting channel with the best call letters ever. Oh, and it just so happens to be based in Pennsylvania.
State parks attracting more campground reservations as federally-run sites close (WITF/StateImpact Pennsylvania)
Three Mile Island begins evaluating environmental impacts of restart (WITF/StateImpact Pennsylvania)
Distress for Lancaster County museums and libraries as Trump dismantles federal agency (WITF/LNP)
Economy
How Trump’s big bet on tariffs went bad (CNN)
Port of Baltimore becomes car purgatory amid Trump’s tariff turmoil (The Baltimore Banner)
Housing market gets worrying sign for spring (Newsweek)
Entertainment
Peter Reckell wants to return to ‘Days of our Lives’ as a regular (Daytime Confidential)
Tina Fey worries that fans actually believe she's remaking ‘Golden Girls’ (Entertainment Weekly)
‘Full House’ star Andrea Barber recalls ‘gross’ question (The Hollywood Reporter)
And, finally…
Tasty.
