"If these stores are just planning to give away plastic bags that are thicker, that's not going to change consumer behavior," said Jordan Parker, founder and director of Bring Your Bag Chicago, an environmental group that opposed the city's ordinance and pushed for a law that would have imposed a fee each time a shopper opted for a bag. A fee, she said, is meant to "turn on a lightbulb" in consumers' minds so that they are reminded of the waste they are producing.