Switched to the heavy duty ones, no more bag disasters for me.

Totally agree. Saw my mom trying to use a store app last week, she got stuck on the login screen for ten minutes. A paper list just works, no batteries or updates. You can also hand it to a store helper without unlocking your phone. It's one less thing to worry about when you're already busy.

Didn't it used to be more about the people than the gear?

My old landlord in Seattle banned any pots on the ground. I got a shoe organizer, the fabric kind with pockets, and hung it on a wall. Grew a full salad's worth of lettuce in those pockets for two years.

Heat the metal until it's almost too hot to touch. That melts the factory clear coat into the glue. Anything less and you're just pulling up paint.