Fresh & Easy's design contest: It's in the bag

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Fresh & Easy is bringing back its Design-a-Bag contest, which invites customers to design and vote on the grocer's next reusable bag that will be sold in its stores.

Now through May 15, customers ages 13 years and older can submit their original designs to Freshandeasy.com/designabag. Last year's Design-A-Bag contest generated more than 1,300 design submissions from customers and 24,000 votes through its Friends of Fresh & Easy page, in which customers sign up to receive the latest news about Fresy and Easy, as well as exclusive offers.

The winning bag design will be chosen from June 21 through July 10. Finalists will each receive a $100 Fresh & Easy gift card and the winning designer will win a year's worth of free groceries, valued at $5,000.

"Our first Design-A-Bag contest was a huge hit, and customers loved the great design that won, so we're excited to bring back the contest this year," said Roberto Munoz, Fresh & Easy director neighborhood affairs. "We believe that offering affordable — and hip — reusable bag options will continue to encourage customers to use them even more."