By the time Clara Brogan got to South Street Market, she was frustrated. It was the fourth store she had visited in a quest to find one that sold Concord's purple pay-as-you-throw trash bags. Unfortunately for Brogan, a retiree, the bags were sold out.

"I've been all over town," Brogan said.

Beginning Monday, city residents will need to throw out their trash in marked purple bags, which will cost $1 or $2 each, depending on their size. The city has tried to make getting the bags convenient for residents by recruiting local stores to stock them.

But as residents rushed to buy the bags, they discovered that many of the stores listed on the city's website had either run out of bags or never stocked them in the first place. Until yesterday, the city's website listed 18 stores that supposedly had the bags. The Monitor ran that list in yesterday's newspaper. But after a reporter called city officials yesterday to question the listings, the city narrowed the list to 12 stores.

The city has contracted with Waste Zero, the South Carolina company that manufactures the bags, to work with local retailers and ensure bags are stocked at a variety of places in the city. But even retailers that have expressed interest have not all received the bags in a timely fashion.

"We have our people talking to all the retailers every day," said Arthur Rothschild, a spokesman for Waste Zero. "We can't force the retailer to do this. They have to agree to do it and fill out paperwork."

Bob McManus, business manager for the city's general services department, said he was not aware of any problems with the city or Waste Zero.

"All the businesses that we've talked to that ordered (bags) have received them," he said. "We hear stories. We've heard that nobody has any bags, but we know that places have bags."

McManus said he was only aware of two stores that had sold out, both of which are expected to get more bags today - South Street Market and Concord Cooperative Market.

Robin Bashios, co-owner of South Street Market, said the store ran out of bags Tuesday afternoon and placed an order. "People are calling the city and the city directs them to us," Bashios said.

As of midmorning, Bashios had turned away three or four customers looking for the bags. She referred them to Aubuchon Hardware. She said there has been a rush in recent days. Bashios said some residents have come in panicking and searching for bags, telling her they just heard about pay-as-you-throw for the first time.

Matt Gerding, a cashier at Concord Cooperative Market, said the 15-gallon trash bags sold out first, at the beginning of this week, and then the 30-gallon bags went, too. "Daily, we've had people come in for them," Gerding said.

According to Waste Zero, the company guarantees that store orders will be filled within two days.

The other stores on the city's list that did not have bags yesterday included Cumberland Farms on both North Main Street and Fisherville Road, Fred's Kwik Stop and Deli, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, and Home Depot.

An employee at Fred's Kwik Stop and Deli said the bags had been ordered but never came in. But Rothschild said the store had told Waste Zero it planned to wait and see what the demand was before ordering bags.

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