M and S charging for carriers

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AIBU to find it cheeky of m&s to charge 10p for a paper carrier bag when I've just spent £50 on a dress? Especially as I got caught in the rain and it disintegrated.
I can understand why you would charge for a plastic bag, but this is ridiculous.

Do you never take a bag for life with you?

Pop a fabric tote bag into your coat pocket, one in your handbag. Sorted.

I thought retailers have to charge for bags by law.

This annoys me too. The original idea was to reduce plastic bags but then shops started charging for paper bags. Even bloody McDonald’s! I do take my own bags when I plan to shop but sometimes I shop spontaneously and it bugs me to have to pay for a paper bag.

I have a fabric tote in a pocket of each coat, in each handbag, and in the car. It's been years since the first charges came in, you should be used to it by now, OP.

Environmental reasons not profit making purposes. I think it's crucial to charge for bags.

Primark don't and they use paper bags.

Only plastic ones

Yes, I get annoyed with M&S for that too. I did a spontaneous food shop last week and the bag ripped as I left the store. Then I had to do a weird juggling act til I could get to Tesco and buy a plastic bag for life.

I take my own bags when I know I'm going shopping but sometimes I do a spontaneous shop on the way home from the pub or whatever and don't always have space on my person or in my going out bag to keep random shopping bags.

I'm avoiding M&S now unless it's a planned shopping trip.

I don't understand why their bags are so shit! I used to be able to rely on M&S for a proper carrier bag that I could reuse loads. Now, their paper bags aren't fit for purpose, they might as well just not bother and not have any bags at all.

Totally annoys me too - and their bags are crap

Plastic bags cost the company so do paper ones, honestly it’s 10p not a quid

This has been the norm for 8 years. Have you been in a coma?

The charge is to discourage you from using a single use bag and remember your reusable bags.

When the groceries plastic bag charges came in, I smugly thought 'well we always take reusable bags anyway' but then I realised that I never bothered when buying clothes which meant I had quite a few plastic bags from this, or just as bad, 'nice' paper bags that I never did anything with except keep 'because it was a shame to throw it away' which was a bit of a wake up call, so now, as well as my reusable grocery bags, I also carry a couple of reusable bags suitable for buying clothing and other items.

Plus paper isn't a solution to the plastic issue. Paper production and recycling is one of the most energy intensive processes in the country. It also uses huge amounts of water and chemicals, so paper should also not be seen as single use where possible.

Go to Waitrose & buy one of their 50p reusable bags. They are indestructible.

It’s the law. Get over it. Take your own bag in future

Those M&S food paper bags are 40p! And not fit for purpose. I always take my own or stuff everything in my pockets/handbag if I can

I work in a supermarket and it is ASTONISHING how many people come in for a trolleyful of shopping but bring no bags at all, then complain about having to pay 10p per plastic bag. Either bring bags with you (exceptions for people who 'just popped in for one thing' but ended up buying other stuff, if you're doing a full trolley load then you obviously knew you were coming) or wheel the trolley to the car and put your shopping loose in the boot. Don't moan to me that you're having to pay for bags!

I often say 'you could have brought your own' when people complain. It's not rocket science.

The idea of charging for bags was to reduce plastic waste. So I agree, they shouldn't charge for paper bags.

It's a rip off that the likes of M&S and Boots charge for paper bags which fall apart anyway.

Yabu. Plastic is probably more durable than paper bags. I've got ancient plastic bags but a drop of rain dissolves a paper bag.

It's not the law. Shops don't have to charge for paper bags.

OP is talking about being charged for paper bags, not plastic.

YANBU. It’s an absolute pisstake and I make sure they’re aware of it.

There is no requirement in law to charge for paper bags, and it’s really annoying they charge 40p for one of their Christmas ‘guaranteed to hold 15kg’ more like 15g bags!

Primark don't charge. Charging for paper bags is cheeky

I always carry one of those fold-up tote bags in my handbag, and did long before the charge came in - but I find it annoying that if I buy clothes they are not “protected” in some way as I shop/get them home. My poor mum had a lovely new jumper she’d bought in her shopping bag, which then got covered in pesto from something that leaked from another shop. No real damage done, it washed out, but it was a shame.