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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Made to pay for a bag in the supermarket

698 replies

christmasfoodshop · 07/12/2023 12:43

Just picked up a few bits for Xmas food shop.

Had baby with me and she was tired so getting a bit irritable.

Scanned all my shopping at self checkout, ended up with a quite a lot more than I needed (as you do).

Baby crying. Paid for my shopping.

Realised I needed a bag at this point so got one and put all my stuff in there.

Go to walk out.

The shop assistant said I needed to pay for a bag. Fair enough.

She said I had to rescan it.

Baby now screaming and wriggling out my arms. Heavy bag of shopping in the other hand.

She made me wait there until she'd scanned a bag, pressed 'check-out' , selected 'pay by card' and then I had to scan. All for bloody 30p.

In hindsight, I do understand I had to pay for the bag but I was so bloody frustrated and just wanted to get out of there that I paid 30p for the bag and stormed off. Left my giant trolley in the middle of self checkout. I was at my wits end. I felt like I was at school being held back by the teacher.

It's 30 bloody pence. Let me go!!

She acted like she was earning money out of making people pay for bags.

YABU - everyone ALWAYS must pay for bags no matter what

YANBU - in the circumstance, she should have just let me go all for the sake of 30p plastic bag.

OP posts:
Brefugee · 07/12/2023 12:44

screaming baby isn't an excuse to have a free bag. I realise you are probably frazzled and grumpy. Let it go. And try to remember a bag in future.

Radiatorvalves · 07/12/2023 12:44

I think you were totally unreasonable. And she was doing her job.

DailyMailHater · 07/12/2023 12:45

She was just doing her job

TinySaltLick · 07/12/2023 12:45

It would be more annoying to see others get free bags for failing to manage circumstances within their control

Becles · 07/12/2023 12:45

It's a legal requirement. She can't just say off you trot without paying for an item of employer's property.

Keep a bag in your handbag and coat pockets.

Cattiwampus · 07/12/2023 12:46

You were being a prat, it’s been the law since before you had the baby.
My daughter works in retail, customers like you make her day that bit harder.

ZenNudist · 07/12/2023 12:46

YABU

StillWantingADog · 07/12/2023 12:46

You didn’t need to pay for a bag at all you could have just taken some. Not sure if you drive but I always have some in the car which means that even if forget to take them into the shop I can decant from the trolley into the car

also get that shopping with grumpy babies is stressful- but why do you need to do xmas food shop on 7th December?

CharityShopChic · 07/12/2023 12:47

Agree just doing her job. The point you should have realised "oh, I have too much here to carry, might need a bag" is BEFORE you start scanning. You can't just help yourself to a freebie because you're disorganised, because your baby is crying, or for any other reason.

vodkaredbullgirl · 07/12/2023 12:47

YABU

lap90 · 07/12/2023 12:47

A crying baby doesn't make you exempt from paying for a carrier bag.

You should have thanked her for scanning it for you. She was just doing her job.

CalistoNoSolo · 07/12/2023 12:47

Of course you were being unreasonable. It's been law that plastic bags cannot be given away for forever, and surely you realised you needed a bag when you got to the checkout? Throwing a tantrum and leaving your trolley at the self serve area is pathetic.

WeekWeekWeek · 07/12/2023 12:47

You’re so, so unreasonable it’s shocking.

Having a baby doesn’t mean you get things for free.

BigBoysDontCry · 07/12/2023 12:47

I appreciate you were frazzled, we've all been there, but taking a bag for free is effectively shoplifting. The staff member was just doing their job.

DidiAskYouThough · 07/12/2023 12:47

Feeling entitled to freebies just because you have a kid, and then making a thread about how you should have got a free thing and behaved badly in a shop is so embarrassing.

salamirose · 07/12/2023 12:48

You are ridiculously unreasonable.

Don't use your baby as an excuse. I know it's hard but don't use your struggles as an excuse not to pay your way.

Xiaoxiong · 07/12/2023 12:48

If you had realised you forgot something else, like a chocolate bar or something, worth just 30p would you have walked back into the shop and grabbed it and walked out without paying for it? I bet you wouldn't have...

Greenshake · 07/12/2023 12:48

Pure entitlement

BodenCardiganNot · 07/12/2023 12:49

I feel very sorry for people who work in retail. Must be absolutely draining dealing with entitled people like @christmasfoodshop

Overthebow · 07/12/2023 12:49

Yabu.

wherethewildtbingsgo · 07/12/2023 12:49

Walking out without paying for something in a shop is theft. The shop assistant had no right and no ability to let you have it for free even if she had wanted to (which I doubt given you were being bolshy).

Grimmz · 07/12/2023 12:49

On this occasion the shop obviously could have offered you the bag for free as a goodwill gesture and to minimise disruption. But most shops don't understand the value of good customer service.

SkySecret · 07/12/2023 12:49

I hate paying for bags, I have hundreds but inevitably never have them with me when I end up in a shop 🤣

I usually do the Tetris pile of shopping, stuff things in my pockets and wobble out of the doors. Once, a nice Asda lady took pity on me and gave me a bag 😂 that was lovely of her, but not expected at all.

They’re payable items like your shopping. Your lack of planning in not picking one up before checking out is your own fault. Picking one up and walking out with no attempt or offer to pay is pretty gross tbh 😬 at that point you could easily have scanned it prior to packing your stuff in it!

YABU

AllAroundMyCat · 07/12/2023 12:50

Surely, when you took the bag you must have known that you had to pay for it?

Utterly entitled and a bit daft.

Backtoreality1 · 07/12/2023 12:50

So you weren't sufficiently prepared for shopping, in a world where reusable bags are now the norm, but she is the problem? Get a grip! You will have known as you were putting things in your basket that you didn't have enough bags and could have scanned before. Your own fault and you were stealing a bag....she did absolutely the right thing!