Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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:
ilovesooty · 09/12/2023 14:21

twilightmoon3 · 09/12/2023 13:46

I'll be honest here I normally try to remember bags but if I don't and I can easily I will nick them and I won't stop and as I'm not a Catholic I don't need to confess though I just did. Only the cheapest ones though not the expensive or insulated ones I have standards.

I have standards

Not very high ones, but most people who are OK with petty theft don't have much of a moral compass.

Museum10662 · 09/12/2023 14:22

ilovesooty · 09/12/2023 14:21

I have standards

Not very high ones, but most people who are OK with petty theft don't have much of a moral compass.

Show quote history

very true, some people are omg

Tibbb · 09/12/2023 14:24

twilightmoon3 · 09/12/2023 13:46

I'll be honest here I normally try to remember bags but if I don't and I can easily I will nick them and I won't stop and as I'm not a Catholic I don't need to confess though I just did. Only the cheapest ones though not the expensive or insulated ones I have standards.

Grin
CellophaneFlower · 09/12/2023 14:40

Shootin · 09/12/2023 14:10

FFS It was the situation. Yes the shop assistant was doing her job. But I agree with the OP- she shop assistant could have turned a blind eye.
All these goody two shoes on here would think she was running off with the Crown Jewels. 😱

FFS there was no "situation". The OP chose not to pay for a bag, then got pissed off as she got caught.

SFG112112 · 09/12/2023 15:26

Why on earth are so many posters getting so het up about a 30p bag?

This is almost as daft as the £95 shopping thread.

ilovesooty · 09/12/2023 15:54

SFG112112 · 09/12/2023 15:26

Why on earth are so many posters getting so het up about a 30p bag?

This is almost as daft as the £95 shopping thread.

It's not about a 30p bag. Some people don't like spoiled tantrumming people who treat staff with contempt or habitual petty thieves who think their behaviour is amusing.

Lavender14 · 09/12/2023 15:56

Yabu. And I say that as a mum of a 1 year old who's had those utterly stressful meltdown moments where all you want to do is get to your car and get home. You can't make it anyone else's problem and you can't expect to steal because of it, even if the item is only worth 30p.

Unbego · 09/12/2023 16:17

@Tessabelle74 that's for the 5p single use bag charge. What they're demanding for the 30p/60p/£1/£1.50 reusable bags, they keep.

Tessabelle74 · 09/12/2023 16:21

Unbego · 09/12/2023 16:17

@Tessabelle74 that's for the 5p single use bag charge. What they're demanding for the 30p/60p/£1/£1.50 reusable bags, they keep.

They're not demanding you buy any bag at all though are they? You could shop with a whicker basket, or a shopping trolley. You CHOOSE which bag you buy if you do

OolSarahloO · 09/12/2023 16:26

YABU

But I get the frustration of the situation x

Shootin · 09/12/2023 17:15

We all get pissed off. The mother was struggling with her baby. Heavy bags. That’s why she was frustrated. Have some compassion.

Tibbb · 09/12/2023 17:29

Shootin · 09/12/2023 17:15

We all get pissed off. The mother was struggling with her baby. Heavy bags. That’s why she was frustrated. Have some compassion.

This.

hotdiggetydog · 09/12/2023 17:30

Theft is theft

BustyLaRoux · 09/12/2023 17:43

CellophaneFlower aha no, you’re quite right. I don’t have the crying baby exemption card.

Lovelysausagedogscrumpy · 09/12/2023 18:09

I have a severe disability and frequently need the help of the supermarket staff at the checkout. They are always helpful and I’m always appreciative. I’ll probably get flamed because after all this is MN, but sometimes I’m appalled at the entitlement of mothers with children. Children are a choice you make, not an excuse to get your own way.

Lovelysausagedogscrumpy · 09/12/2023 18:12

Shootin · 09/12/2023 17:15

We all get pissed off. The mother was struggling with her baby. Heavy bags. That’s why she was frustrated. Have some compassion.

No. We all get pissed off, I agree, but a baby is not an excuse to opt out of things we all have to deal with. It’s life and children are not a get out of jail free card. OP could easily have avoided this situation by taking a bag with her, or having a fabric shopping bag in a pocket or similar.

Shootin · 09/12/2023 18:15

So she had already paid. Purse away in handbag. Picked up heavy bags. Baby crying. Mother tired. If she realised she would have needed another bag before all this she would have. The fact she had to faff about rummaging to get her purse frustrated her. The situation frustrated her. The shop assistant was doing her job I agree. However, looking at the situation she could have easily turned a blind eye.
YANBU love. If I was behind you ( like Op have already stated) I would have paid 30p.
Hope you have a lovely Christmas and ignore the negative comments.

CellophaneFlower · 09/12/2023 18:20

Shootin · 09/12/2023 18:15

So she had already paid. Purse away in handbag. Picked up heavy bags. Baby crying. Mother tired. If she realised she would have needed another bag before all this she would have. The fact she had to faff about rummaging to get her purse frustrated her. The situation frustrated her. The shop assistant was doing her job I agree. However, looking at the situation she could have easily turned a blind eye.
YANBU love. If I was behind you ( like Op have already stated) I would have paid 30p.
Hope you have a lovely Christmas and ignore the negative comments.

Lot of assumptions there, but anyway, it was ONE bag, which she clearly knew she needed as soon as she got to the checkout.

Shootin · 09/12/2023 18:38

Let me reiterate this - she had already paid for her food.Numerous times I have realised I needed another bag sometimes more. Yes I paid. But I wasn’t struggling with a baby. Poor mum was tired and overwhelmed. She was just focusing on getting out of the shop. She doesn’t deserve these nasty and rude comments.
Exactly ONE bag. 30 bloody pence.

Workingonweekendssuck · 09/12/2023 18:40

YABU

CellophaneFlower · 09/12/2023 19:23

Shootin · 09/12/2023 18:38

Let me reiterate this - she had already paid for her food.Numerous times I have realised I needed another bag sometimes more. Yes I paid. But I wasn’t struggling with a baby. Poor mum was tired and overwhelmed. She was just focusing on getting out of the shop. She doesn’t deserve these nasty and rude comments.
Exactly ONE bag. 30 bloody pence.

She needed A bag. It wasn't a case of her suddenly realising after she'd paid for her shopping. She knew she needed a bag but didn't want to pay for one.

Shootin · 09/12/2023 19:36

🥱

Justfinking · 09/12/2023 19:41

Shootin · 09/12/2023 18:38

Let me reiterate this - she had already paid for her food.Numerous times I have realised I needed another bag sometimes more. Yes I paid. But I wasn’t struggling with a baby. Poor mum was tired and overwhelmed. She was just focusing on getting out of the shop. She doesn’t deserve these nasty and rude comments.
Exactly ONE bag. 30 bloody pence.

It's her attitude, we've all been there and aren't rude to staff or act entitled. I'm sure if they were giving out £100 vouchers OP would've found a way to stop to get one. If she was paying for her groceries and she knew she'd need a bag as she already said then she should've just done that. It was her who created the situation then took a longer time arguing about it when she could have just got it done and hurried off.

Shootin · 09/12/2023 19:46

Oh pleaaaase. Give over.

Bookkeepermum · 09/12/2023 19:56

YABU