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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:
BoPeepNoSheep · 12/12/2023 09:21

That loss doesn’t come out of store budget, they’re cheap flimsy bags that were given away for free before this nonsense. They cost probably 2p each. The money is being stolen off the government not th shop

Beautifulbeach · 12/12/2023 09:43

Nope you are not being unreasonable. Nothing annoys me more than having to pay for their plastic promotional material. They should supply free plain paper bags. Buy a recyclable bag and stop them advertising at your expense.

Cosyblankets · 12/12/2023 12:13

Beautifulbeach · 12/12/2023 09:43

Nope you are not being unreasonable. Nothing annoys me more than having to pay for their plastic promotional material. They should supply free plain paper bags. Buy a recyclable bag and stop them advertising at your expense.

Being annoyed that you have to pay is not the same as not actually paying and then feeling offended when you are challenged about it

Humannat · 12/12/2023 13:26

I’ve not seen a single comment from anyone outraged about the cost of the bag. (Bar those complaining that we have to pay for them).

people are slating her for her entitlement and subsequent temper tantrum over being asked to pay, in right she should have queued again, the bag was a new transaction.

Loobeylooooo · 12/12/2023 14:13

The old baby was crying chestnut! I bet you let your baby eat a banana whilst going round the supermarket and then hand over the skin to be weighed at the checkout. You knew how much shopping you had and whether a bag was required, stop moaning about having to pay for it! The earth revolves around the sun, not you!

Twittoowoo · 12/12/2023 14:24

I can see your frustration at dealing with a screaming baby at the same time but just get a reusable shopping bag to avoid all this faff

AchillesHeelys · 12/12/2023 18:49

How is this on 14 pages! 🤯

As has been established, you were being unreasonable, but a screaming baby will do that to you sometimes. I once accidentally walked out of the supermarket with a whole shop under the pram that I completely forgot to pay for in my sleep deprived, brain dead state.

beanii · 12/12/2023 18:50

Livelifelaughter · 10/12/2023 21:07

Well @beanii do you think the store would have called the police and described OP as a shoplifter ?

So as long as the store doesn't call the police, it's fine to steal items?

Because that's what you're saying - yes it's 'just' a bag but a chicken for £4 for example, is that ok? Still not really worth calling the police for 🤷‍♀️

What amount do you think is acceptable then? Do you teach your children that?

beanii · 12/12/2023 18:51

Shootin · 10/12/2023 21:27

Good point 🤭

Show quote history

So as long as the store doesn't call the police, it's fine to steal items?

Because that's what you're saying - yes it's 'just' a bag but a chicken for £4 for example, is that ok? Still not really worth calling the police for 🤷‍♀️

What amount do you think is acceptable then? Do you teach your children that?

beanii · 12/12/2023 18:54

BoPeepNoSheep · 12/12/2023 09:21

That loss doesn’t come out of store budget, they’re cheap flimsy bags that were given away for free before this nonsense. They cost probably 2p each. The money is being stolen off the government not th shop

Who do you think pays for the carrier bags? Given away free at a loss to the store 🤦‍♀️

Do you think they just magically appear 🤣

Shootin · 12/12/2023 19:14

beanii · 12/12/2023 18:51

So as long as the store doesn't call the police, it's fine to steal items?

Because that's what you're saying - yes it's 'just' a bag but a chicken for £4 for example, is that ok? Still not really worth calling the police for 🤷‍♀️

What amount do you think is acceptable then? Do you teach your children that?

Show quote history

yeah I tell my children to steal. NOT. Laughable point since my son is a policeman. And my daughter is a teacher.

so petty.

BoPeepNoSheep · 12/12/2023 19:48

Before the govt slapped a tax on them they always were given away for free. Baked into the business model. I haven’t seen the price of shopping fall now I’m subsidising the bag cost. In fact those doing it properly only charge what the government requires and give all the money to the govt so we are not paying them for the bag they have forked out for. Same as before. Only person losing out is the govt.

SophieJo · 12/12/2023 19:51

“For those who keep saying I shoplifted, I paid for the bag”

Not until she asked you to. You are BVVU!

Cornettoninja · 12/12/2023 20:11

Jesus, how is this thread still going? Is there really any need to keep sticking the boot in and repeating each other just for a few seconds of getting to feel superior?

Katemax82 · 12/12/2023 22:21

Personally if I was the assistant I would have let it go. I used to work in sainsburys so I can say that

RosieGirl27 · 12/12/2023 23:29

I work in retail and wouldn’t have charged you but the girl is just doing her job, my manager wouldn’t care but hers might. Your not entitled to a freebie as it is the law to charge for the plastic bags so the poor girl was simply just doing her job; raise it with the shops head office, don’t shoot the messenger. I’m not suppose to pack bags that aren’t from our store but I do for certain customers. Usually elderly regulars or ones with small babies like yourself. But I do that out of kindness, it’s not my actual job! X

nanamoo · 12/12/2023 23:56

christmasfoodshop · 07/12/2023 13:01

For those who keep saying I shoplifted, I paid for the bag

But you tried to walk out without paying for it, that's the definition of shoplifting!

Shoplifting is the act of knowingly taking goods from an establishment in which they are displayed for sale, without paying for them.

Bellabatwings · 13/12/2023 00:30

Funny how these always start with a crying baby…
The assistant doesn’t get the choice whether to charge for bags or give freebies to people with crying babies!
As for leaving the trolley, she wont have given a shit because you get immune to arseholes behaviour and that is exactly what you were!!

work on your social skills, you are indeed as we say in Scotland, a total red neck!

Cornettoninja · 13/12/2023 06:45

nanamoo · 12/12/2023 23:56

But you tried to walk out without paying for it, that's the definition of shoplifting!

Shoplifting is the act of knowingly taking goods from an establishment in which they are displayed for sale, without paying for them.

Show quote history

You’re quoting to reply to a post that is five days old.

the OP hasn’t engaged with this thread for five days and in that time multiple people have said exactly what you have over and over again.

MN needs a pitchfork emoji

Livelifelaughter · 13/12/2023 08:07

Bellabatwings · 13/12/2023 00:30

Funny how these always start with a crying baby…
The assistant doesn’t get the choice whether to charge for bags or give freebies to people with crying babies!
As for leaving the trolley, she wont have given a shit because you get immune to arseholes behaviour and that is exactly what you were!!

work on your social skills, you are indeed as we say in Scotland, a total red neck!

They do though....I have just been handed bags by staff when I can't cram everything into one bag or the bag is too heavy. We seem to be moving to a culture where people don't seem to be able to think and make pragmatic decisions using discretion. I am not blaming the shop assistant because we don't know what she has been told.

Ktime · 13/12/2023 08:11

Livelifelaughter · 13/12/2023 08:07

They do though....I have just been handed bags by staff when I can't cram everything into one bag or the bag is too heavy. We seem to be moving to a culture where people don't seem to be able to think and make pragmatic decisions using discretion. I am not blaming the shop assistant because we don't know what she has been told.

Show quote history

Why can’t you just take in extra bags?

Flamalotty · 13/12/2023 08:30

I feel so sorry for customer service people who deal with tricky customers when they’re trying to do their job. She could have got into trouble for letting that go and you expect that to happen. Just because it’s 30p doesn’t matter.

SpringingJoy · 13/12/2023 08:40

You should have just grabbed a twix on your way out op - I mean that's, what, 80p?

I'm sure for the sake of 80p they'd not have expected you to pay for it, that would be bonkers wouldn't it?

Ktime · 13/12/2023 08:50

Shootin · 12/12/2023 19:14

yeah I tell my children to steal. NOT. Laughable point since my son is a policeman. And my daughter is a teacher.

so petty.

Show quote history

Do you think policemen and teachers don’t steal? They do.

JenJuni · 13/12/2023 10:25

I get how it must have been frustrating for you. I don’t think checkout staff have the discretion to do that though. I understand that it’s totally stressful having a screaming baby as we’re biologically wired to put them first. However I still feel like a balance needs to be struck with the needs of society. It’s not like ‘baby trumps everything else’. I’m disabled and mums with babies in prams (not the dads for some reason) are pretty much the only group in society who seem to expect me to go around them, even though it’s painful and difficult for me, as though they’re more entitled to the pavement or supermarket aisle than literally anyone else. I do feel for the OP though, if it had been a small business they may have let it go.