People still buying bags when shopping

[Auburngal]

It's 8.5 years since the bag charges were introduced in England (Oct 4 2015) and longer for other parts of the UK. My friend's DS was born on that day and she has pointed out he was born on the same day bag charges were introduced in England and people are shocked.

Why do people still not come shopping without bags? See the same faces most days at work buying bags. "Left the bags in the car" - pack at the car then!

If people buy on average 10 bags at 30p each per week at supermarkets, shops like B&M, Poundland - that's £156 a year. People don't look at the price as a whole they think "its only 30p".

Then see people down my road using brand new carrier bags for rubbish. Bin bags are cheaper (per unit), bigger and able to tie them up properly.

Then my work is opposite a few other shops - see customers buy two items and buy a bag from us when they have room in another shop's bag they just purchased from. What's that about?

The number of times I have bought bags is in single figures. For example - buying a coat - none of the bags I had were big enough. Brought 2 bags with me and one broke - it wasn't the retailer's bag in question. So couldn't get the replacement free.

Please stop buying bags. Fold one up inside your handbag. I am ok with those who bought more than they intend and don't have room in their own bags they have brought with them.

Taking your own bags is a simple way to help with CoL.

I buy bags every time. I use them for cat litter at home as they're better quality and thicker than bin bags.

@saltinesandcoffeecups

Makes sense. We don't have a dog, don't have kids in nappies and we still have a weekly black sack taken by the council - anything yukky goes straight into the black sack, none of the bins in the house have gross stuff in them so they don't need to be lined with another bag.

We do get online shopping delivered in bags but they take back the previous delivery's bags and credit us for the bags - I offloaded a whole load of bags that route a while ago.

And once every couple of months the yellow sack of recycling goes to the coop if I'm driving instead of walking.

Who even cares?

I think people have largely got behind this initiative and see more people in supermarkets bringing their own shopping bags

Although,I think some supermarkets are using this law to make a profit on paper carriers at 40 to 60p a pop and these are often not reusable

And as for clothes shops or fragrence shops etc, spend £250 on an item and to be asked to pay extra for a carrier. Blimey if Primark can offer a free paper carrier why can't Next or M&S do the same x

I only carry a hand bag if on a fancy night out.

No. I refuse to reuse the meat bag again

I rarely carry a handbag. Sometimes I pop into the shops on the way back from the school run and need to get a bag if I buy more than one or two things I can fit in my pockets.

It isn't the crime of the century - I'd rather do the 40 min round school run on foot and buy the occasional bag than always have one in my car boot but drive the school run. Not that I think that makes me a better person.

Yep. Phone and keys. Don’t need anything else.

I’ve just arrived home from south East Asia (Vietnam and Singapore) and the O/Ps head would explode.

I didn’t once see anyone bring their own bags when shopping - including groceries - and I daresay it’s the same in neighbouring Asian countries too.

I did actually find a couple of fabric bags inside my backpack which I used at a supermarket but disposable plastic bags are sadly rife throughout Asia and only government regulations in those countries will make any difference.

I was in M&S at the weekend and they were selling string bags at the till. Quite felt like the 50s again

Where are all the people who usually pop up on these threads to say they don’t pay for their bags?

OK but if I want to spend my money on multiple 30p bags then I will. And there’s nowt you can do about it!

I definitely wouldn't carry a handbag on a fancy night out! I'd be guaranteed to leave it somewhere.

Well I don't. Certainly not pockets that would be big enough to carry a bag for life.

This made me laugh 😂😂😂😂

We FORGET THE BAGS it isn’t complicated. I assume you aren’t yet menopausal (or a mum) if you never forget shit.

And sometimes we pop into the supermarket spontaneously on the way home from elsewhere and we discover on arrival that we don’t have any bags in the car because DH used them and forgot to put them back in.

If you wanna campaign for the environment, lobby supermarkets to stop using so much plastic in food packaging. Posting a sanctimonious lecture online is not a good look for you OP and will achieve precisely fuck all for the environment. But you keep patting yourself in the back. 🙄

Agree. Have fastidiously put used bags in my boot but there's always the odd occasion I forget to get them out. I don't feel guilty ever for buying one or two. I often take all the plastic you can't recycle at roadside collections to places where they accept it like the bigger supermarkets

The government should just ban the selling of all plastic and paper bags - so you can keep buying cloth, sisal, etc for every shop, but naturally they'll be more expensive.

You need to watch this then! 😁

not sure what your AIBU is?

Are you bothered about the waste? the cost? what?

if its waste, then be assured that the manufacturers all over the world make much more of an impact than Sharon forgetting her bag 4 life.

if its cost, its other people's money; they spend it how they want...

such a non issue. Stress less, live longer

What you’re ok and not ok with is not a concern of mine.

Chill out

I am ok with those who bought more than they intend and don't have room in their own bags they have brought with them.

That's very generous of you.

I get them every time I go shopping and use them for rubbish bags. Saves me buying black bin liners. It’s 6 of one and half a dozen of the other 🤷🏽‍♀️

Get o’er yersel min.