To be irritated with supermarket staff that guard the carrier bags like rottweilers

[orangesandlemonssaythebellsofstclements]

Before I start - this is not a debate about whether or not we should be paying for carrier bags, or who's fault it is that we have to pay. I don't care. I will happily pay 30p for a carrier bag.

My issue is this - every time I go into my local Tesco, if I want a bag, I can't just take one from the end of the till or next to the self serve like you used to, I have to flag down a member of staff, ask them guiltily for a bag, which they will either take out of a closely guarded box or unclip from their belts and hand to me. But they won't just hand it to me, they'll hand it to me and say "there's the barcode" and the stand over me making sure I scan it. On a few occasions I've even had them push in front of me at the self-serve and scan it for me.

Why do they treat me, a customer who has been shopping there for over 20 years, and who has spend probably hundreds of thousands of pounds there, like I am going to steal from them? It's insulting and rude.

I've even had them snap "you must have loads of them at home by now" when I ask for one. Like it's any of their business what I buy and what I do with my purchases.

Why do they make us feel this way just for wanting to buy something they have for sale?

I always laugh about this when I’m at the self checkout.
DP and I have a joke, ‘take whatever you want, as long as it’s not a carrier bag’.
Honestly, it’s the o ly thing they seem to check!

When Sainsbury's took away manned tills, guarded their carrier bags like they were made of pure gold AND made me scan my receipt to leave the store, I left and didn't return. I won't give someone my hard earned cash to be treated like that. It's NOT the staffs fault. But I think it's important to have conversations with staff about how you feel as a customer.

When the one woman who was solely manning 20 self-service tills the other day finally did come to me and apologise for my wait I told her it wasn't her fault and I felt for her, but I was disgusted by the company and her management for putting her and me in that position.

Just keep a little fold up bag on you. Smaller than a packet of tissues. Then it'll never be an issue.

Well if it’s acting as an incentive for people to remember their own bags, then it’s a job well done.

I agree BUT I went through my carrier bag mountain that had taken over my pantry floor.

I diligently spent the best part of an hour folding the little bastards into self contained triangles.

I realised that I have spent £32 on carrier bags since the time I moved into my current home two years ago. Not counting the ones that have broken, I’ve used for rubbish or binned.

They have found their way into my car now and are being used instead of buying more

I'm not expecting the staff to 'do' anything as such, my whole post is pointing out that none of this is the staff's doing but they're the ones taking the blame and the hassle for it, and while people continue to do that, nothing will change because as you say, they can work there and follow the rules or they can not work there.

By join forces I mean that if both the shop assistants and the customers are saying the same things - this policy is crap, to the right people - head office, there's more likely to be change.
Perhaps a better way to phrase it other than 'join forces' would be for customers to be a pain in head offices arse, rather than the shop assistants, because the shop assistant can change nothing, head office can.

That's if they're really invested in seeing a change, rather than just knowing they can vent their frustrations at a captive audience that they know can't change anything and has to stand there and take it.

And "I won't give someone my hard earned cash to be treated like that" from your second post, you're not 'giving' them your money, you're not donating to charity, you're getting goods/a service in return - you may think those goods or service aren't worth what they're charging, but you are getting something in return, it's not a benevolent act.

I don't mind the charges but hate that sometimes can't find any anywhere. Most people need one, just leave them by the tills!

Where are you going that you can get a whole week of food for £100?

It's rare I get through a self service till without an assistant having to come over to correct something that's not run through - ask them then if there's no other opportunity.

Better still - take bags with you, that's the point of charging, to encourage you not to treat the carriers as single use plastic

I havnt worked in retail in 10 years but what I will say is when I did, every cashier knew the code for bags because they were notoriously difficult to scan. So my assumption would be you stand over the customer to make sure it goes through so you're not called a second time. And shrinkage, it's a levy so not like other cheap items, it's all loss and easy to grab a load at a time.

I was helping them make a profit. I am now choosing not to help them make a profit.

Tesco!! As I said upthread there are only two of us plus two ravenous cats but to be fair OP hasn’t said how many people she’s buying for either.

We cook from scratch apart from one freezer tea when we’re both home late after activities. Only one of us eats any meat. One bottle of wine every week. Some toiletries or cleaning stuff most weeks. If it hits £100 it’s when a few things like washing pods and cat litter/food, peanut butter or Marmite have all run out at the same time.

That’s my experience! I know it’s gone up over OP’s 20 years so I still maintain it wouldn’t have been 100+ every week. We can quibble over when it becomes hundreds of thousands too, if you like - at least 200,000 in my view.

Do most people need them? Surely most people nowadays take bags with them, at least that's what I see when I'm out shopping

Do you wear a badge that shows how long you have shopped for? I presume they do the job they are paid to do so why would I need to make their job any harder becasue I have shopped longer than the next person?

I dont think they do it because they have a competition on who can annoy the customers the most, but I do think they staff have conversations about customers who demand their 'rights' as in ''I have shppped here for 20 years so you need to do what I say" sure there is rude staff sometimes but then I wonder why they are rude and maybe because they have had to put up with rude customers for 20 years?

They are trying to reduce one-use plastics and to encourage people to bring their bags back.

Biodegradable bags or paper bags would be better imo.

So go to a manned checkout instead, they will have them readily available?

If you ask for a carrier bag in my Aldi they always give you the 30p thick plastic one. They guard the thin green 10p ones very closely indeed for some unknown reason. So you have to specifically ask for them.

Bring your own.

Where in the country are you OP? Our Tesco leaves them out for people to help themselves to but we do live in a very naice, very leafy part of the SE. It may not be the same everywhere I suppose!

I've had similar and when I didn't instantly scan it she told me I needed to. I pointed out there's an option to add a bag at the end

"But I think it's important to have conversations with staff about how you feel as a customer." Why?

The company won't listen to their staff. All you're doing is venting at an overworked person, who probably needs to go do something or help another customer. It's demoralising to hear complaining all the time when they have no power to fix it.

Oh. Yet another zero OP replies thread. Fucks sake

It depends on the store and their own situation. In my Tesco there are still bags by each self service till, send the only security tags are on some clothes, electricals and spirits. I suspect we're pretty lucky and or store isn't as popular with thieves as others.
It still shocks me to see security tags on meat at some stores. But they're mostly stores close to a road where shop lifters can make a quick getaway.

I mean, if I was gonna steal from a supermarket, it'd probably be something with a bit more resale value than bags.

As for the people who say "bring yours", that's great but :

• You sometimes forget
• You sometimes buy more than anticipated
• You sometimes realize you need to buy whatever on your way home from work and don't have bags with you

Those are the primary reasons why I have way too many of these overpriced bags at home. But hey they can double as garbage bags in an emergency... Also good use when carrying stuff for birthday parties/moving to a different house/going to the beach, etc