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?

But don't most supermarkets charge more than the 10p levy for a bag? That difference is profit - or they used to donate the money to charity. Is that still a thing? Or have they quietly adopted a new revenue stream?

YANBU, it's annoying. I can pick up 99% of products myself, but not a carrier bag. Stop making shopping more and more difficult!

YANBU! I’ve noticed it’s only Tesco that do this - I avoid going there for this reason. Really infuriates me….especially when I’m in a hurry and can’t find a staff member. Just have them available to take, I don’t get why then need to be guarded so much.

It's reassuring them that I appreciate their help and understand that it's not their fault. I'm not going to tut and stamp my foot in disapproval and I'm not going to simper and smile like I haven't been waiting for 10 mins to have someone confirm I'm over 21. So when they say I'm really sorry for your wait, I'm going to say, "it's not ok but it's absolutely not your fault- neither of us should be in this position."

They'd be much happier if you just said "don't worry, it's fine". Whingeing at them achieves absolutely nothing other than making their day worse.

Sometimes I think I live in a parallel universe. I have never had this happen to me in any supermarket in the UK or anywhere in the world.

2 out of 3 of your reasons become n/a if you just get into the habit of checking you have a small fold up bag with you (eg in your bag or pocket or boot of your car) before you leave the house, same as you check you have keys and phone.

Yanbu, I dislike it when carier bags aren't readily and easily available at self service check outs, it's very inconvenient. Often there isnt any staff readily available to ask for one either.

It's not fine.

They guard the bags like Rottweilers?

In that case the staff must drool,fart,snore and let anyone have one for a bit of hotdog sausage.

It is annoying. If I wanted to shoplift, I'd steal more than a bloody carrier bag!

I don't have a car and those bags don't fold so well as to fit into my pocket. I don't carry a handbag. I usually have my keys, a small card holder and my phone, nothing more, it all fits into my pockets. I hate handbags, they're just begging to be lost/stolen, and I'm not gonna start carrying one just so I can put supermarket bags in it...

Why do you ask for a bag 'guiltily'?

Exactly!!

This is completely irrelevant and whether or not I take my own bags is a completely separate issue.

The point is, they are selling something, I want to buy it.
They guard them by actually pinning to them to their bodies, make you ask for them instead of just taking them off the shelf like the other, more expensive items they have for sale, and make you feel bad for wanting to purchase one. It's bizarre.

Erm... Yes?
It's my local shop. I've shopped there since I moved out at 17. It's next to my kids school. I rarely shop elsewhere.

My food basic shop is £150 a WEEK. That alone is £7800 a year. That's just the basics. There's also any extra treats for birthdays or something, there's Christmas which is tonnes more, including all the extra fancy food, any gifts I get from there, gift wrap etc. Then there's clothing items, I buy all of our underwear from Tesco, most of the kids uniform bits, a lot of their nightwear and the occasional cardie or cheap pair of shoes for me. DH get all his work t-shirts from Tesco. DH is also a smoker and his cigarettes are £13 a pop.

I've also bought a TV from them, a dinner set, several small kitchen appliances, and other home stuff over the years that I've forgotten, I think my bin is from there, and probably a lot of my duvet sets.
And that's before we get to what we spend on fuel at the Tesco garage, we run a Ford Transit van and a Vauxhall Zafira. Fuel alone is well into the tens of thousands.
Oh and the cafe! I've had a lot of coffees, a fair few breakfasts, and a fair amount of kids' dinners!
So yeah. You did ask!

It's their job, not all shoppers are honest or trustworthy and they don't personally know you. Also why don't you reuse your bags 🛍️ If you're going there so often. Sometimes it's not about the 30p it's also saving the environment.

The bag money goes to charity (at least it does in my shop).
We have bags on the self serve tills and bags behind the manned tills. The shop likes the number of bags sold (a PHENOMENAL number, despite the 'bring your own bag' message) to roughly tally the money taken for them. A few here and there doesn't matter.

But we are getting messages that we're going to stop providing bags (no idea when this is supposed to come in though). So people should get used to bringing a bag with them when they come shopping. I have so many customers who buy a trolley full of stuff (so they knew they were coming for a big shop, it's not impulse buying) who NEVER bring a bag and end up buying six or seven. Every time. Same customers. Loads of shopping, no bag.

I didn't say I don't reuse my bags, (and there are more ways to reuse a bag than taking it back to tesco to use for your shopping), but that's not what this post is about.

Sometimes I want to buy a bag. They are selling a bag. Why are they making it so damn hard for me to buy what they are selling?

I don't shop at tescos anymore, but let me tell you, other supermarkets do the same, they do guard the bags, I always reuse mine so I'm not too bothered.
With Tesco every little helps lol 😂

I just noticed your username OP 😂 Nice 👍

Annoying but why keep putting up with it? Pack some bags! I just keep them in my main bag at all times.

There's several products you have to ask for as they are kept behind the counter (cigarettes, lottery, Pokémon cards...) so it's not just carrier bags they are gatekeepers of 😂
In my local Tesco if you you ask for a bag the lovely staff member who never seems to have a day off always says "yes of course you can darling....here you go" and hands one to you.
It wouldn't surprise if there's been a Mumsnet thread about her and "how dare this stranger call me Darling" 😂🙄

There are a lot of people who wouldn't dream of walking into a supermarket and stealing a bottle of whiskey or a pack of razors but don't see not paying for a bag as stealing. There are a lot of people usually older who still have a real issue with paying for bags and still go on about it after all these years, why should I pay to advertise this company as their dressed head to toe in adidas walking round like a billboard. I'm not paying for a bag I will just leave all my shopping here. It's a scam for you to get more money out of us etc, etc.
People need to understand staff have no say and no choice in any decisions made. But you do know who does have a choice customers they can choose to bring their own bags, they can choose to shop elsewhere. It's the same with prices when customers go up to staff and tell them how much cheaper it is in aldi/lidl. Well guess what you can choose to shop there why are you in here telling me. I'm not holding a gun to your head you are a grown adult who is free to make your own choices in life. Not everything is somebody else's fault. Sorry got carried away there.

These all tend to be restricted and / or high value. I get why you want to lock up things behind a counter but plastic bags? It’s not like you’re going to be nicking handfuls and trying to sell them in the pub later. I’m trying to think what other item I could buy for 30p out of Tesco maybe a couple of loose carrots or a banana? I do think they should have anti theft measures but they should probably target people who steal hundreds of pounds worth of stuff rather than bag theft.