Is it just me or is charging 50p for a paper bag at M&S food outrageous?

[sequin2000]

I know I should have brought a bag and I usually do. If the option was a plastic bag I would have struggled with the shopping in my arms to the car, but I thought as it was paper it wasn't so bad. What I didn't expect was to be charged 50p. M&S say the bag can be used 100 times. Is there anyone out there who has reused an M&S paper bag? AIBU in thinking most people don't realise they cost 50p, that the assistants should make this clear and that M&S are profiting from this government policy?

I went to a bookshop on a whim and bought a few books and only had a handbag with me. I ended up having to buy a £10 tote bag as they didn’t have any other kind of bag available, which I think is clearly ridiculous and probably counter productive as I won’t be going there again.

Ooof! They're gambling that people in that situation won't just put the books down, walk out and go and order them off Amazon.

I'm a big fan of an independent bookshop and wouldn't do that, but I'd be willing to bet a chunk of the population would. Personally, I wouldn't pay £10 for a bag I didn't otherwise need, I'd just whittle down the number of books I was prepared to buy until it was manageable to carry without a bag. So they'd lose sales.

Our local independent book shop is excellent, and while they do stock expensive bags for life at £15+ they also do offer carrier bags for a more reasonable cost.

Surely you had a bag for your shopping generally though? I just stick the stickers onto that

I was surprised when I bought some fruit today in M&S and put it in the small brown paper bag provided, that I had been charged for it, there was no notification of this and what else are you supposed to do when shopping.
You don’t put loose fruit in the bottom of your shopping trolly while going round the supermarket,
i had my carrier bag with me but I wouldn’t put loose fruit in that either.
The bag had ripped by the time I got home so obviously wasn’t durable either.

Is there anyone out there who has reused an M&S paper bag

I don’t have an M&S near me but yes, I have their paper bag and have reused it dozens of
times.

I’ve nicked them before. At the self checkout.