Overpriced paper and plastic bags at supermarkets

[ladykale]

In the uk we’ve reached a point where everyday price gouging and rip offs have been normalised.

10p plastic bags were supposedly introduced for the environment - yet even piece of fruit and veg is wrapped in unnecessary plastic!

now stores such as M&S charge you 40p for a paper bag that can barely stay intact to hold a bag of shopping, then 80p if you actually need a plastic bag that won’t disintegrate in the rain

absolutely ridiculous!

Just bring your own bag. That is the whole point. I now always carry a bag or two with me even if I am not planning on shopping. They don’t take up much room in my handbag.

Do you pay for a bag each time?

Yep. I worked in a supermarket and every time someone complained to me about the cost of bags I would ask them why they didn't bring their own.

It's why the bag charge was introduced.

Stating the obvious here, but I just make sure I have a bag with me when I go shopping. It does help that I don’t really live somewhere that allows impulse shopping, I either walk to the village shop or drive to the supermarket. I don’t remember when I last bought a supermarket bag. If I’m in town I shove a nylon bag in my handbag. I do get irritated by supermarkets putting all fruit and veg in plastic though.

I keep a selection of cotton tote bags, nylon bags, etc near the front door and just grab one when I go out. Once you get into the habit, it becomes second nature.

M&S are terrible at plastic waste, all their ready meals, salads come with see through plastic lids and tubs, probably the same amount of plastic used for a bag. Paper bags should be free or pennies to buy. There’s been great progress on the amount of single use plastic bags, but a lot more needs doing.

It is meant to be an incentive to take you own bags (which obviously isn't working for you).

Can't remember the last time I had to pay for a bag.
Car has a selection stored in the boot, I have a fold-up one in my bag (for unplanned purchases) and if I am going browsing, I always make sure I have a couple of good bags with me.
My OH is the same.

That’s the point

Cotton own bag. I don’t think I have bought a bag except in dire emergency for about 15 years.

I think the idea is that one should try to avoid using more bags; and reuse bags wherever possible. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

We do take our own bags shopping with us and try to keep them clean and ‘in service’ as much as possible.

Buying loose fruit and vegetables is often less expensive than buying it packaged in plastic containers. Usually there are scales in the shop and/or at the till. If everyone refused to buy fruit and vegetables wrapped in plastic, things would change.

You can also leave the plastic behind in the shop, and put the fruit in your own reusable bag after paying for it.

I remember the days when your plastic bag wore out you got a free one to replace it - that was a good incentive.

Im also also a bag forgetter. Shop more in Aldi than Markies so I grab a cardboard box / tray from fruit aisle and use that.

Yes bring your own bag, mine breed in the cupboard under the stairs

agree that the replacement bag scheme was good

I do agree with other posters to bring your own bag but I would say OP makes a good point - it's pretty hypocritical to say it's for the environment where supermarkets show very little effort to reduce plastic on produce

That’s why more of us should start leaving it (plastic) in the supermarkets.

That’s still the case in Tesco and Sainsbury’s, not sure about others.

The replacement bag still operates in Sainsburys.

the plastic bag charge was introduced by a previous government, its effective but a drop in the plastic ocean.

If you habitually forget bags then put one in your bag or coat pocket (the ones like Bags for Life fold down very small).

If you are going to the supermarket by car, you also have the option of just unloading your shopping into the boot. Or better still, just keep bags in your car boot.

The cost of the plastic wrapping is included in tepee you pay for things anyway

and since most people bring bags these days - why should they subsidise you?

YANBU I was shocked at the price of a paper bag in M&S, the whole point of charging for them was to reduce plastic waste.
And yes, I have no end of reuseable shopping bags but they're mostly used for food shopping and aren't particularly clean to put new clothes in, and sometimes I pop in shops and buy things on impulse when I hadn't planned to and don't have a bag on me! And I don't carry a handbag much of the time so don't lecture me about keeping on in there.

At this time of year you are probably wearing a coat, so could put a bag in the pocket.
And you can get bags that fold down very small, so they can go wherever you put your phone/purse/keys in summer.

A fabric tote bag can go through the wash if it gets dirty.

now stores such as M&S charge you ... 80p if you actually need a plastic bag that won’t disintegrate in the rain
I have loads of plastic bags-for-life. I don't think that I've ever bought one!
I've managed to acquire them as 'discards' from people who obviously didn't think the loss of 10p was enough of an incentive to re-use it.

I agree about packaging, though.

There's always someone at the supermarket who is a bag forgetter.

You see them struggling (and often dropping) a teetering pile of items whilst negotiating the car park and their car door.

Those people would take a free plastic bag ever single time. That's a lot of plastic bags uglying up the environment.

I often use the National trust ones which fold up for clothes shopping

you can hand wash them anyway

I find the M&S food store paper bags are near on bomb proof, in my experience. I've got 6 that I leave by the front door and I use them for all types of shopping simply because they hold so much.

The two oldest ones I have been using for over 2 years, and they do a heavy food shop once a week and all sorts of random stuff in between, they honestly still look like new and fold flat for easy storage.

I love my M&S bags and won't be separated from them! And I realise I sound like an M&S affliate, which I promise I'm not 😂