ever have to pay for shopping bags in a supermarket?

Peanut2

Tue, Nov 06 2012, 6:10 pm

In Ireland they charged us and I almost exploded. We had flown in with one of those discount airlines where it costs a fortune to bring any extra bags and they measure them as you board. We brought one full of kosher food and didn't bring a grocery bag... and kept having to pay for flimsy plastic bags that kept breaking.

We used to bring our own bags to Tesco when we lived in London, so they either charged or gave a discount for bringing them. I got really used to it and bring my own in the US, too.

It's annoying if you are a tourist, but what's the big deal otherwise?

little_mage

Tue, Nov 06 2012, 6:55 pm

bluebird wrote:

The city where I live has banned plastic bags. You pay a few cents for a paper bag. It's annoying because paper bags don't have handles. I try to carry my own reusable one but I don't always have it with me.

Slightly off topic, but I have seen paper bags with handles. The main grocery store where I shop has paper bags with handles. It might be worth asking the store if they can get some.

Snickers18

Tue, Nov 06 2012, 6:58 pm

imamiri wrote:

Snickers18 wrote:

imamiri wrote:

Snickers18 wrote:

imamiri wrote:

Yes in both places that I have lived the last couple of years, California and BC.

Doesn't bother me really. I used re-useable cloth bags before they started charging anyway. It's not that difficult.

imamiri, if you don't mind me asking, do/did you live close-ish to Blaine, WA?

Well kinda. Vancouver. Hopefully going back to SoCal.

We're practically neighbors! I think this excites me far more than it should. Smile

I'm in Bellingham, WA. Perhaps you come here to do Costco shopping?

Nah we have Costco here. Smile

Well, there is the fact that so many Canadians shop at the Costco here because it's considerably cheaper to do so, especially when talking about gas and milk. I think they should have mini refrigerators at the gas pumps, so it can be a one-stop shop.

In any case, they just started charging for bags over here. We bring our own because we already have them, and anyway, the paper bags they give out have no handles, which makes things impossible.

ETA: By charging, I mean that the plastic bag ban went into effect.

Snickers18

Tue, Nov 06 2012, 7:02 pm

I was kind of bummed about that, especially because I live in such an environmentally-conscious city that people don't just dispose of plastic bags willy-nilly. We use them over and over again. I kept mine in one large bag and brought them back to stores, lined my bathroom garbage cans with them, picked up deer/dog poop with them......the possibilities were endless. Now they are no more. Sad

I would think they would make such a ban if the city as a whole really had issues with it, but as far as cities go, we are very green. And I guess that answers my question. Smile

shanie5

Tue, Nov 06 2012, 7:32 pm

My favorite place to shop charges for bags-the store has the best prices around. So if I forget to bring bags (I usually keep them in my car) I feel the savings are worth buying a few.

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Nov 07 2012, 12:02 am

My in laws in joburg have to pay for plastic bags so my mother in law tries to always bring her own, but sometimes she has to end up buying a bag or two.

They are charging because eventually there will only be earth friendly bags and not plastic, but they are phasing things out, slowly.

yo'ma

Sun, Nov 16 2014, 10:45 am

Last week, I got a few things in my local small supermarket. What I bought cost $20. I had $100 and $20 on me, so obviously I gave the $20. Then I asked for a bag. She said it cost $.50, so I gave her the $100. She gave me the bag without me paying Wink

.

My dh and I got a keyboard at the mall at a computer store. We asked for a bag and she said it's $17. (that's less than $2) Even if it's less than $2, that's a lot of money for a bag especially in a mall and not for food. She said they are the enviornmental ones. I was showing my dh something in the store before we left without a bag and the guy who helped us asked what was wrong. My dh told him about the bag, so he gave us a bag that's not an enviornmental one that they give for large items because it's huge. The whole thing made no sense!!! I'm supposed to walk around the mall with a keyboard in my hand??

mom in france

Sun, Nov 16 2014, 11:30 am

MaBelleVie wrote:

Yes, in France- we bring re-usable bags when we shop. It's annoying, yet I feel it's justified.

right, in france its become normal. For earth friendly reasons, although im sure that the shops r happy too, they are cutting costs!

amother

Sun, Nov 16 2014, 12:41 pm

In Vienna we always have to pay for our bags, so we either have durable ones, reuse old ones or throw out money again and again on new ones. The idea behind it is to be eco friendly. Then again we have the kosher shops which have the "bad" plastic bags and they dont charge for them. These are also not very reusable =pollution

amother

Sun, Nov 16 2014, 12:49 pm

In LA, CA it's 10 cents a bag. My parents use reusable bags for everything except for FOOD. My mother called the health department and they told her it's best to not reuse food bags. She does clean the other bags after each use, even if it's just cosmetics and such. I bought my grandmother 30 reusable bags for her birthday. It's great because grandmothers like practical items.

amother

Sun, Nov 16 2014, 1:06 pm

My store doesn't charge but where my married kids live they do. So when we visit, I cram a bunch in my suitcase to give to them. I also gave them a bunch of those nonwoven reusable bags to keep in their car. Those bags are nice but they wear out pretty fast, and you can't recycle them the way you can recycle the plastic bags. Once they start to shred, they're landfill fodder.

ruchelbuckle

Sun, Nov 16 2014, 1:14 pm

What shanie said. The supermarket here that is the most budget friendly charges for bags. I try to bring my oown. Or leave a few pampers boxes in the care. I bring everything out to the car bagless, load it up in the boxes, and then put the cart back. This store also chargescharges (refundable) .25 to use a shopping cart

Sanguine

Sun, Nov 16 2014, 1:19 pm

Just now they almost started charging here in Israel but then the environment minister quit (love those Israeli politics) and they're not doing it. So how does it work? We do big shoppings in the cheaper supermarkets and I can easily need 20 shopping bags in one shopping. So you have to fully pack up before you pay the bill so they know how many bags to charge you for? We're always paid and packing while they're already staring to ring up the next customer.

Second question. We always reuse the bags for a ton of other things (garbage bags, freezer bags, lunch bags, dirty diapers (haven't done that in 10 years)...) So if I use those cloth bags, I'll just buy plastic bags to use for all my other plastic bag needs. So how is this going to save the environment?