BARGAIN hunters love a good deal – but forgetting one key item when you pop to shops could cost you dearly.
Stores have been charging customers to buy carrier bags for years, but a number have recently started hiking the prices – and customers aren’t happy.
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Some retailers have increased the cost of carrier bags and bags for life by as much as 50% in recent months.
It means that forgetting to take your own bag when you go shopping could really add.
In 2015, the Government introduced the carrier bag charge, meaning customers had to pay for a plastic bag.
Retailers are now legally required to charge a minimum of 10p, no matter the size of the bag.
The Government hoped the scheme would encourage shoppers to buy bags for life and reuse them, reducing waste.
The rule has been effective – plastic bag usage dropped by 95% in 2021 (although this may have been impacted by Covid lockdowns).
Purchasing a Bag for Life means you’re not contributing to plastic waste when you’re shopping.
It’s also cheaper as you don’t have to keep buying new bags.
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We’ve rounded up all the stores we’ve found where bag prices are going up:
Home Bargains
Customers have expressed their dismay at Home Bargains and Quality Save’s 50% price increase on plastic bags.
Bags will now be 15p rather than the previous 10p.
Angry customers of Home Bargains and Quality Save took to social media to complain about the change.
One customer said: “I know everybody is charging for them, but I think 10p per bag is enough. I come here because it’s one of the cheapest places to buy what I need.
“I don’t always remember to bring bags with me, so it’s just another cost on top of everything else at the moment,” the Manchester Evening News reports
Tesco
Tesco also increased its plastic bag charge by 50%, from 20p up to 30p.
The retailer said it wants to encourage their customers to bring their own bags, rather than purchasing a plastic one.
However, customers were equally unimpressed. One wrote on Twitter: “Nice to see Tesco helping everyone out by increasing the cost of their bag for life by 10p to 30p.”
Another added “It’s bad enough prices are rising and cost of living is through the roof, but how can you explain a carrier bag price rising to 30p?
“It may only be 10p but on top of everything it’s unacceptable and alienating!!”
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s increased the price of plastic bags from 20p to 30p.
It said: “To support our plastic reduction ambitions we have updated the price of our bag for life to encourage customers to re-use them.
“Our bags are made of 100% recycled content, are recyclable in store and we continue to donate the profits from the sales to good causes.
“Customers can also return their old bags to store where they be replaced for free.”
Zara
Users on Twitter have reported that Zara have now begun charging 10p for their paper bags.
User @That-Guy-Trei wrote: “Y’all Zara charging 10 cents for paper bags when you in shop store.”
Another wrote: “Zara charge 10 cents for bags now so you gotta pay for the product and the bag.”
Another said: “Riddle me this Zara… Why do you now charge for bags when you have always had paper bags? There was no plastic to paper switchover.”
The cost of living crisis has seen prices rise astronomically – and inflation has now hit a 40-year high of 9.4% as the price of food and petrol soars.
It’s been estimated that Brits may be paying an extra £1,000 on their food shop by the end of the year.
For most shoppers, investing in a bag for life is a cheaper option in the long-term than buying a new one each time you visit the supermarket.
Here’s how much they cost at each supermarket:
- Asda – 20p
- Tesco – 30p
- Sainsbury’s – 30p
- Morrisons – 60p
Elsewhere, Aldi has announced its summer sale which includes hot tubs and BBQs.
And Asda has also slashed the price of garden furniture in time for the heatwave.
