The Carrier Bag Scandal

[tonyreddevil]

Yes. We know. That is what the entire thread is about.

Are You So Sure?

[cambrensis]

It never fails to amaze me. how the Great British Public, or in this case English Public, actually believes it has been given things free of charge! Plastic bags in supermarkets have always been paid for, whether you took them or not!

This could be an opportunity for a few price cuts - but I would not hold my breath.

[countryfeedback87]

Question re this.

Aldi have always charged 5p for a bag, do they now have to give this to charity in what would have previously been part of their profit?

[tonyreddevil]

After a fairly recent visit to Cardiff, and upon purchasing a large coat plus other clothing items I was asked if I would like a bag... Of course I said Yes Please, and was asked for another 5p for the bag... good job I had some change or I would have been paying for it by credit card,,,

I was a little aghast and mentioned to someone later on about it and was informed that it is THE LAW in Wales that you have to pay 5p for a carrier bag... THE LAW !!!

I know some shops charge anyway (Aldi do in this country, for squeezing profits...) but how long until it's the law in England?

I find it totally ridiculous... 5p!! It's not the price but the principal. Sometimes when I go shopping I sometimes have to ask repeatably for extra bags as I might get given 1 or 2 by the checkout operator for a trolley full of shopping...

I'm all for helping the environment, I seperate my waste, put them into the right bins and even take bottles and old clothes to the big bin thingies a 5 minute drive away. I don't like pointless rubbish and minimize water usage, turn lights off etc and I do all this as MY CHOICE.

To make things like this THE LAW in my opinion is bordering on dictatorship. When I use the self serve tills now I take a good number of extra bags (IE packing 1 item per bag) in order to prepare for the coming carrier bag shortage !! I reuse the carrier bags for a variety of reasons.

If this became law here or if the big supermarkets introduced their own charge I feel like I would want to do a big shop, leave it all on the checkout and take it to my car 1 item at a time if they're not going to help me carry out THEIR products I bought in THEIR store !

One a time you are wasting your time

[cambrensis]

Question re this.

Aldi have always charged 5p for a bag, do they now have to give this to charity in what would have previously been part of their profit?

There is a complete misunderdstanding here.

The bag is always charged for in every store; Aldi has always been open about it and people who shop there have enough nous, for the most part, to take their own bags.It is also noteworthy that prices are regarded as generally lower in such stores and that overall they have been more successful than the larger supermarkets in recent years.

The point remains. As things stand, without a reduction in some prices, the larger supermarkets will be charging you twice for their bags; once by the hidden charge and once by the "5p levy", which they will claim as "charitable" and with which they will blow their own trumpets. The new law does not state that the 5p charge must be given to charity; and those people who have a "Tesco" card, for example, know that for some years they have been able to gain extra points by using their own bags, a tacit admission that the bag is already charged for.

Aldi can continue to charge for its bags as it always has, therefore. Their operational procedure is perfectly clear!

[johnwash1]

think you missed the point country feedback was making the cost of a plastic bag has always been a cost figured into the goods you buy, although they have always appeared to be free that has never been the case, and whats more your not told they have always figured in the total you pay at the outlet, adding yet another 5p presumably has always been the cost, of said bags, adding another 5p means your paying 10p a bag, some one some were is making a lot of money from this stealth charge/tax which is ok of course because its in the name of the enviroment.

The cost of "said bags" is/was nowhere near 5p. So your sums are flawed. More important, the cost, such as it was, was previously spread across all customers, those that used many bags and even those who were responsible and brought their own. You're right that "someone" is making a lot of money from this tax... happily the 5p charge is going to charities.

Sorry to be replying late.

[sidthelamp]

The cost of "said bags" is/was nowhere near 5p. So your sums are flawed. More important, the cost, such as it was, was previously spread across all customers, those that used many bags and even those who were responsible and brought their own. You're right that "someone" is making a lot of money from this tax... happily the 5p charge is going to charities.

Sorry to be replying late.

well if you had presented some sums id of said urs are flawed,
we have been charged 5p a bag in wales for a number of years thats the charge they tell you about theres the hidden charge as well which is hiked up on the price of a average shopping trip,thats not just the manufacturing cost, youd have to be pretty naive to belive that they dont make a profit on plastic bags,if you factor the price of a average shop 5p does not seem a lot as far as the customer goes especially as hidden charges are not shown, just like they factor the price of shopping on staff,outlets,fleets, the list is endless, they dont differentiate between costs of food and the cost of supplying food there all hidden costs we all pay,
it would no surprise me at all if a plastic bag costs more than 10p at outlet

[johnwash1]

well if you had presented some sums id of said urs are flawed,
we have been charged 5p a bag in wales for a number of years thats the charge they tell you about theres the hidden charge as well which is hiked up on the price of a average shopping trip,thats not just the manufacturing cost, youd have to be pretty naive to belive that they dont make a profit on plastic bags,if you factor the price of a average shop 5p does not seem a lot as far as the customer goes especially as hidden charges are not shown, just like they factor the price of shopping on staff,outlets,fleets, the list is endless, they dont differentiate between costs of food and the cost of supplying food there all hidden costs we all pay,
it would no surprise me at all if a plastic bag costs more than 10p at outlet

Well, do your own research. For example, google for 'bulk cost of plastic bags' and find some suppliers. The cost for a small retailer would be about 1p per bag, and I imagine a large supermarket would get them cheaper still.

Your comment "it would no surprise me at all if a plastic bag costs more than 10p at outlet" doesn't make sense, I guess you have no experience of accounting. If you're not being charged for something at the checkout, its price is 0. If you're being charged 5p for something at the checkout, its price is 5p. On the other hand, if you're talking about the procurement cost for the seller, it's nowhere near 10p, as I said above, a few moments research tells you it's around 1p. If you're trying to inflate your case by suggesting that the company needs to figure in its overheads, I would agree with that if we were talking about a product such as a tin of beans, but this isn't relevant -- the plastic bag is, in accounting terms, part of the cost of doing business.

Sid, I don't expect to convince you. The tone of your posting seems very negative, reinforced by that strange sig (which reads "my attitude is a result of your actions!!! if you dont like it blame yourself"). Frankly, if I were a potential buyer and I happened to see that sig in your postings before pressing 'buy it now', I'd run a mile! It seems like the sig of someone who expects trouble and is going to be exceedingly prickly to deal with. I hope you're not really like that.

By the way, I'm not an accountant. I just know how many beans make 5!

[sogobuymugs]

Question re this.

Aldi have always charged 5p for a bag, do they now have to give this to charity in what would have previously been part of their profit?

As far as i am aware stores do not have to give the money to charity, as its only an advisory.

[Anniemcc2]

As far as i am aware stores do not have to give the money to charity, as its only an advisory.

In Wales the money is given to charities - over £22m since 2011 when the charge was introduced.