In a latest tally on The Telegraph over carrier bag antics, the English have definitely surpassed themselves in protesting against the 5p charge being enforced in stores for these shopping bags.
The 5p charge for large shopping bags was mandated by the government and effected in England on October 5, 2015 as a bid to protect the environment against trash and waste in the country. Despite the two-month lead that establishments gave their shoppers to prepare for this change in policies, many are still outraged continue to voice out strong reactions to it.
Customer Delroy Hilton was reported by The Sun to have been banned from an Asda store in Sheldon, Brimingham in an argument with a staff who allegedly forced him to pay for the bags. He categorically refused to pay that charge. Hilton says his purchases were emptied onto the ground when he tried to carry them to his car in the store's basket and he was told the next day that he was banned from the store for his language and attitude toward workers. A spokesperson for the store emphasises that having to ban a customer from their premises is only a last resort.
Tapping on what he calls creativity, Paul Griffiths of Failsworth actually took a shopping trolley home to avoid the bag charge. After he proudly displayed a photo on Twitter of his workaround Griffiths received a barrage of unflattering replies.
Others have taken a similar route to Griffiths by using the small plastic bags meant for fruits and vegetables to carry their shopping.
Tesco has had to use security tags to prevent theft of their large 10p bags that are usually available along the self-check out machines.
When customer Peter Young tweeted to Tesco to ask about the tags, Tesco surprisingly replied in explanation that the tags were a protection against the numerous bag thefts that have already occurred at the store.
However, Tesco retracted this activity and removed the tags from the bags. A spokesperson says: "We've been doing everything we can to help customers minimise the impact of the bag levy charge and we're really pleased with how our customers have responded."
Tesco has, however, retained the security tags on their shopping baskets, which have also seen a rise of theft after the bag charge policy.
Some found the opportunity for enterprise in the situation. One entrepreneur has sold 100 slightly used secondhand bags on Gumtree for £2 to undercut market rate.
