Lack of publicity over England's shops charging 5p a bag

JReacher1

Nobody is mentioning the real victim in this e.g Poundland.

For years they have only had to worry about change in denomination of £1's, now due to these new rules they've got to be able to provide change to values to 5p. It must be very irritating for them!

NeverInDebt

Yeah buy 4 items at Poundland. pay cash hand over £5 get .95p back that will be a real pain and only add to queues of course of you pay bt debt card/cc card wont be a issue assuming you reach minimum threshold of 5 items.

It can also be a pain if you go out and decide later to buy a few items and dont carry any bags. Fine if its weekly shop as I have used bags for life for 15+ years

The carry bags also useful to dispose of rubbish but now have to pay extra for privileged

Poppy9

Azari wrote: »

I don't think many people are.

This thread seems to be more about how much confusion and/or winging is expected.

I would expect exactly the same proportion of people to whinge in England as in Eire, Scotland, NI or Wales.

I don't understand why people are so confused. It's not rocket science, you are not the first country to do it. You pay 5p subject to following exceptions.


Exemptions

• The price hike affects only retailers with 250 or more employees, and unlike schemes in other parts of the UK, paper bags are exempt from a charge.
• Smaller shops are exempt from the rule change but may choose to charge shoppers for bags as well.
• Free bags will still be provided for consumers buying uncooked meat, poultry or fish, prescription medicine, certain fresh produce such as flowers or potatoes, and unwrapped ready-to-eat food such as chips.
• The exemptions mean the move may not be as successful as schemes introduced elsewhere in the UK, campaigners have argued

Self service tills still ask in Wales 4 year on how many bags you have used, that's not going to change. The bagging area will always only recognise empty carrier bags as anything heavier will assume you have put unscanned goods in there. You will soon get in habit of always having bags in boot of car but will sometimes be caught without a bag on impulse buys. You will always begrudge paying 5p but it's actually quite amusing being so mean and you will laugh at yourself. BBC news will stop talking about it soon!

Azari

Poppy9 wrote: »

I don't understand why people are so confused.

What makes you think that 'people' in general, are?

Remember that by definition, 50% of the population are below average intelligence. A small percentage, but still a very significant actual number are well below average intelligence.

Some of these will find the charge confusing.

Some enitled people will find it annoying. (Consider the daily fail article.)

The problem that you and a lot of others seem to be having is that you are extrapolating something that will annoy/confuse a few to apply to the entire population.

It doesn't, and it won't.

It will be pretty much the same as with Eire and every other part of the UK.

Nick_C

Poppy9 wrote: »

I don't understand why people are so confused. It's not rocket science, you are not the first country to do it. You pay 5p subject to following exceptions ...

Its not rocket science, but it's not simple either.

Different rules in the four different constituent countries of the UK.

In England, it only applies to plastic bags. Every where else it applies to paper bags as well.

Before you get to the exemptions, you have to define what a single use carrier bag is. It has to have handles. It isn't made from woven plastic. Oh, and it has to no more than 70 microns thick!

And then those exemptions. You've given some examples but there are a couple of more; bags for unwrapped blades and bags for aquatic creatures can also be provided free.

Probably the biggest uncertainty is the bags you get in department stores. How thick is 70 microns? Damned if I know! Now where did I put my micrometer?

Poppy9

Nick_C wrote: »

Its not rocket science, but it's not simple either.

Different rules in the four different constituent countries of the UK.

In England, it only applies to plastic bags. Every where else it applies to paper bags as well.

Before you get to the exemptions, you have to define what a single use carrier bag is. It has to have handles. It isn't made from woven plastic. Oh, and it has to no more than 70 microns thick!

And then those exemptions. You've given some examples but there are a couple of more; bags for unwrapped blades and bags for aquatic creatures can also be provided free.

Probably the biggest uncertainty is the bags you get in department stores. How thick is 70 microns? Damned if I know! Now where did I put my micrometer?

Do you know what would make it simple. Just assume it's 5p for a bag. If you get given one free, happy days else just pay.

Azari

Poppy9 wrote: »

Do you know what would make it simple. Just assume it's 5p for a bag. If you get given one free, happy days else just pay.

And that's exactly what will happen.

Stop trying to imagine problems were none exist.

BlueEyedGirl

I note Sainsbury's 5p bags are better than the normal free ones before the 5th October. Although I did some shopping today with my B4L and spotted quite a few people with B4L!

marvin

BlueEyedGirl wrote: »

I note Sainsbury's 5p bags are better than the normal free ones before the 5th October. Although I did some shopping today with my B4L and spotted quite a few people with B4L!

The Sainsbury's 5p ones are B4L now

BlueEyedGirl

marvin wrote: »

The Sainsbury's 5p ones are B4L now

I know this, but they differ still from the 10p B4L and don't look like they would last a couple of shops!