ASDA Carrier Bags - No more freebies

emay

hilstep2000 wrote: »

I've bought a "Trolley Dolly" fom http://www.zpm.com/products/living/trolley-dolly/default.aspx
Apparently they are out of stock at the moment, but I wouldn't use anything else now!!

That is soo cool, my main problem is I don't drive and if I want to go anywhere else before I do the shopping I don't want to carry my bags about with me, but that I wouldn't mind

Premier_2

There seems a lot of confusion here, both on the forum and from what checkout staff have told people.

What Adsa management told the CBC (that's the Carrier Bag Consortium, yes really!!!) is that the current free bags will be taken off view and placed "under the counter". (However they should still be available on request, free of charge)

On display will be a new range of bags for life (for which there will be a charge to purchase). Also there may be a trial of money off incentives to reward customers for using bags for life.

Now this is/has already been tried by Tesco. Tesco already do green points for not using the free carrier bags (that's like money off) and our local Tesco trialled the removal of free access, free of charge carriers. (Not all stores took part in the trial). This meant that you had to ask the cashier for free bags if you wanted them. However the trial ended recently and the bags replaced at tills because, according to Tesco:

a) the public were not yet ready for this - many still want free carriers freely available
b) it caused too much work for the cashiers to have to hand carriers to the many customers that requested them
c) it was causing hold ups at the checkouts because of (b) above
d) to overcome (c) above, they would have to open more checkouts (i.e employ more staff) costing more than the value of the bags being saved.

So, if you shop at Asda and want a free carrier from 1st June, just ask.;)
If enough people do, they'll get the same result as Tesco got and you'll probably have the free carriers put back on display.

Edit:
here's an alternative source to the "under the counter" plan effective 1st June
http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Supermarket-giant-to-39hide39-plastic.4044206.jp

Smickan

We went shopping on Thursday and had to ask for them to give us free bags and the person serving puts out a few at a time - spending almost £100 between two of us meant we needed to ask about 5/6 times and we bought a lot of heavy things that we'd usually double back (3/4 bottles of pop to one carrier bag won't work, especially given how weak they are now so ended up with numerous dirty looks for double bagging.


EDIT: I have no problem with paying a couple of pence or whatever for a carrier to help 'save the enviroment'. What I do have a problem with is how weak those carriers are and how they don't actually hold a lot before breaking.

dmbaxt

my sister went shopping to Asda last week and forgot to take her re-useable bags so she had to ask for some.
the assistant got stroppy with her and told her that she'd have to make sure she remembered them cause once their stock of free ones had gone that was it and she'd have to buy them or carry the stuff home as it was and if she had to do that it'd make sure she didn't forget her bags again!

millymollymandy2K7

I'm normally a Tesco shopper and 9/10 visits I take my own bags with me, however I did stop off at Asda while passing on Thursday without my reusable carriers and went through the "self-scan" aisle which had bags on display, (can't say if they were on display at the other check outs though).

Although I am grateful for the flimsy carriers in situations where I don't have my own bags I do agree the use of carrier bags should be discouraged - Lidels have always charged for their bags - and much prefer the reusable bags as It saves my kitchen drawers over flowing with carriers

philatio

It seems even the staff at Asda aren't clear on whats happening.

There was something on the news today about carrier bags saying all this "skip the bags save the planet" stuff is rubbish and diverting people away from genuine enviromental issues.

BettiePage

rammy007 wrote: »

These bags are really good they open out and clip on the side of the trolley,you just load ur shopping in and then straight in the boot they hold about 30kg in weight,my sister got me one similar to this from germany she said they use em a lot over there so i have got a pink one and i have got one of these from m&s as a large trolley holds 2.They fold down in a case and are then a bit bigger than an umbrella.http://www.marksandspencer.com/gp/product/B000UWYA0E/sr=1-1/qid=1210854630/ref=sr_1_1/203-5396956-4957541?ie=UTF8&node=42966030&m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&keywords=boot%20organiser&mnSBrand=core&size=9&rh=&page=

I use the big blue Ikea bags. 2 of them will hold pretty much a trolley full, obviously depending on weight).

fletch3163

Maybe when I go shopping today I'll take my bags for life (bought 10 earlier this week) and when I get to the check out I'll take my strawberries out of their plastic punnet, my apples out of their polysyrene trays, etc and leave them for the shop to dispose of. After all, I only ever used THEIR bags to dispose of THEIR extra packaging.

Surely the larger issue is being missed here. Why chastise the punter when the supermarkets are awash with too much packaging.

naranja

No free bags available now in York Asda....had to buy mine yesterday so make sure you go prepared!!

donnajunkie

Smickan wrote: »

EDIT: I have no problem with paying a couple of pence or whatever for a carrier to help 'save the enviroment'. What I do have a problem with is how weak those carriers are and how they don't actually hold a lot before breaking.

how does increasing a shops profit by paying for your bags help the planet?
if they say you get the money back when you return them to get recycled then that might be ok.

i agree about the weakness of the bags by the way. we dont drive and have a 15 minute walk home with our shopping. so we have to be careful and not make a bag too heavy otherwise it would break. if they were stronger we would use less bags.