Buyers in bag ban bind

SHOPPERS are faced with consumer madness this weekend as the supermarket giants adopt a mixed bag of rules around plastic use.

Woolworths did a giant backflip on its plastic bag ban this week and is now offering customers free reusable plastic bags.

But at Coles supermarkets, today will be the last day consumers can get free single- use bags at the checkout. Customers in Victoria, NSW, Qld and WA have remained divided over the banning of plastic bags which have been dumped for environmental reasons.

Growing consumer backlash has erupted since Woolworths dumped single- use plastic bags on June 20.

This resulted in the supermarket this week announcing it would hand out free reusable bags – which normally cost 15 cents – at no charge until Sun- day, July 8, to give customers more time to acclimatise.

But customers shopping at Coles supermarkets will be forced to pay for reusable plastic bags from tomorrow – at 15c each – if they require bags at the checkout.

Other bags are also available at supermarkets starting from 99c.

A Coles spokesman said they were “focused on delivering customer service to our customers to help transition away from plastic bags”. “In addition to this, from Monday, July 2, through to Sunday, July 8, we will open extra checkouts in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia – those states where bags will be removed for the first time,” he said.

Shoppers are being urged to come armed with their own bags or buy them in the store.

A Woolworths spokesman said they would continue to offer free reusable bags to their customers until Sunday, July 8.

“Our complimentary reusable bag offer is all about giving our customers a little help with the transition to a more sustainable and greener way of shopping,” he said.

“It’s been pleasing to see the positive response to this offer from our customers ….”

Since dumping single- use plastic bags on June 20, Woolworths has removed 50 million grey bags from circulation.