Paying for carrier bags.

Good for you, hjJ. I have a stringbag and two bags that can be rolled up very small and carried in my handbag. Your crocheted bag is definitely superior. What yarn did you use?

I have two cotton bags which were being given away by a store the last time I was in Australia. They are about the size of a plastic shopping bag and fold up very small and are easy to wash. I carry them in my handbag all the time so I never have to use the supermarkets bags

I also have small foldable bags with me at all times... your bag is very pretty.. love the colour.

Key point usually overlooked is that its not just supermarkets that will no longer offer carrier bags. Expensive clothes , delicate china and glass etc will all have to be crammed into your own bags. Of course you can still pay for one on top of the price of your shopping. Bonanza for shops and no requirement to think of biodegradable bags.

hilda, they also already charge for bags in Wales and N.Ireland!

My nearest town is in Wales and this has been the rule for a very long time. I keep 3 string bags with me. But I have occasionally bought a bag, for items of clothing etc.

I just used double knitting wool anno. Acrylic yarn that I had left over from another project. It is quite strong though.

Brilliant! Well done hilda. I have several cloth bags that I've collected over the years and usually have a couple folded in my handbag.

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When I've finished a quilt I use the leftovers to make a bag

hildajenniJ and Stansgran, you are both very creative and I love your bags!

One's upside down.

Aaaagh

When I was a teenager my gran made me a similar crochet bag. She made it out of a cotton yarn and it was very strong.

Word of caution about biodegradable carrier bags. Don't use them to cover goods stored in the loft. They disintegrate into thousands of pieces!

Problem comes with things ie nail varnish, creams, etc that could be messy, I always carry tiny fold up Bag but you can't throw everything in together unless you want horrid mess.

Our local coop charged for long time always ask for small one for meat, fish etc.

It does seem unfair if buying expensive items to have to pay for bag, difficult one.

Surely clothes will have to be put in a free bag in the store, or is that charged for as well?Bit of a cheek.You can't be expected to put lovely new dress etc pushed in to a bag with other shopping.

If I'm spending £XX on a new dress/coat/skirt I can't say I'd begrudge 5p for a bag to protect it.

Then the shop should charge 5p less for the expensive item!

I have taken my own bags for shopping throughout my adult life. I also made some lightweight drawstring bags from voile remnants (Ebay), to use for loose fruit and veg.

In case you're not aware, the stores don't keep the money from carrier bag sales - at least in Wales they don't. All bag sales have to be accounted for and the money given to a chosen charity. For the 1st 3 years of the bag charge here, Tesco stores gave the proceeds to the RSPB Wales. Last year it changed to the Welsh Food Banks which our local store supports in a big way.

The only exemption is for medication from the chemists if it warrants a carrier bag.

I believe there is no charge for paper carrier bags e.g. McDonalds.

HildaJ and Stansgran I do love your bags, especially the colour of HildaJ's*. Both of you could easily make some dosh on the side.

I was thinking about it. I wouldn't know where to start though. I suppose it would be easy enough if I really thought it through.
I'm sure DD could point me in the right direction, she sells loads of stuff on ebay etc.

HildaJ and Stansgran GNs supreme bag ladies! They are really good!

In Scotland there's no checking whether or not shops have passed on the money they charge for carriers

Carrier bags don't materialise out of thin air into shops.
Shops have to pay for them in the first place and, until now, have had the choice of whether to charge the customer for them, or not. Lidl has always charged for its bags.
So now the shops will have to charge for something which has cost them money to provide. Why shouldn't they keep that money if they want to?