I didn't know stores in the US started charging money for plastic bags

So we have Aldi, a grocery store and I think you have to bring your own bags or boxes for the items you buy. Last time I was at Giant and walmart, your items were placed into plastic bags no problem.

Yesterday I went to Petco to buy reptile bulbs. So the cashier rings me up, I paid, and then..... like nothing. And I said, could I get those in a bag please? The cashier responds, OH, bags are 10 cents. Oh here, give her a dollar and got back 90 cents in change. Then the cashier says, yea walmart is going to be doing this real soon too.

As far as I know I didn't react like out of the ordinary about it, but I feel like the cashier was bothered by me asking for a bag, so the cashier says, oh yeah walmart is going to be doing this real soon too. I just went, ohhh. Then I said, good thing Dollar General is 3 minutes from home, I don't see them doing it any time soon, and the cashier just kinda chuckled.

Have you heard anything about walmart/giant or any other type of store charging for plastic bags recently?

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

Pretzel · 61-69, M

hasn't happened here yet - googled it and walmart says they want to reduce the use of plastic bags.

I use all of - when we clean out the cat box. but I get it.

oh, get this - they said they were going to start using paper bags for delivery - so guess who may starting getting delivery :)

twiigss · M

@Pretzel I was telling mom and dad about the 10 cents thing and mom said she thinks she heard of walmart saying they want to reduce plastic bags, and also something like they want to charge a dollar to use a shopping cart, but it'd be like Aldi, where you get the dollar back for putting the cart back in the corral.

I'm just shocked at how the last 20 years has been plastic bags non-stop, it's only now people are rethinking the whole plastic bag thing?

Pretzel · 61-69, M

@twiigss probably walmart reacting under pressure from environmental groups

although I have to admit that plastic bags aren't great for the environment. and it would give them a good revenue enhancement - like SW telling up we can message more with VIP

twiigss · M

@Pretzel Makes sense. It'd be pretty wild if we went back to glass bottles and paper bags. But the idea of reuseable bags is a good one. If you can get like 5 or 10 reuseables, that's less paper/plastic bags.

Pretzel · 61-69, M

@twiigss yeah I can't fight it

and as far as the shopping carts go it always amazed me that people would walk past a shopping cart and go into the store to grab a shopping cart.

why not just grab it out of the parking lot and walk it into the store - and save an employee's time having to gather 100 of them

twiigss · M

@Pretzel True. I do see people do that. But now walmart has those electronic cart pushers. I remember the days of having to go out to help bring carts in by hand. It takes a good amount of work to bring them all in.