Giant Food to start charging for bags (Lake Ridge: how much, home)

[Mike From NIU]

Has anyone else heard about this new policy (which is not announced on the Giant website)?

Last week, I was picking up a few things at a Giant in Lake Ridge and asked if paper bags were back in stock. Giant had been out of them for a few weeks, and we use them to hold our paper recycling. The cashier referred by question to the manager, who happened to be right there.

The manager said that Giant was in the middle of a three part transition in their bag policy. The first part, which occurred a few months ago, was to do away with the $.05 per bag discount for bringing your own bags. The second part was to no longer stock and offer paper bags. The third part, which will apparently occur sometime in the next few months, will be to start charging for plastic bags.

I know that there are some municipalities (such as D.C.) that mandate charges for plastic bags, and that there are stores (such as Aldi) for which this is part of their business model. However, is anyone else aware of a large chain store that has elected to go this route voluntarily? If this is implemented, would it affect your shopping habits?

Unfortunately, I was too surprised by the manager's answer to press for details, such as the proposed cost and the quality of the bags (the bags that Aldi sells are of much higher quality than the ones in Giant or Safeway), and she may not have known the answer anyway.

I don't mean to start a debate over the merits and downsides of plastic/paper/reusable bags. However, I thought the C-D community might be interested to hear this, and wondered if somebody could confirm this change at their local Giant.

[roninsedge]

First I've heard of it. That is crazy. If they are gonna charge for bags, then charge for paper bags.

[HokieFan]

Before they went out of business, Bottom Dollar food stores charged for plastic bags. It was a nominal fee, something like 5 or 10 cents per bag, and we usually had no more than 4 or 5 bags. Of course, I'd frequently forget to bring my own...

For such a small fee, I'm not sure that I'd change my shopping habits other than trying to remember to bring my own bags. I currently do my weekly shopping at the grocery store most convenient to me (Food Lion at Dillingham Square). If they started charging a fee for bags and I didn't bring my own, .50 or $1.50 would not make me go home to get the bags and come back out. I'd just pay the fee because of convenience.

[car54]

Izzy must be spinning in his grave!


edit to add: this is the old Giant I remember as a kid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg-S2Qm7N-k

That's Pick Temple singing on that vid. Giant sponsored his local kiddie show (on which I appeared when I was 7!) and he was usually present at store openings. Kids went nuts over Pick Temple.

Well, that's how Izzy ran his grocery stores back in the day!

Note: Look at the guy (or gal) running over the curb at 00:15 in the vid. I guess they didn't drive any better back then than they do now...LOL.

[airjay75]

I'll believe it when I see it. I think the customer complaints would be endless if they decided to do this. It's one thing for a discount grocery store like Aldi or Bottom Dollar to charge for bags, but quite another for a Giant or Safeway to do this. I just don't see it happening unless all of the major grocery chains started doing this. The grocery business is already extremely competitive with low margins - I don't think Giant needs any additional reasons for people to shop at a competitor. While most people probably wouldn't change where they shop, I think enough probably would to make a difference that would outweigh any revenue from a bag fee.

[Mike From NIU]

Originally Posted by airjay75

I'll believe it when I see it. I think the customer complaints would be endless if they decided to do this. It's one thing for a discount grocery store like Aldi or Bottom Dollar to charge for bags, but quite another for a Giant or Safeway to do this. I just don't see it happening unless all of the major grocery chains started doing this. The grocery business is already extremely competitive with low margins - I don't think Giant needs any additional reasons for people to shop at a competitor. While most people probably wouldn't change where they shop, I think enough probably would to make a difference that would outweigh any revenue from a bag fee.

I'm a bit baffled by it, too, which is why I requested that other people ask the managers in their local Giants about it. I know that Safeway got rid of paper bags a while back, and I could understand Giant doing that, even if I don't like it. But I don't think many customers would accept going so far as to charge for the cheap plastic bags without some sort of legal mandate, especially given how poorly many cashiers and baggers pack groceries.

[Luv_NoVA]

I have not heard of anything about it. However, in many parts of Europe they charge 5-10-15 cents for bags (some prices vary on size), but the quality is good. It's the thicker plastic, kind of like a bag you would get from H&M, Express, etc. It will be interesting to see how people react to this. Maybe more people will bring their own bag

[GreenGene]

I don't know of any grocery chain here (in Maine) that charges for bags, but Maine's largest city - Portland - just implemented such a policy for grocery stores and other stores that may sell food items, like convenience stores and pharmacies.

See: City of Portland - Reusable Bag Ordinance Frequently Asked Questions

[gomason]

I haven't but I'm glad they are. The DC program has been very successful in cleaning up the Anacostia River so that one day it will be swimmable.

If nothing else, it should make people more aware of how much people waste in this country. I also don't really know how people can complain about 5 cents a bag.

[dkf747]

They charge for bags over in Montgomery County, MD. We just brought our own bags.