The Demise of the Carrier Bag

[Raybosailor]

You need one of our keyrings - with a trolley token

We've got keyrings, but the tokens keep falling out of the trolleys at our Tesco. A few weeks ago, I managed to pick up a few pound coins that had fallen out However, I can't find anywhere where I can buy replacement tokens. Our local Timpsons might do them, but they're always closed when we go into town.

Try typing in 'shopping trolley release key' into a well known shopping site which begins with e and ends with y. No need for tokens.

Thanks, OBF.

We first came across these devices in France in '88, and a chap in the hypermarket car park was very helpfully releasing the trolleys and taking a franc from us. He did this for four coach loads of Brits. When we returned the trolleys, we discovered that a one franc coin is the same size as a 2p piece....

You need a 50cent euro coin now shiney

[Silver_Shiney]

Not sure if I should admit that I know this, but Primark are still giving free paper carriers!

Why shouldn't you admit it? Mission Control used to work there many years ago and mothers would tell her that they'd buy their daughters' clothes there and cut out the labels before handing them over to avoid the "stigma" but, of late, Primark has become very fashionable.

[Silver_Shiney]

You need a 50cent euro coin now shiney

What's the sterling equivalent (size-wise)? That bloke I told you about must have made a fortune!

[qbman1]

Not sure if I should admit that I know this, but Primark are still giving free paper carriers!

Why shouldn't you admit it? Mission Control used to work there many years ago and mothers would tell her that they'd buy their daughters' clothes there and cut out the labels before handing them over to avoid the "stigma" but, of late, Primark has become very fashionable.

Aren't paper carriers exempt from the new bag regulations anyway? Maybe the supermarkets might go down this road? Back to the future ?!

[Mervyn and Trish]

99p including postage!!!!
Being a Goldie I went up market and bought a stainless steel one for £1.95 including pp.

Each to his own Foxy, but not sure I can be bothered to save 1p. And £1.95 is almost twice the cost of my £1 coin. Still don't get it.

[qbman1]

That's a mystery to me too ! I have had a plastic one in the car for years from one of the French supermarket chains and that seems to work as a pound, a euro and who knows what else ?! Also, our company key rings have a handy pound-sized token but if all that fails, I usually have a pound coin in my pocket, so where's the problem ?

[Mervyn and Trish]

I have a feeling that the withdrawal of free carrier bags for clothing will hasten the demise of the town centre or even shopping mall outlets. Buying goods online is not only less stressful and warmer in winter, but it also means that your goods will be delivered fully wrapped, and with free click and collect and free returns its so much more convenient

After too much agreeing with you FB, time to get back to normal. I don't like online clothes shopping for one reason - I like to try stuff on before I buy. I know you can return and all the rest of it, but for me that is less convenient than getting the right size first time.

[qbman1]

Do they still sell your size Merv ?

[Manoverboard]

......... I usually have a pound coin in my pocket, so where's the problem ?

The ' key ' word here is usually.

It can sometimes be a long walk in the rain to the trolley park and it's darned annoying if one doesn't have one to use ... a key-ring with a token embedded in it has pride of place somewhere in the deep confines of each of Mobietta's shopping bags. This she always remembers but a £1 coin can, indeed will, doubtless be spent.

[qbman1]

Just keep a token or two in the car - how often do we go to the supermarket on foot these days ?

[Raybosailor]

You need a 50cent euro coin now shiney

What's the sterling equivalent (size-wise)? That bloke I told you about must have made a fortune!

Its the same circumference as a ten pence but the 50 cent is thicker.

All the shops and supermarkets in France throw carrier bags at you like the world is going to end and no tax either, one young lady at the checkout in Carrefour packed our shopping for us as she scanned it. About fifteen items in eight carrier bags, it would have gone into two, fifteen carrier bags in my boot going for the first offer of 70p ( well you do get one free).

A few years ago the supermarket we used were giving plastic trolley tokens away to regular customers and as I received one it made me feel part of the community, unfortunately on my return home it jammed in a Sainsbury's trolley and I finished up in an altercation with the trolley collector when he saw me trying to prise it out with my penknife. I am no longer a trolley goldie in France now and it cuts to the bone when I have to put 50 cents in mi barra.

[Manoverboard]

If the coins or the tokens are always kept in the car then sooner or later you'll have to walk each way from / to the car to collect them ... how do I know this

[Mervyn and Trish]

Just keep a token or two in the car - how often do we go to the supermarket on foot these days ?

That's where we keep our £1 too Moby. And we pick it up as we pick up the bags. And I'd be more likely to lose the token or widget than real money.

[Silver_Shiney]

As a married man, I'm not allowed pound coins

[qbman1]

Is that purely for safety reasons, or are there other concerns ?

[Silver_Shiney]

my safety - in case she finds out I've been spending it!!

[qbman1]

You could always say that any shortfall went on the cost of carrier bags. Works for me !

[Silver_Shiney]

Well, as the alternative to carting shopping bags around Sainsbugs is to wheel a trolley, for which you invariably need a coin/token/key, I don't think it's too much of a deviation from the topic It's a sort of a theme within a theme, n'est pas?

[Mervyn and Trish]

Theme within a theme? That's a defence we should remember Cubie. We're likely to need it soon.

Anyway to get back on topic just off to Sainsbury's with my non-polluting not-yet-demised BAGS.

[Manoverboard]

Theme within a theme? That's a defence we should remember Cubie. We're likely to need it soon

There could be soupçon of wisdom in there ...

[Mervyn and Trish]

Theme within a theme? That's a defence we should remember Cubie. We're likely to need it soon

There could be soupçon of wisdom in there ...

I'll take that Moby. Not been accused of wisdom before.

[Raybosailor]

We had our first experience of the carrier bag tax last night, on our way out for dinner I realised that I had got the booking time wrong and we would be too early so we stopped off at a retail park en route. Being a spontaneous visit we had no bags and we went into one of those stores that has different franchises in it. In the 48 years I have known Cheryl she has never entered a store and come out empty handed and last night was no exception," would you like a carrier ?" the assistant asked my wife, the word "No" was bellowed from over her shoulder from tight wad behind her.

When you visited these multi franchise stores in the past the security could see you had your goods in different brand bags but when you get a tight wad like me with a pile of goods in their arms and only one receipt (stuffed in mouth by wife) do you stop them ?

Lesson learnt either take a bag with you or pay the 5p, better still leave the wife to do what she does best and wait for her in the pub.

[qbman1]

We had our first experience of the carrier bag tax last night, on our way out for dinner I realised that I had got the booking time wrong and we would be too early so we stopped off at a retail park en route. Being a spontaneous visit we had no bags and we went into one of those stores that has different franchises in it. In the 48 years I have known Cheryl she has never entered a store and come out empty handed and last night was no exception," would you like a carrier ?" the assistant asked my wife, the word "No" was bellowed from over her shoulder from tight wad behind her.

When you visited these multi franchise stores in the past the security could see you had your goods in different brand bags but when you get a tight wad like me with a pile of goods in their arms and only one receipt (stuffed in mouth by wife) do you stop them ?

Lesson learnt either take a bag with you or pay the 5p, better still leave the wife to do what she does best and wait for her in the pub.

That cider has a lot to answer for Raimondo !

[towny44]

We were at Boundary mill in Colne this last week and noticed they no longer charge for bags. Don't know how they have overcome the legislation but I certainly feel this is a positive vote for common sense, I agree a charge should apply to supermarket bags, but not to clothing or general merchandise shopping.

[oldbluefox]

We were at Boundary mill in Colne this last week and noticed they no longer charge for bags. Don't know how they have overcome the legislation but I certainly feel this is a positive vote for common sense, I agree a charge should apply to supermarket bags, but not to clothing or general merchandise shopping.

Isn't it something to do with the number of staff they employ? The regulations say 'you’re not required to charge if you have less than 250 full-time equivalent employees, although you can do so voluntarily'.