Comments on: Is the 5-cent Levy on Grocery Bags a Rip off?

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:19:04 +0000

Just wanted to add that Zellers will give you HBC points for using re-usable bags and I think Giant Tigers gives you 3 cents off if you use one. Have not tried it at GT to confirm but have used them at Zellers and you do get the points, just can’t remember how many.

By: Justin

Justin — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:37:52 +0000

What bottom line? Retailers included the cost of bags, cart maintenance, and loss to theft into the markup of their items prior to this fee. That is why there is that certain store (coincidentally owned by Loblaws) which sells food cheaper because it has… oh…. what’s the word?

Right!

NO FRILLS

By: seabelle

seabelle — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:30:06 +0000

I think paying for shopping bags is bull****. The bags are recyclable. We’re paying for their advertising – very true. Now, not only does the public foot the bill for producing the bags and the advertising, if you do not want to pay 5 cents/plastic bag, you have to buy a bag that costs 20 times more and let’s face it – WILL end up in the landfill. How is that benefitting the environment. This paying for plastic bags under the guise of being more environmentally friendly is a way to get you to pay for the bags AND increase your spending by paying for the cloth (or whatever material) re-usable bag.
The No Frills stores (or whatever name the store happens to go by that operates in the same manner as NF does) implemented paying for bags because of their No Frills policy. Lowering prices in general so that the consumer got a better deal and they could compete with the larger grocery stores for your dollar. If Loblaws wants the public to be more environmentally conscious and consumer friendly, why do they not also implement the courtesy/strategy of the No Frills stores and offer customers the option to use a discarded box to take their groceries away in instead of strong arming them into – so they say – being more environmentally friendly/conscious.

By: » The health risk of 5-cent grocery bags Canadian Business Blogs | Advice on Investment in Canada, Stock Market, Small Businesses Opportunities

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:06:51 +0000

[...] this one are often a much better way of driving behaviour than setting rules.” A post by blogger Canadian Capitalist remarked on the incentive aspect as well, plus the bonus points one gets on their President’s [...]

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:18:39 +0000

I think everyone is missing the point, don’t get me wrong I agree with recycling. However, WHY are we paying five cents for bags with their name on. If they gave me a plain white plastic bag that would be different, but we’re paying for their ADVERTISING. I ask if they want me to carry my groceries out of the store with their name on it, they should PAY me. Other wards, give me a plain white bag. Wake up people were paying for their advertising.

By: Beth

Beth — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:25:48 +0000

@Ron — I hate to say it, but I don’t think they notice you’re gone. People who are good customers at Rona or Home Depot usually aren’t carrying their stuff out in little plastic bags

I applaud places that charge for plastic bags. I’ve worked in retail for many years and seen how wasteful people can be. Sadly, many people don’t care more about a nickel than they do the environment.

By: Ron

Ron — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:13:18 +0000

“Loblaws penalizes customers who use plastic bags and rewards those who ditch them.”

I can only sit and shake my head at this statement. A company needs customers to survive. Treat your customers like they owe you something and they’ll leave. It is not a privilege for me to shop there. It’s a privilege for them to have me as a customer. They are not my parents or the government. They have no right to “penalize” me.

“The program is a fascinating case study in how incentives influence behaviour.”

Very fascinating. For example, Home Depot and Rona started charging for bags. I stopped shopping there and started shopping at smaller stores that still care about customer service. The end result is I’m probably paying more than I would of if I had just bought the bags, but my satisfaction is higher. HD and Rona lost a couple of thousand in profits to their competition because they wouldn’t give out a couple of dollars worth of bags.

The decline in customer service and companies’ arrogance gave me incentive to seek out their competitors. Or was that not their intention?

By: LinkStuff For July 8

LinkStuff For July 8 — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:01:54 +0000

[...] Capitalist had an interesting post on the 5 cent grocery bag levy. Lots of comments [...]

By: Beth

Beth — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:55:33 +0000

Victor and Mel, you guys are great! Thanks for the summaries. I guess I should stop hoping for biodegradable bags! wow.

Once I have a house, I’ll be able to be greener because I’ll have more options open to me — like being able to compost!

By: Mel

Mel — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:44:34 +0000

I applaud your reply, Victor. An excellent summary.

For those who don’t know the difference, compostable and biodegradable are two completely different beasts.

Compostable items can break down into organic matter.
Sugar-based compostables do so faster than corn-based compostables. Paper and food are compostable. All compostables may go in your green compost bin. A (compostable) newspaper lining will save you money over plastic liners. You can also keep your compost and use it for your garden, which saves money on fertilizer. Either use an outdoor compost, or create a worm compost. (btw, worm composts don’t stink.)

Biodegradable just means it degrades. Biodegradable plastic just breaks down into small plastic molecules that are good for nothing but being small bits of plastic that easily move around the soil and potentially the water supply. Don’t waste money on this.

I have been using reusable bags for years to buy groceries. I still have a steady supply of plastic bags. I find I always have something to put my garbage in. Milk bags, cereal bags, fresh produce bags, bags that wrap that new thing you bought, bags your friend returned your stuff in… It’s also a good idea to use fewer bags. There are usually alternative places to put your waste (compost, recycle), and don’t typically buy products with lots of packaging (they’re often pricey).

An interesting note – conservation is something that saves your wallet as well as the environment. Being “green” could just as well be talking about those twenties you’ve been saving using “reduce” and “reuse”. (Both are far more important than “recycle”.