Been paying for bags in Wales for a few years now. Once you get used to it it’s not too bad. Like others have said, reusable bags in car/truck/rucksack soon becomes a habit.
When I do get offered a bag when abroad, I normally refuse much to the surprise of the checkout chick…
Cheers
Paul
merc0447:
nickyboy:
Won’t make a blind bit of difference, who on earth is going to question paying 20p for 4 bags when they’ve just spent £30 or £40 on shoppingSince it came into effect in Scotland, I think it was late last year or maybe early this year it came into effect. The amount of carrier bags given out has went down by 80% so it clearly does work. Or maybe it because us Scots are so tight
Personally it bugged the hell out of me at the start but now I always have bags for life in my car for the weekly shop and usually have a bag for life in my pocket if in town. Totally ran out of carrier bags in the house though used to use them as bin liners.
I personally don’t think it should include paper bags but it does
Similar here in Wales. Wifey uses our cheapo carrier bags to line the kitty litter bin, so every time I go across the bridge either for work or recreational purposes I’m tasked with collecting as many of 'em as possible if I happen to visit a supermarket.
nickyboy:
Won’t make a blind bit of difference, who on earth is going to question paying 20p for 4 bags when they’ve just spent £30 or £40 on shopping
Exactly, i’ve been shopping at Aldi for ages and don’t even consider the fact they cost 4p each (or whatever it is). I use them as bin liners through the week. I’ve tried doing the “Bag For Life” thing but I always forget them and just end up getting more bags anyway.
I often refuse bags in smaller shops though, never understood why people need a carrier bag to carry their loaf of bread home or take their lunch back the office.
raymundo:
When I was a young 'un in the wilds of Suffolk we used to have our main shopping delivered by the co-op in a cardboard box every week, don’t shops use them any more ?
Lidl display everything in cardboard boxes so when I’m shopping there I’ll organise one for myself as I go round.
At Tossco’s just put everything back in your trolley and wheel it to the car, putting it into last weeks Lidl box. 
Driver-Once-More:
Keying in more than 3 at the check out will trigger an alarm and summon the assistant
I usually key in 6 and never get checked
Mmmmmmm I’ll try that …
Though I got caught one day keying 10 in, and the assistant told me more than 3 triggers the alarm. I usually end up with 100’s of green clubcard points each month for minimal shopping.
and i leave the Package of my Biscuit behind in the Shop,just to safe the Envirement
LIBERTY_GUY:
Oh no, us agency drivers have lost our free source of work bags now…For 5p I demand a quality carrier in future, not the ones you put a loaf in and the bottom falls out…
how about a waitrose one,or harrods,mind you they would probably charge 25p for their bags
Notimetoulouse:
Better start stockpiling guys there will be nothing free to ■■■ into soon (HOUMOUR…!!!)
Are you aka Desypete? 
This is supposed to be to help the environment as it stops “single use” carrier bags going out to the market.
As far as I’m concerned there is no such thing as a “single use” carrier bag as I always use them afterwards as a bin bag. After this law comes into effect I will have to buy bin bags, therefore I will use my multi-use bags for shopping and have to buy bin bags for my rubbish. The net result is that I will have pay for bin bags and exactly the same amount of plastic will go into landfill.
Well done government another poorly thought out law to appease the greens, what a bunch of idiots you all are. If you really thought out this policy you should at least tell councils to stop insisting we all bag our rubbish before putting it into the wheelie bin. 
Or has Cameron just bought shares in a bin bag producer, wouldn’t bloody surprise me.
peirre:
Driver-Once-More:
Keying in more than 3 at the check out will trigger an alarm and summon the assistant
I usually key in 6 and never get checked
Mmmmmmm I’ll try that …
Though I got caught one day keying 10 in, and the assistant told me more than 3 triggers the alarm. I usually end up with 100’s of green clubcard points each month for minimal shopping.
That’ll stop once the charges apply in October.
robroy:
Notimetoulouse:
Better start stockpiling guys there will be nothing free to ■■■ into soon (HOUMOUR…!!!)Are you aka Desypete?
I dont think he is. If it were ole desy he would have said something like “surely the increased wages you all got due to the cpc pushing up the hourly rate means you can afford 5p?” 
Asda have doubled the price of their bags for life. No coincidence eh
raymundo:
When I was a young 'un in the wilds of Suffolk we used to have our main shopping delivered by the co-op in a cardboard box every week, don’t shops use them any more ?
Was that by horse and cart? They’ve moved away from boxes. Plastic has been invented since then.
robroy:
Notimetoulouse:
Better start stockpiling guys there will be nothing free to ■■■ into soon (HOUMOUR…!!!)Are you aka Desypete?
no im not Desypete thanks for asking
Im just pleased the government responded to my letters and finally delivered a sensible piece of legislation
Hopefully next year they will bring in a parking charge at all supermarkets and out of town shopping centers , and make town centers free to park for an hour
I would also like work car spaces to be taxed and the money given to the people who cycle to work
ajt:
Asda have doubled the price of their bags for life. No coincidence eh
My local tesco extra was giving them away free yesterday
I’ve got loads of these “charity bags” that you get pushed in the letter box / left on the doorstep, asking for donations to be left out to on the kerb to be collected.
I live in a small block of flats and we get 4-6 left every few weeks … no-one here seems to use them … if you put them out (un-used) to be collected, they never seem to come for them … so I use these as “rubbish bags”.
It must cost the charities thousands to produce / deliver these bags … but at least I can make some use of them … preferable to leave them littering the streets.
Nobody has mentioned that the charge for bags does not go to the supermarket/shop - it goes to charity (at least it does here in Wales)
peirre:
ajt:
Asda have doubled the price of their bags for life. No coincidence ehMy local tesco extra was giving them away free yesterday
So was mine.
boredwivdrivin:
Im just pleased the government responded to my letters and finally delivered a sensible piece of legislation
What’s sensible about inconvenience ?
It’s the most pointless legislation ever to be brought in under the name of environmental.
Look at all the waste packaging which is plastic, yogurt pots, ice cream containers, drink bottles etc all of no use other than straight in the bin after use yet carrier bags most people do reuse , now have to have a pointless charge.