Would you like a carrier bag?

Having family in Wales, I used to carry car loads of carrier bags down to my inlaws each visit as the 5p charge was introduced in Wales a long time before it was here. The children would watch me as I scooped hundreds of bags into the boot and I would exhale a huge sigh of relief that I had cleared a huge amount of space in the corner of the kitchen where I throw my bags.

Of course, now we have the bag charge here in England and yet I am still taking car loads of bags down to Wales with me. Only now I am paying 5 p per bag for the privilege and why I ask you well because I never have a bag when I need one.

We have probably got hundreds of bags in our kitchen at the moment.  Hundreds.  A mixture of ordinary bags that I have paid 5 pence for.  Some of those large sturdier ones that cost quite a lot more and of course a range of bags for life.

I love bags for life.  They are big and sturdy and well, sometimes quite pretty. I dread to think how much I have spent on them over the last couple of years. But there is a fundamental problem with bags for life.  Where are they when I need them? At home in the kitchen of course. Or you find them around the house with stuff already in them as they are particularly good for keeping things in.  That’s not helpful when I am in the supermarket with a trolley load of shopping, is it?

Maybe they call them bags for life because you never actually use them for shopping, therefore they do last for life.

Every time I get the checkout and the cashier asks me if I need a bag, I smile feebly and nod and even apologise, waffling on about the large pile of bags in my kitchen.  Why am I apologising?? The money I spend on bags is probably adding pounds to some supermarket executives bank balance.  I do not need to apologise.

I do occasionally get as far as putting bags into the boot of my car.  Do I remember to take them out of the boot when I go shopping?  Well, I think you know the answer to that one.

But I am embarrassed by my general lack of organisation.  My mum puts me to shame as she has lots of reusable bags in her handbag, all kept neatly in little pouches.  I occasionally have a scrunched up Tesco bag in mine but the other day, I jubilantly whipped out my carrier bag in our local Co-op to discover as my shopping spilled all over the floor, that it had a large hole in the bottom.

I have of course tried several tactics to avoid paying the 5 pence bag charge.

Trying to balance several shopping items of different sizes in my arms and usually sending them all hurtling across the carpark. It can only be compared to playing a game of human buckaroo.

Trying to fit fifteen things in one small carrier as it is the only one in my bag and I WILL NOT pay for another one.

Trying to fit the shopping into my handbag which has resulted in my bag smelling of ham and onions.  Nice.

Giving the children a few items each to carry.  I knew there was a reason why I had so many children.

I have even considered getting a pushchair again.  Pushchairs make such good shopping trolleys, don’t they?

On the very rare occasion that I have actually have arrived at the supermarket prepared with bags, I actually let out a whoop of delight when the checkout operator asks me if I need bags and I tell them “no” in that ‘in your face’ kind of way with a small celebratory dance.  It is quite a sad state of affairs and I can understand why they look at me like I am some sort of lunatic.

So what is the answer? I did see a photo somewhere of someone who had taped her shopping to her body to avoid paying for carrier bags, but I think that might be going a little far.  Maybe bigger pockets? Or just leave a notice by the front door reminding me to take the bags with me.  And then another one in the car to remind me to get them out of the boot.

Do you always have a bag with you? What lengths would you go to to avoid paying the bag charge?

Copyright: photka / 123RF Stock Photo

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