Sainsbury’s confirms 40p bag rule across 1,500 UK stores | Personal Finance | Finance
Sainsbury’s has confirmed a rule is still in place across its 21,500 stores in the UK. The huge chain offers customers 40p ‘bags for life’ to carry their shopping in – and some shoppers have been wondering if they still fulfil the original promise.
That was when the bag wears out, it will be replaced. The chain has been an advocate of environmental policies and was the first major UK supermarket to remove single-use plastic bags from its fresh produce and in-store bakery aisles.
Instead of plastic, customers are encouraged to bring their own bags or purchase reusable alternatives made from recycled materials. In a recent Reddit thread, a user asked: “Do Sainsbury’s replace bags for life? I’m talking about the plastic ones, which used to cost 10p but are usually over 30p now.
“Over the last few weeks, I’ve had Morrisons & Aldi both say they don’t replace these anymore, and you just need to buy another. This is despite the (I assume year-old) bag I have saying on it “Please reuse this bag whenever you shop and when it is worn out we will replace it for free”
“Does anyone know if it is a chance in policy or if I’ve just been unlucky with the supermarkets I’ve used recently?”
A shopper said: “I replaced mine recently at Sainsbury’s too, the server guy was fine. But at a different supermarket, I would just not ask, grab a new bag, leave your old one, and if anyone has a problem, then explain you just exchanged your old one.
“Often staff are told they must do certain things, but actually they don’t agree or care and will just ignore policy unless you go up to them and specifically ask.”
Sainsbury’s best-known bags are their woven polypropylene bags for life, which are commonly adorned with the ‘I’m strong & sturdy’ elephant or the ‘I’m nuts about recycling’ squirrel. These characters are indicative of Sainsbury’s, paired with the shades of orange and simple design that makes them quintessential for the supermarket.
Reusable “bag for life” which could be returned and replaced in store when worn out. A code “E0228/EPM/SV01-1005” is printed on the base.
Here’s what each supermarket says:
Asda – “If your Bag for Life breaks or gets damaged, we will happily replace it free of charge.”
Sainsbury’s – “We offer reusable Bags for Life, made from 100% recycled content. When they wear down, we replace them for free and recycle the old bag.”
Tesco – “If your Tesco Bag for Life becomes worn out, bring it to the checkout and exchange it for a new one, free of charge.”
M&S – “You can return your Bag for Life for replacement or recycling when they wear out.”
Morrisons – No free replacements. Morrisons scrapped plastic Bags for Life and replaced them with paper alternatives.
Aldi – No free replacements. Aldi does not offer a policy for swapping old Bags for Life for new ones.
