Have your reusable grocery bags ever been refused?

Question

I just got new re-usable grocery bags. I was excited to start being kinda eco-friendly and was pumped come time to check out at the grocery store (walmart). But when the cashier started scanning my merchandise I told her I brought my own bags. She just looked at me confused as h**l and then said she couldnt use them. I was a little baffled becuase why couldnt she? I come to realize it was mostly due to pure laziness in wanting to pack with my bags. She told me I had 2 options 1. let her bag them in which she'd use the plastic bags or 2. I bag them and use my own bags.

I was just stunned that she was so rude about it. Even the customer behind me was shocked. But I am not one to make a scene and argue so, by this point bummed, I just told her to forget about it. She continued with the order. What I should have done was just pack them myself but I was just ticked off and upset.

Have you ever had bad luck when bringing your own bags?

Answer 1

Good for you on two things--the effort of making your own bags and the commitment to bring your own bags!

I think this story is appalling on many levels and encourage you to write to walmart and tell them your story!  perhaps yu can do that on the walmart website.  Here is a link:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.g...

BTW-I have seen the walmart bags and they are not only ugly but so small I cannot imagine what they will hold outside of a box of crackers or a bag of apples!

Answer 2

I've never been refused but have worked for a company that demanded that all purchases made in their stores had to go in their plastic bags.  The bags were supposed to be degradable but customers didn't care they wanted to use their own bags and I have never known one to degrade.  I didn't care what management wanted, I would put stock into the customers own bag.

Answer 3

Yup...and guess where?  WalMart.  By the way WalMart is now selling small resuable bags...cheaply made in china.

Mine are homemade (with a pattern I purchased at WalMart, and ultra sturdy fabric I purchased at a thrift store).

One of them refused.  I stood there and said call a manager.  It was a lowly manager that responded.  Finally a high up manager (THE manager I think) came out kept up a very friendly banter with me, while he packed my sturdy canvis bags, and the lowly manager actually checked out my items.

Second time it happened the twit cashier (different one) insisted she couldn't do it.  It was a Sunday, very early, she said no manager were there.  Did I mention it was right before Christmas and the store was already filled with people, many of whom wanted to check out with only three lanes open?

I let her put the stuff in plastic bags, and fill the carosel.  Then i took out my check book, after making a show of very, very carefully putting away the debit card I had in my hand.  Very slowly I searched my purse for a pen, after refusing the cashiers.  I finally "discovered" my pen, and slowly wrote out a check.  

Then I turned my cart about, still blocking the lane, and annouced loudly to the customers standing in line that this was going to take a while, and appologized for the inconvience.  Suprisingly I got no death looks....the cashier got them all.  I then removed every item from the plastic bags in the carosel and very, carefully, and slowly began to repack them.  Amazingly two other empoyees showed up, and cheerfully took over the job.  A new cashier arrived and relieved the other cashier, after they discussed the fact that it was not her break time.

I rarely shop, so I have not yet trained WalMart to accept my bags.

One other time, I went in with my husband and my canvis bags.  He was buying oil, wiper fluid, aintifreeze, and other heavy liquid automotive stuff.  When the young man cashier was presented with my bags, he was puzzled for a moment thinking we were trying to purchase them.  Then he said, "Oh cool...they wont rip out," since all the items we were purchasing were very heavy.

Three reactions...all the same WalMart.

I'm not at all shy about standing up for what I see as right.  

If it happens to you again, be very polite, but very firm.  Raise your voice slightly, so others will hear you, but no so you sound like a b!tchy strident woman, just someone who's voice is slightly raised in suprise.  Ask to see a manager.  Refuse to move from the spot (politely) and keep talking in the suprised voice about how shocked you are that this is WalMart policy not to use the earth friendly bags, since WalMart now had recycling bins for customers.  Ramble on about how you though WalMart was trying to become more enviromentally friendly, and ask if this was all for show, and not really true.....keep it up, until the manager arrive.  Ask for a hire up manager if the first one does not give satisfactory answers.  

If they try to send you off to customer service (away from most of the other customers) state, "My knee hurts.  I'm having a hard enough time just standing here, much less walking any more."  WalMart is NOT going to mess with someone who might be handicapped.  

Frustrating, isn't it?

~Garnet

Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 4

i work at wal mart. i understand you not wanting to make a scene. but after she bagged your groceries you should have spoke to a manager. her conduct was extremely rude. she probably just did'nt want to be inconvenienced. the walmart bags are already sitting on a thing where it is easy to bag them.unless you were at a self check you should not have been asked to bag your own groceries.

Answer 5

Happens all the time.  We just say "we have our own bags and prefer to use them"  or "no problem - we will bag our own stuff!"  Remember most cashiers are not rocket scientists.

Answer 6

She absolutely can - she chose not to.

1.  I bag my own if they won't use them.  

2.  Never shop in that store again........

3.  Tell the management about that employee - Walmart "claims" they are working to help the environment, but that just proves that their claims are just hogwash for advertising sake and not truly part of the culture.  

I had one lady refuse to do it and I bagged myself - more and more I get a positive response from cashiers!

GOOD JOB!!!

Answer 7

Never, even the clerk at the drugstore loves them!  My grocer gives back 4 cents a bag.

Answer 8

Just another reason to BOYCOTT WALMART!!!  It is one of the worst corporations in existance.  Everything is made in China, which is a huge issue in itself, and the employees at the factories are treated beyond unfairly.  And if you think they can just get a job somewhere else you are wrong.  The government controls ALL employment in China so if you complain about the 10 cents an hour you will be out of work all together. Its not worth the suffering.  Not to mention that China has poor environmental standards and the animals have NO rights.  BOYCOTT CHINA!!!

Answer 9

It really depends on the store and your geographical area.  Most of the grocery stores here (Philly/South Jersey area) don't bag your groceries anyway, and quite a lot of them encourage bringing your own bags.  I visited my sister in TN a while back, and the clerk at her local grocery store was very confused by the reusable bags (he did go ahead and use them to bag my groceries, although it took some convincing that he could put more than 3 items in each bag).

Chain stores, particularly large "box" stores, tend to refuse reusable bags, because they're colossally paranoid about shoplifting, and even though you have a receipt, they freak out if you're carrying an unauthorized bag.  I suppose Wal-Mart falls in this category (I don't shop there, but I've heard they're pretty snarky about it).  Most of the fabric/craft stores and some of the hardware stores in my area, even if they're big chain stores, are rather used to the idea of people bringing their own bags... because crafty/DIY people WOULD have their own bags... and places you go frequently, like your local pharmacy, eventually get used to the idea and accept it as your personal eccentricity.  

I find that, if they question the bags, it helps to tell the clerk that I promised my husband I'd cut down on plastic bag clutter.  For some reason I don't understand, that has a better effect than telling them I'm trying to be ecofriendly.  Perhaps it's more sympathy inducing to have a grumpy husband than to be a tree-hugger.

Answer 10

No mine have never been refused. I'm in Australia though and we don't have Walmart. If it was me I would've asked to speak to the store manager. If that was indeed their policy I'd recommend to the manager they change it. I'd ask for the area manager even. That's stupid if that is their policy.... and I wouldn't shop there anymore.

Answer 11

I have never had that problem,  but I also do not shop at Walmart.  I have bags from multible stores and each one issues a small credit (usually $.05 for each bag) on the bill when I use my bags.

I would suggest calling the store manager and complaining. Walmart is trying to become more eco & customer friendly.

Have a great day. Don

Answer 12

that is outrageous !

I am in Australia also, every supermarket has their own bag with their logo on it but they dont care if I bring in a different stores bag.

Also if you have 3 items or less they don't give you a plastic bag.

Some stores have bought in a pay per bag thing also, I am not certain which ones though, its just something I have heard.