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Now Coles have backtracked, handing out reusable bags free of charge

Jul 06, 2018

The ban came into effect on July 1. Source: Getty.

Just days after rival chain Woolworths reversed their stance on plastic bags, supermarket giant Coles have followed suit and confirmed they will hand out free reusable plastic bags until Sunday.

The ban on single use bags officially came into effect on July 1 across the majority of states, but the transition has been far from smooth sailing as customers have complained that they shouldn’t have to pay to purchase reusable bags.

Woolies confirmed they would do the same just days before Coles made their announcement late on Thursday, also agreeing to hand out their 15-cent bags free of charge until Sunday.

“For some, it can be difficult to get into the routine of bringing your own bags to the supermarket or know exactly how many you may need for your entire shop,” Coles chief operating officer Greg Davis told the Brisbane Times.

“We want to do everything we can to help our customers. We’re really grateful for the way our customers have responded and this is a small way we can say ‘thank you’ and help them with the transition.”

The move comes after Coles stores were inundated with complaints from shoppers who did not want to pay for the bags, while others did not have enough of their own bags in stock.

On July 1, the supermarket chain issued a ban on single-use plastic bags across its entire store-network. Following the ban, single-use bags have now been outlawed in all states except NSW and Victoria.

The bag ban has angered many customers, but it isn’t just the cost of reusable bags that has caused outrage as it was also revealed that the supermarkets would be clamping down on the bags that checkout staff will accept.

According to a report by the Courier Mail staff won’t touch the bags customers bring in from home and can refuse to serve customers with dirty or soiled bags due to health and safety regulations and customers will be required to purchase a new bag if they wish to proceed with their purchase without a bag.

“For the health and safety of all customers and our team members, we cannot pack bags that are excessively dirty,” the spokeswoman told the Courier Mail. “If you need a new bag, we have alternatives starting at 15c, as well as a range of Community Bags, which direct a proportion of sales to our community and charity partners.”

Coles ditched their single-use bags last week, whereas Woolworths phased out their bags on June 20. However some stores took the plunge much earlier, as a handful of stores stopped handing out bags back in April.

A total of 12 Woolies stores and four Coles stores made the decision to axe their single-use carriers early.