sonic versus the oppresive fascist regime of capitalist consumerism

[sonic youth]

so, there i was in town at lunch and i walked past chavstore supreme woolworths and thought i'd pop in to find a plastic cricket bat, so we could continue our game of office cricket without using a keyboard as a bat. much to my dismay, i couldn't find one. however i did decide to indulge in some pick n mix and picked up a can of red bull as well.

then i went to pay. i placed my goods on the counter and exchanged the relevent cash. naturally, needing to put these items in a bag so that it didn't look like i was a shoplifter when i went into boots i went to take a bag.

"you'll have to pay for one of those"

i balked. at first i thought she was joking. 3p for a bag - and she would have had to do a whole new transaction. she didn't offer me one in the first place.

so what else could i do? i denounced her fascist ways, cursed woolworths and swore never to shop there again before bidding good day to her.

it's britain gone crazy!

sonic 1 - 0 fascism

[michael]

There is of course a Sonic Youth song called "Youth Against Fascism".

Opportunity missed there my friend.

[flammableBen]

Bitch should have offered you a bag!

The charging for bags will become more and more common. Isn't it already the norm in Ireland or one of those other backward countries?

It's not something which really bothers me. If I'm doing the shopping I tend to take a reusable one anyway. They tend to take the mighty strain of numerous wine bottles a bit better.

[suttonred]

Similar to one i had today, bought a couple of days dinners in small co-op on epsom downs, it was piling up and i asked for a bag as couldn't see any to hand, and the guy pulled two from behind the counter. Said they had to be out of site and not given out until requested. His words were "i know mate bloody mental" I concur.

[ron dodgers]

I thought of marketing a giant scrotal sac (reusable of course - after a a few minutes) they'd soon get pissed off if we kept whipping those out every time we shopped at Woolies

[spacey]

I think they charge so as to encourage people to re-use old carrier bags. It's a way of pointing the finger of blame at people for our environmental woes while industry pukes over the planet. It'll be a sad day if they phase out cheap carrier bags. The site of a carrier bag stuck in a tree and flapping in the autumn wind is one that makes me proud to be British.

[suttonred]

I think they charge so as to encourage people to re-use old carrier bags. It's a way of pointing the finger of blame at people for our environmental woes while industry pukes over the planet. It'll be a sad day if they phase out cheap carrier bags. The site of a carrier bag stuck in a tree and flapping in the autumn wind is one that makes me proud to be British.

Arf arf ,almost as much as the crappy nappy tied in a knot in one, found under many pub garden tables, UK hub of culture!

[sonic youth]

it's political correctness gone mad i tell you. next they'll be charging you for driving around cities...

[janaage]

What happens to all  those 3 pence "pieces" as it were.  Do Woolies donate every 3p paid to an environmental charidee, or do the thruppences make their way into the Woolworths coffers?

Just wondering like.

[ibelieveinmrreeves]

Back in the day, forward thinking Kwiksave used to charge a couple of pence per bag, depending on the strength. It's a mystery how they ever went down the plughole.

[Dazzza]

I think a donation system would be a lot fairer for people like me who have absolutely no problem with shitting on future generation’s welfare.  Those plastic bags in bulk are less than a penny’s worth so Woolworths, M&S (5p) and co are making a nice little earner on what was a complimentary service.

There’s plenty of people who get twinges of guilt when they use bags and realise they’ve forgotten their straw Roy Cropper special to carry their crap in that would pay over the odds in donations to keep the likes of me in plastic bags.

While I’m at it on a sub memorandum why do people collect plastic shopping bags?  When my housemate moved to Canada she left around 300 various plastic bags in a draw that went straight in the bin.  The girlfriend is the same as is Mother dearest.  Bumf must me a woman thing.  Perhaps these shops could buy back the bags to re-use.

[Jamiesfuturewife]

sometimes I save carriers from "nice"shops

[Simon Pieman]

sometimes I save carriers from "nice"shops

So when you go to Primark you can pretend you've spent more than 50p on clothing?

[land_of_bo]

I keep plastic bags for putting my rubbish in. Having said that I do have canvas bags I take with me my when I do my shopping. Our weekly shop fits in the large canvas bags rather than 10 or 15 shitty plastic ones. Easier to carry and no splitting.

I'm all for bags being charged for. Too often you seen people using 20 bags where 5 would do cos they don't want meat (which is packaged) in the same bag as something else or some other anal reason which is just a waste and the cost will make these types think twice.

In sonic's case, did he actually need a bag? Some pick n mix and a can of redbull. Put the red bull and receipt in the bag that the pick n mix is in, problem solved. Last time I went in Boots I'm pretty sure they didn't have a pick n mix section.

[Jamiesfuturewife]

No - not to use - Im not ashamed I shop in Primark - I just kind of "keep" them  - other girls will know what I mean - like Jane Norman bags always come in useful as they are those kind of stronger bags with string handles

I dont use carriers at the supermarket any more though - I have Tesco green bags and hessian sacks to put my grocerys in