Brazen act by Coles customer: 'I'm a bad man'
- Replies 19
Every now and then, a story pops up that leaves us all shaking our heads, and this one fits the bill perfectly. Nowadays, we're all aware of the importance of reducing waste and being environmentally friendly whenever possible.
With this in mind, many supermarkets have decided to charge for the use of bags. However, some customers aren’t on board with these developments.
And at a Coles supermarket, one customer took an extraordinary approach to avoid paying 25 cents for a paper bag.
The shopper in question shared a video on social media showing their brazen solution.
Instead of paying for a bag, the customer picked up a basket from the entrance of the Coles store and walked out with it, insisting, ‘Why would you pay 25 cents for a paper bag? When these baskets are free!’
The shopper proclaimed in the video: ‘I'm a bad man’ as they placed the stolen basket in the boot of their car.
The act appears to take place in response to the retailer’s decision to replace its reusable plastic bags with 25c paper bags.
It is understood that the idea behind charging for bags is to encourage shoppers to bring their own reusable bags. It reduces the environmental impact and cuts down on waste.
It's worth noting that the hand-held carriers provided by Coles are meant to be used while perusing the aisles in-store and should be left at the checkout once a customer has paid for their items. While others claimed that the man was only joking, many social media users quickly voiced their disapproval.
‘I'll never understand why it is so hard for people to have something in the car or some bags for when they need to go to the supermarket,’ said one commenter.
‘New thing came out a long time ago called reusable bags,’ another remarked.
Others pointed out that theft of baskets had led to some supermarkets resorting to security measures to prevent similar acts.
One user shared, ‘This is why my work has no baskets after a month of ordering more. People take them home.’
‘Supermarkets near me no longer provide baskets,’ one stated.
‘They have security tags on the baskets here. Wonder why,’ another replied.
‘As a Coles worker, just bring your own bag,’ someone suggested.
‘I just use reusable bags. If I forget, then I just put the shopping in a trolley and push the trolley to my car and open the boot. Easy as that,’ one more replied.
You can watch the video below:
A Coles spokesperson encouraged shoppers to only use the baskets in-store, stating:
'Coles provides trolleys and baskets to customers for their convenience when shopping in our stores. Our baskets are Australian-made from 100 per cent recycled milk bottles, saving the equivalent of eighteen 2L milk bottles from landfill for each basket made.’
‘We know customers love our shopping baskets, and we encourage customers to return them when they’re finished their shop so they can continue to be enjoyed in-store,’ the spokesperson continued.
This report comes after rival retailers ALDI and Woolworths announced they would phase out their soft-plastic shopping bags and replace them with eco-friendly bags in a bid to minimise their environmental impact. You can read more about ALDI’s statement about this change here and Woolworths’ story here.
Do you bring your reusable bags when shopping for groceries? Share your thoughts about this story in the comments below!
With this in mind, many supermarkets have decided to charge for the use of bags. However, some customers aren’t on board with these developments.
And at a Coles supermarket, one customer took an extraordinary approach to avoid paying 25 cents for a paper bag.
The shopper in question shared a video on social media showing their brazen solution.
Instead of paying for a bag, the customer picked up a basket from the entrance of the Coles store and walked out with it, insisting, ‘Why would you pay 25 cents for a paper bag? When these baskets are free!’
The shopper proclaimed in the video: ‘I'm a bad man’ as they placed the stolen basket in the boot of their car.
The act appears to take place in response to the retailer’s decision to replace its reusable plastic bags with 25c paper bags.
It is understood that the idea behind charging for bags is to encourage shoppers to bring their own reusable bags. It reduces the environmental impact and cuts down on waste.
It's worth noting that the hand-held carriers provided by Coles are meant to be used while perusing the aisles in-store and should be left at the checkout once a customer has paid for their items. While others claimed that the man was only joking, many social media users quickly voiced their disapproval.
‘I'll never understand why it is so hard for people to have something in the car or some bags for when they need to go to the supermarket,’ said one commenter.
‘New thing came out a long time ago called reusable bags,’ another remarked.
Others pointed out that theft of baskets had led to some supermarkets resorting to security measures to prevent similar acts.
One user shared, ‘This is why my work has no baskets after a month of ordering more. People take them home.’
‘Supermarkets near me no longer provide baskets,’ one stated.
‘They have security tags on the baskets here. Wonder why,’ another replied.
‘As a Coles worker, just bring your own bag,’ someone suggested.
‘I just use reusable bags. If I forget, then I just put the shopping in a trolley and push the trolley to my car and open the boot. Easy as that,’ one more replied.
You can watch the video below:
A Coles spokesperson encouraged shoppers to only use the baskets in-store, stating:
'Coles provides trolleys and baskets to customers for their convenience when shopping in our stores. Our baskets are Australian-made from 100 per cent recycled milk bottles, saving the equivalent of eighteen 2L milk bottles from landfill for each basket made.’
‘We know customers love our shopping baskets, and we encourage customers to return them when they’re finished their shop so they can continue to be enjoyed in-store,’ the spokesperson continued.
This report comes after rival retailers ALDI and Woolworths announced they would phase out their soft-plastic shopping bags and replace them with eco-friendly bags in a bid to minimise their environmental impact. You can read more about ALDI’s statement about this change here and Woolworths’ story here.
Key Takeaways
- A Coles supermarket customer has come under fire for shockingly taking a store shopping basket to avoid paying for a 25-cent paper bag.
- The customer's video on social media, showing him taking the basket and placing it in the boot of his car, sparked controversy and received over 200,000 views.
- Many internet users voiced their disapproval, with some pointing out it is illegal and others sharing that their stores have had to resort to security measures due to basket theft.
- A Coles spokesperson encouraged shoppers to use the baskets only in-store and return them when they’re finished shopping.