Outrage sparks as Coles supermarket changes shopping bags to half size!
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Coles has landed itself in hot water with customers after trialling smaller paper shopping bags.
The move is part of Coles' shift away from single-use plastics, but has many shoppers feeling short-changed.
Earlier this year, Coles announced plans to replace their 15c soft plastic bags with 25c paper bags in all stores. Coles’ online customers are now being charged a flat rate of $1.50 for using the new ones.
More recently, the supermarket giant confirmed that it’s trialling a new paper bag size for home delivery orders, leading to displeasure amongst some shoppers.
An image circulating on social media shows that the new paper bags are about half the height of the original paper bags.
It is understood that if the trial is successful, a national rollout is planned for early 2024.
According to a Coles spokesperson, they are testing the new paper bags in select stores after garnering feedback from staff.
'We are currently trialling a new paper bag for online orders in 48 stores across South Australia. The decision follows feedback from our team members who said a shorter bag made packing the orders easier,’ they said.
‘All of our paper bags have undergone rigorous independent testing and found to safely hold up to six kilos of groceries and can be reused multiple times.'
Despite the changes in the size of paper bags in online orders in trial stores, no changes have been made to the bags customers purchase in-store nationally.
However, some shoppers have expressed their dismay over the paper bag’s size change.
'Hey Coles, your new half-sized paper bags are ridiculous, especially for your delivery service. Pull ya heads in,' said one outraged shopper.
'Coles, what is with these smaller bags?' said another.
Meanwhile, Coles said that they’ve been ‘impressed’ with the response from using plastic bags to paper bags.
'Our paper bags are made from 100 per cent recycled paper and unlike soft plastic bags can be recycled kerbside,’ a spokesperson said.
‘Since we announced our decision to phase out soft plastic bags in May, we have been impressed by our customers’ response to the paper bags and thank them for their willingness to adapt and support this important change that will see 230 million plastic bags removed from circulation in 1 year.'
After Coles announced the phase out of soft plastic bags, Coles Group Chief Operations and Sustainability Officer Matt Swindells said: ‘The most sustainable option is to bring your own reusable bag to the supermarket, but for those who forget, we will continue to sell 100 per cent recycled paper bags that can be recycled kerbside, as well as other reusable options.’
If you prefer to shop in-store, don’t worry—paper bags in stores are still the same size as they have been. And, of course, those familiar reusable tote bags are still available for your convenience, retailing for $1.00 for the smaller size and $2.50 for the larger bag. A chiller bag is also available for $2.50.
What do you think of this story? Have you acquired some of Coles’ newly-sized paper bags? Let us know in the comments below!
The move is part of Coles' shift away from single-use plastics, but has many shoppers feeling short-changed.
Earlier this year, Coles announced plans to replace their 15c soft plastic bags with 25c paper bags in all stores. Coles’ online customers are now being charged a flat rate of $1.50 for using the new ones.
More recently, the supermarket giant confirmed that it’s trialling a new paper bag size for home delivery orders, leading to displeasure amongst some shoppers.
An image circulating on social media shows that the new paper bags are about half the height of the original paper bags.
It is understood that if the trial is successful, a national rollout is planned for early 2024.
Coles have trialled a newly-sized paper bag for online shoppers. Image: Facebook
According to a Coles spokesperson, they are testing the new paper bags in select stores after garnering feedback from staff.
'We are currently trialling a new paper bag for online orders in 48 stores across South Australia. The decision follows feedback from our team members who said a shorter bag made packing the orders easier,’ they said.
‘All of our paper bags have undergone rigorous independent testing and found to safely hold up to six kilos of groceries and can be reused multiple times.'
Despite the changes in the size of paper bags in online orders in trial stores, no changes have been made to the bags customers purchase in-store nationally.
However, some shoppers have expressed their dismay over the paper bag’s size change.
'Hey Coles, your new half-sized paper bags are ridiculous, especially for your delivery service. Pull ya heads in,' said one outraged shopper.
'Coles, what is with these smaller bags?' said another.
Meanwhile, Coles said that they’ve been ‘impressed’ with the response from using plastic bags to paper bags.
'Our paper bags are made from 100 per cent recycled paper and unlike soft plastic bags can be recycled kerbside,’ a spokesperson said.
‘Since we announced our decision to phase out soft plastic bags in May, we have been impressed by our customers’ response to the paper bags and thank them for their willingness to adapt and support this important change that will see 230 million plastic bags removed from circulation in 1 year.'
After Coles announced the phase out of soft plastic bags, Coles Group Chief Operations and Sustainability Officer Matt Swindells said: ‘The most sustainable option is to bring your own reusable bag to the supermarket, but for those who forget, we will continue to sell 100 per cent recycled paper bags that can be recycled kerbside, as well as other reusable options.’
If you prefer to shop in-store, don’t worry—paper bags in stores are still the same size as they have been. And, of course, those familiar reusable tote bags are still available for your convenience, retailing for $1.00 for the smaller size and $2.50 for the larger bag. A chiller bag is also available for $2.50.
What do you think of this story? Have you acquired some of Coles’ newly-sized paper bags? Let us know in the comments below!
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