When a ban on single-use bags came into effect in New Jersey, most supermarket shoppers either brought reusable bags or started buying bags at the cash register.
Some shoppers are opting for another option of stealing a handheld shopping basket.
Linda Dougherty, president and CEO of the New Jersey Food Council, said there were reports of this happening in supermarkets across the state.
“Some members are ordering additional baskets to replace lost baskets, while others are considering doing away with hand baskets due to item loss.
Stores politely ask shoppers not to steal
“Some stores have put up signs reminding customers to leave their hand baskets in the store, and they also use in-store public address systems with similar messages,” Doherty said. increase.
Karen O’Shea, a spokeswoman for ShopRite’s parent company, Wakefern Food Corp., said offering baskets to shoppers certainly comes at a cost, adding: “Stores are assessing the situation and if it is possible. If so, we may decide not to carry the basket.” Do not store them in stores.
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bring a disposable bag
She pointed out that the ban on single-use bags is still a new law and that some customers who use baskets to carry their goods may forget to return those baskets. . bag.
Doherty agreed that because the new law is still relatively new, it may take some people some time to adjust, adding: “Most of the time people just want the law back. I think I forgot,” he suggests.
“Continue to remind customers to bring reusable bags to shop and return hand baskets when they’re done shopping,” Dougherty said.
She said that if someone went outside with a shopping basket and realized what she had done when she got to her car, she could either put the basket back in the store or leave it in the shopping cart enclosure. I said I could.
She said this was certainly a problem, but that “most customers were prepared for the state to ban single-use shopping bags and followed the government order in early May.”
David Matthau is a reporter for the New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at [email protected]
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