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The US Sun
‘I left $300 in my cart and walked out,’ fumes Walmart customer left seething over store’s bag policy
By Maya Lanzone,
2024-07-24
A WALMART customer was furious after completing her shopping trip and being confronted with the retailer's bag policy at checkout.
She ultimately ditched her hundreds of dollars in groceries and bashed the retailer on social media.
Walmart's bag policy is viewed as an inconvenience by some customers Credit: GettyOne Walmart shopper ditched hundreds of dollars in groceries over the retailer's bag policy Credit: Getty
The shopper vented her frustrations on X, calling out the Walmart in Easton, Maryland - around 45 miles from Baltimore.
The customer explained how she was informed she needed to use her own bags to pack her groceries.
"I left $300 in my cart and walked out," she fumed.
The town of Easton passed a plastic bag ban in September 2022, which prevents retailers from administering single-use plastic bags to shoppers, per the town's website.
As of April last year, retailers were no longer permitted to offer single-use plastic bags to consumers.
However, they can provide customers with paper bags for at least 10 cents each, a fee kept by the store.
The town's goal of the ban is to encourage consumers to use reusable bags and help reduce waste.
Although plastic bags are highly convenient, they also wreak environmental havoc and are highly wasteful.
It is estimated that 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide and over 1 million bags are used each minute, according to Plastic Oceans.
Walmart itself has taken several steps to cut down on its annual use of billions of plastic bags.
In 2019, the retail giant announced it would begin offering reusable bags for purchase at its checkout carousels in US stores.
The three-year initiative was funded by the retailers and led by Closed Loop Partners.
The goal of the consortium was to "identify, test, and implement viable design solutions and models that more sustainably serve the purpose of the current retail bag."
Walmart also has its Bag Better initiative to fuel its goal for its private brand packaging to be 100% recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025.
Walmart's Bag Better Initiative
Walmart has the goal of becoming a zero-waste company and making its packaging 100% recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025.
As part of its Bag Better initiative, Walmart has eliminated the use of single-use plastic at its registers in multiple states:
Connecticut
Colorado
Delaware
Hawaii
Maine
New Jersey
New York
Oregon
Washington DC
Washington
Vermont
As part of the initiative, several states have banned single-use plastics.
These include Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington DC, Washington, and Vermont.
“We’ve set a goal to become a zero waste company, and plastic bags are a part of that,” shared the retailer.
“Our customers want to be engaged on this journey, and we remain committed to making the sustainable choice the everyday choice,” Jane Ewing, senior vice president of Walmart Sustainability, told Connecticut news station WTNH.
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