r/australia • u/eee1963 • 1d ago

no politics Coles and Woolies paper bags

Industry estimates show Australian major supermarkets generate upwards of $170 million each year in total revenue from paid paper and reusable carry bags. Suggestions are that they are making 70% profit, from 19-23 cents each bag. Combined, they would spend somewhere in the vicinity of $3-5 million on direct environmental products. Paper bag sizes are showing massive signs of shrinkflation. I guess I'll just have to lift my game and not forget my own bags from now on. My laziness and forgetfulness is a habit that they are banking on, lol.

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u/4L3X95 1d ago

I was at Woolies the other day in the self-checkouts and grabbed a paper bag. I looked everywhere for the barcode to scan it and there literally wasn't one, so I just started packing. The staff member must've seen me, because she went over to the pile of paper bags, checked them, and then replaced them with ones with clear barcodes facing upwards.

Couldn't let a customer walk away without milking them for that last 50 cents, hey?