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Bag Fee?

When I placed my order with Walmart yesterday, I saw this:

Is there really a bag fee or is this because some municipalities are imposing a bag fee and it just appears on all orders? I guess I’ll see when the final charges are shown.

We don’t have a lot of choices so if there is, I guess I’ll just have to pay it but I won’t be real happy about it.

Has anyone else seen that on your orders or grocery receipts?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I had a Walmart order on Wednesday and saw that too! But there was no charge. I’m in Texas.

  2. We pay for every bag that our shopping goes in. I was shocked the other day when I was charged for a bag at a clothing store. I do not like it but here in Ontario Canada they are not going to use plastic bags. Covid has slowed down their phasing out – if only I would remember to take my own. I am definitely not happy about paying for the bags, there is something wrong with buying all of your groceries and then having to pay for bags to put them in.

  3. Anything to make a buck! They’re really digging deep, trying to make a few bucks from the people who aren’t in the store at all. Maybe it’s to help make up some of the difference in what you’re not buying because you aren’t actually in the store. We all have a tendency to pick up things we see in the store, even if they aren’t on our shopping list, if the price is right, or it’s something we hadn’t thought to add to our list. I’m sure their bottom line has been effected a good bit by this. They’re losing a lot of “spontaneous buying.” Gotta make up the difference someplace….

  4. It’s probably mandated by the city/county and not a method to gouge the customer. We have had a bag fee for at least 5 years for all retail. Originally set by city or county, the entire state (Washington) has banned single-use plastic bags and mandated an 8 cents each charge for paper bags or reusable plastic bags. That’s why we all drag cloth bags to the store. Only exceptions are for newspapers and dry cleaners. Supposedly the bag fee is paid to the government for litter abatement.

    • Apparently it was just in there because other places have it. We do not and there was no charge on the actual bill.

    • Like a lot of things, once upon a time, the taxes we paid took care of things that now we have to pay extra for but yet the taxes never go down.

  5. In CA they are starting to charge a service charge to a bill in a restaurant to pay for their employees health befits and they are putting in the tip at 22%. I take out the service charge because I pay for my own health plan I’m not paying for someone else’s. If they deserve 22% I will leave that in, but if the service is awful I’ll put in what they deserve…..

  6. 10 cents a bag here in California. A big rip off.It has been that way for a long time. I take my bags and re-use them, refold them when emptied and replace in the car for the next use.

  7. I thought the bag fee was an environmental reason. To encourage use cloth that we can wash and reuse. As in other countries. But it’s impossible with online orders.

  8. Hi
    here in the UK we pay 5pence about 7USA cents, for any bag bought from any shop! Be it food shopping to clothes. I have manage to keep 2 roll up bags in the glove compartment as I refuse to have more added when its obvious over here every item has gone up in price!

  9. In my county in NY we have paid a bag fee for years. Single use plastic bags have been banned as well a few years ago. I have taken my own bags to the store for years now. Here the stores get to keep the money.

  10. Maybe because Walmart is a nation wide company and many states/counties/cities do impose bag fees they just have it on the online order sheet now. And if your area doesnt have a bag fee (at this point) it just comes up as “pending”

  11. I read an article that the reusable cotton cloth bags are worse on the environment (pesticides, herbicides, etc. for the crop), than plastic bags are. Who do you trust?

  12. Some places are charging a fee if you use your credit card. I don’t think they are charging if it is a debit card, not for sure. We were charged $3 when we got our oil changed at Stanley Dodge earlier this month. And I heard someone saying there was a fee but I don’t remember where I was. I remember when the cards first came out there was a charge but they quit charging it. Or they made up for it on the bill and no one ever noticed!

    • My nail tech says the amount credit cards charge her is really high. She only accepts the card that charges her the lowest amount. I know it is part of her cost of doing business, but I always try to pay her in cash as she is retired and does a limited number of customers. Remember when gas stations used to have a credit price and a cash price? At least they did here in Texas. Same thing. Think about the interest rate on your credit cards, some are outrageous. I’m reading a very interesting book right now. It is called Woke, Inc. by Vivek Ramaswamy. He discusses corporations and government bureaucracy and how it affects how our government functions and our lives. Not something usually in my scope of reading material, but I saw an interview with him and was interested, so I’m reading it. Very eyeopening and thought provoking. I think fees on bags will eventually be the least of our worries.

  13. There have been a few stores where they have a charge if you want a bag. Most recently though, there are now stores charging 3% if you use a credit card.

    • Someone else mentioned that. I wonder if mail order places will start doing that also.

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