Heaps Of People Are Boycotting Coles Now They’re The Only Ones Giving Out Free Plastic Bags
"I will suck Woolworth's dick if they stay strong with the plastic bag ban"
This morning, Coles announced that they were going to resume handing out free plastic bags to their shoppers.
It was a baffling move: 71 percent of us had endorsed the decision, and as far as anyone could see it was a few outspoken (baby), cranky (boomers) shoppers that had twisted Coles’ arm.
Now everyone else is pushing back.
The supermarket’s main competitor, Woolworths, announced that they weren’t following Coles’ lead.
“We’ve found the majority of our customers across Australia have embraced the move to a more sustainable way of shopping,” a spokesperson for the company said. “Our focus is on continuing to help the rest of our customers form new and sustainable habits.”
Woolworths’ decision alone will remove 3.2 billion plastic bags from circulation annually.
So Coles, if you’re reading, read on:
Wonder if people will put their money where their mouth is? Plastic bag decision will come down to money. If the majority who supported it shop at @woolworths they will stay the course, but if people flock to @coles I imagine they’ll drop it too. https://t.co/HJmM3TJBbZ
— Craig Reucassel (@craigreucassel) August 1, 2018
Guess I’m switching to #Woolworths now that #coles has gone back on the plastic bag ban..
— Jolene Walters (@JoleneAmyRose) July 31, 2018
Dear @Coles, I will be shopping exclusively at @woolworths & @ALDIAustralia until you enforce your plastic-bags ban. Please keep me informed as to when your corporate spine returns so that i can start shopping with you again. #auspol
— John Wren (@JohnWren1950) August 1, 2018
Today we get the shocking news that Coles has backflipped on the plastic bag ban. Don’t let them get away with it.
RT if you will not shop at Coles until they reinstate the bag ban. #banthebag #boycottcoles pic.twitter.com/gJjnnVx0G2— Jeremy Buckingham 🌏 (@greensjeremy) August 1, 2018
Pathetic. Coles grovels to the RWFWs. That’s the last time I shop there. https://t.co/oUfSKUAUa3
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) August 1, 2018
It’s time to vote with our wallets. https://t.co/pR8tWMIWT0
— Georgina Dent (@georgiedent) August 1, 2018
I will suck @woolworths dick if they stay strong with the plastic bag ban 😍
— 🐀 Becky Lucas 🐀 (@Becky_Lucas89) August 1, 2018
There’s even concern that Coles’ latest decision could leave the environment worse off than we were before the supermarket had tried to change anything. That’s because the new plastic bags they’ve rolled out are thicker, reusable forms of the old bag — and if people just treat them like the old single-use bags, then it’ll populate the environment with insanely sturdy plastic bags.
“This replacement will not help people to kick their old single-use habits. In fact, they may develop a new habit of using the reusable bags as single-use products,” wrote academics Kim Borg and Edwin Ip in The Conversation, “if consumers continue their old habits, this could lead to even more plastic going to landfill and entering the environment.”
Oh, Coles.