San Francisco might put 17 cent tax on all grocery bags

[N776AU]

Well grocery stores aren't too bad around here, but Wal-Mart wastes their bags big time. They put like one item in each bag.

thats at their own expense though wouldnt it be...my guess is its at there own discresion...not the walmart is in any danger of losing money anyway

[Jbrewster1012]

Well grocery stores aren't too bad around here, but Wal-Mart wastes their bags big time. They put like one item in each bag.

[Airbus_A320]

This is ridiculous.... whats next.... oxygen tax?

[ATLcenter]

Yea, it seems a lot of European countries (and Canada, for that matter) have a Value Added Tax...

I actually prefer bringing my own bags to the grocery anyway. It wouldn't bother me too much if Aldi, Sainsbury, Bi-Lo, Shaws, or Kroger stopped making their own bags. The cloth bag that I have suffices.

[N776AU]

the UK has like a 12% tax or something like that as I recall....but everything I bought was tax free.....was it just because I put most everything on my credit card....or was it something special?

[pdeboer]

The grocery store chain ALDI already does this in their stores, so you have the choice of bringing in your own bags or buying theirs, which are a few cents apiece.

In the Netherlands you can get only the small flimsy bags for free, in those you can cary only 4 tomatoes or so. But these are not even available everywhere. The usefull , larger ones cost some 20 eurocent in every grocery store. If you don't want to bay a bag, and didn't bring one of your own, you can use an empty cardboard box that is supplied by the store (ones that were used to carry bananas or boxes of cereals).

[babypurin]

Try paying 17.5% tax on EVERYTHING... not just grocery bags, god, some of you americans whinge about everything. You need to realise that you do better than most when it comes to tax paying and stuff like that...

Well the 25% tax in Scandanavia shocked me.

[N776AU]

only in california

[Genessee]

Try paying 17.5% tax on EVERYTHING...

And I thought the 15% I pay is alot.

[Genessee]

Theres alot of chains here that do that. Mostly the stores with cheaper prices. It's 5 to 10 cents a bag. Some stores charge 10 cents for a crap bag that will break of you put a 2 liter bottle of pop in it. They could atleast give a GOOD bag.

[AEagle40]

You have ALDI in the US?!?

-Colin

Yup, we even have one in the little town of Galesburg. Come to think of it, there are several in some small cities around here. Galesburg, Pekin, etc. Great place for discount stuff!

[begintowonder]

this is just for SF right? not the entire bay area?

[DAL767-400ER]

The grocery store chain ALDI already does this in their stores, so you have the choice of bringing in your own bags or buying theirs, which are a few cents apiece.

You have ALDI in the US?!?
Anyway, this is common practice here in Germany to charge 10 cent per bag, and it is a good thing. Speaking from experience, after a two-week vacation in the US we were usually stuck with at least 12 bags, while here in Germany we always use the same. I wouldn't mind seeing that system introduced in the US.

-Colin

[matt1168]

Aah ... this is definately some of the dumbest bullshit ever proposed.

The grocery store chain ALDI already does this in their stores, so you have the choice of bringing in your own bags or buying theirs, which are a few cents apiece.