Woolworths shopper blasts new reusable bags: 'Ripping after one use'
A Woolworths customer who was unhappy about the supermarket giant's new resuable shopping bags has taken to social media to highlight a problem with their quality.
In a 24-second clip posted on TikTok, the woman addressed Woolworths, saying the retailer's new Bag for Good totes are actually not that sustainable.
"Australian supermarket Woolworths, you've replaced your green bags with different green bags. And just so you know, they're ripping after one use," the woman said. "I've had to throw two out already. And there wasn't even that much in them."
“So I don't know. Maybe you could improve the supplier, please, because this is actually really impractical. And my shopping went everywhere,” she commented further.
Free replacement?
Woolies' green reusable bags have been a staple among shoppers since they were introduced in 2018, and came with a promise that "if it gets damaged, we'll replace it for free" printed on them – one of the reasons for their popularity.
Whether or not the new reusable bags will be replaced free of charge, however, has caused confusion among shoppers, as some viewers discussed whether this promise will still be honoured.
On a separate social media post, one man took to Woolworths' Facebook page to gripe about the supermarket's refusal to swap his ripped bag for a new one.
"Apparently it's no longer a 'bag for good' as you have marketed because you have introduced a new style of bag into store. The staff at Hollywood Plaza refused to change it as printed on your bag because they are now a different style," the Adelaide man said in the post, which was accompanied by a snap of his damaged green grocery tote. "Surely this is false advertising at its finest?"
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Woolworths responds
Woolworths, which said last month that it was ditching the 99-cent bags for a newer, sturdier model, told Yahoo News Australia in a statement that the retailer is "gradually running down stock" of their green Bag for Good totes and are replacing it "with a sturdy new-look 99-cent bag".
"Our new reusable 99-cent bag is made from 70 per cent recycled material and has already started to roll out across stores," a Wooloworths spokesperson said. "Our paper shopping bags and other bag options continue to be available to customers as well."
"We've seen a significant shift in shopping habits in recent years with 80 per cent of our customers now bringing their own bags to shop," the spokesperson added.
The supermarket giant has been rolling out the new totes – made from at least 70 per cent recycled content – across stores in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia, with South Australia and the Northern Territory to follow in the coming weeks.
Woolworths is set to continue to honour the replace-for-free offer on any of the older Bag for Good totes with another bag of equivalent value. The new 99-cent bag, however, does not have a replace-for-free guarantee, but is said to be designed to be more durable than the older Bag for Good totes.
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