Woolworths shuts down shopper's theory after noticing new paper bag detail
A big bag theory has emerged after the 'unbelievable' change.
An Aussie conspiracy has emerged after Woolworths paper bags have seemingly, within a week, gone down a size, with some shoppers arguing it's to make it appear like you get more bang for your buck.
One NSW man took to social media to share his discovery, showing the two bags side by side almost identical except for the noticeable size difference. "We're all gonna whinge about how few bags of groceries we get for our dollars these days. They’re on to it," Braden said in his video. "They can f**king make the bag smaller".
Woolworths quickly put out the flames of the theory, telling Yahoo News Australia it recently changed the height of its paper shopping bags in stores to match the paper bags it uses for online deliveries.
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A big bag conspiracy
The move to smaller bags has been questioned by frustrated Aussies, with Braden saying it shows Woolies don't know how to read a room. "We’ve got record profits, we’re talking about the cost of living and everything going up. But they know the old trick," he argued, a sentiment shared by many Aussies in recent months.
He continued to explain his theory that the smaller bag makes it look as if you get more groceries for the same price because you need to use more bags — a theory others agreed with. "Saw this with my shop yesterday. Unbelievable," responded one.
Simple explanation from Woolworths
Woolworths used to have had two different paper bag sizes — one for in-store, and the other used for online orders packed by staff — but have moved to use one size across all areas. "Many of our online orders are picked and packed in-store, so having one consistent size for all our paper bags helps simplify our processes," a Woolworths spokesperson said. "The updated paper bag is now 3.5cm shorter, representing a slight reduction in the bag’s overall volume.
"It has been tested to ensure it will still carry the same weight of groceries".
Do you have a story about your local supermarket? Contact reporter Laura Koefoed at laura.koefoed@yahooinc.com
Woolies chose to keep the smaller-sized bag rather than the other size because the smaller has been designed to fit inside the crates used to deliver them in home delivery vans — which Aussies in the comments of Braden's video also pointed out. "The taller ones sit too high in the crates and we have to bend the bags so they don’t get crushed during delivery," said one.
Conspiracies continue to emerge in the current climate
There has been an ongoing backlash against major supermarkets like Woolworths and Coles during the cost of living crisis, particularly since they recorded multi-billion dollar profits this year while, at the same time, more than a third of Australians have said the rising cost of groceries has had the biggest impact on their budget.
Most recently, customers have shared their frustration with self-serve technology and an increase in surveillance at stores to tackle the "increase in retail crime".
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