Forgetful of reusable bags? Get a pinch at checkouts!

Most consumers in Oman are still struggling to embrace the single use plastic bag ban in retail shops, as they are buying more bags after forgetting their reusable ones at home.

“Shoppers are frustrated and still struggling to change old habits of reaching hands free to the marketplace”, said Mohammed Elias, a sales manager at a leading hypermarket.

As shoppers continue buying new bags every time they walk into the shops, they will now have dozens of reusable bags stored in their kitchen, he said.

While some of the retailers are offering smaller and flimsier bags free of cost, shoppers have to fork out an extra at most shops. The cost depends on the size of the bags, which are available in different colours and designs.

Bharat Patel, salesperson at another supermarket in Muscat, said that many shoppers come prepared with more than one bag depending on their shopping volume.

“Older shoppers, especially those with families, have been the most supportive of the ban. Most of them bring their bags”, he said, adding, “youngsters were initially outraged by the ban”.

Hameed al Balushi, who came to shop at a hypermarket in Ruwi, said he supported the measure with a suggestion that there should be a better solution so that the cost of the bag is not passed on to consumers.

“It’s a good policy, but retailers should do something to help customers as well. Before the ban, retailers were spending heavily on plastic bags which they needed in large quantities,” he said.

MONITORING

Meanwhile, a statement from the Consumer Protection Authority said it will constantly monitor the market for discrepancies.

“We want to ensure that the prices of environmentally-friendly bags are not raised,” the authority said in the statement.

George Elias, a marketing executive, said that shopping is a spontaneous act, “so you won’t always have your own bags at hand. It’s understandable that some shoppers are frustrated and still struggling to change old habits.”

But he suggested, keeping a handful of bags in the car will help avoid spending on the same item again and again. “But if you’re buying several bags a week, over the course of a year, those costs add up,” he added.

Oman rolled out a ban on single use plastic bags in retailing businesses from the New Year day as part of the government initiative to contain environmental pollution.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion has already set standard specifications for the reusable shopping bags with a RO 1,000 fine for non-complying manufacturers.

According to the decision, reusable shopping bags made of polyethylene is a binding Omani standard specification.

The ministry also held meetings with manufacturers to ensure their readiness in the transitional period by finding suitable alternatives, and merchants and commercial centres were prepared to implement the ban.