BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Ready or not, plastic bags will soon be no more at Wegmans. This change can raise a lot of questions. So we asked Wegmans for you.
Is your calendar marked? We’re just FOUR days away until there are no more plastic bags @Wegmans!
— Taylor Epps (@taylor_epps_) January 23, 2020
Have any questions about this change? We’re doing a Q&A for you tonight on @WKBW pic.twitter.com/Fc7slpo3Hf
1. Question: How does this work at self checkout?
Answer: Customers would use their reusable bag and bag their groceries.
2. Question: What if you forget your bags at home?
Answer: You can purchase paper bags at the store. Wegmans is charging five cents per bag. That money will then be donated to FeedMore WNY.
3. Question: Are there restrictions on the types of bags you can bring? The size?
Answer: While Wegmans is encouraging customers to bring reusable bags, they will continue to help our customers with alternative bagging requests.
4. Question: How much are the alternatives?
Answer: 99 cents for a Wegmans reusable bag is the easiest option. Five cents for paper bags.
5. Question: What does this mean for services like Instacart? Do people get charged for bags?
Answer: Instacart and Wegmans Meals 2Go customers will not be charged five cents for paper bags, as these customers don’t have an option to use reusable bags.
6. Question: What's happening to the plastic bags currently in use at stores?
Answer: Remaining single use plastic bags will be sent to other states throughout the Wegmans chain.
7. Question: Does this impact all plastics? What about produce bags or deli plastics?
Answer: These are not included in the ban.
8. Question: What's the step by step process at checkout?
Answer: Hand the reusable bags to the cashier who will bag their groceries.
But we know not everyone shops at Wegmans. Tops doesn't make the change until March 1, 2020. We asked Tops the same questions and most rules are the same.
1. Question: How does this work at self checkout?
Answer: At the end of the order when you hit total, a prompt will appear on the screen asking how many bags you have used to complete your order. If you have used your own bags, you simply would enter the quantity - 0. If you have to purchase a paper bag from the store you would simply enter in the number of bags you need to purchase at 5 cents each.
2. Question: What if you forget your bags at home?
Answer: You will be offered a paper bag at either 5 cents or a handled paper bag at 10 cents. You may also purchase a reusable bag for 99 cents.
3. Question: Are there restrictions on the types of bags you can bring? The size?
Answer: You can bring anything within reason including clean plastic bags from home.
4. Question: What does this mean for services like Instacart? Do people get charged for bags?
Answer: After March 1, 2020 all orders placed through Tops home delivery and curbside pickup services will be bagged in paper bags and will incur the 5 cent fee.
5. Question: We know that sometimes employees living with disabilities work in a plastic only checkout line because they need to use plastic bags. Will this policy change?
Answer: These carousel designed lanes are in place for accessibility purposes and will continue to be used when the plastic bags are no longer an option in March.
6. Question: What's the step by step process at checkout?
Answer: Cashiers are trained to ask the customer how the customer would like their groceries bagged. If they have reusable bags, the customer hands the cashier their bags. If they do not have bags or another form of transport for their groceries, the cashier will offer them a variety of options. It is the customers prerogative if they want to bag their own groceries.
