Woolworths Will Not Replace The New 99c Bag for Free

https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/controversy-as-woolworths-sup…

Apparently Woolworths is phasing out the old 99c bag with a new one, and they will no longer replace the new one for free if damaged.

Seriously I don't care what materials my bag is made of. I just don't like how supermarkets
are shifting bag costs on me. It should never be.
I get the idea they want to use less plastic and I have no problem with that. But it's their responsibility to develop a more environmental friendly bag at their own cost.

I grabbed 50+ 99c bags when they were free a year or 2 ago and I am sure many Ozb members did the same.

Be aware that they are now asking you to pay more so they can boost their profits. Better use your bags carefully.

They will still replace your old 99c bag with the new one for the last time.

I also find the $1.50 IKEA blue bag more durable. I get them for free when I click and collect small items from them.

Alternatively, there are 5000 bags for ~$50 on eBay. Those are smaller bags but much cheaper.

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Comments

      • The printing on the bag said "Use this bag again and again. If it gets damaged we'll replace it for free". They're still going to honour that. They're just not going to offer that guarantee on the replacement, which they never said they would.

  • “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.”

    Can see why they wouldn't cater to the 20%….

    • "Their own bags" is just shifting ownership from the supermarket to the customer by way of making money

      But of course they're bringing their own! There isn't an alternative anymore.

      • Either way you'll pay for the bags. This way more of the marketing budget can be allocated to oooshies and the like …

  • +3

    dunno how you cope with suck outrageous situations in life.

    here is a solution.

    go to another fricken shop. unlike local governments and body corps you are not forced to use them

  • +5

    It’s not up to a supermarket to pay out of their pocket to help you carry items you own that your hands alone cannot.

    Bring your own bags or pay for some. Simple

    Stop crying

  • I'm still confused why you bought 50+ bags to begin with? I'd argue that most people don't need more than 5-10 bags when they do their weekly shopping. So using this logic you have about 40 bags sitting around at home doing nothing every week (Because obviously you'd never use them as the normal 5-10 bags you use just get replaced whenever they break)?

    That's $39.60 you've wasted buying green bags you don't need.

    • +1

      I'm still confused why you bought 50+ bags to begin with?

      OP: I grabbed 50+ 99c bags when they were free

      That's $39.60 you've wasted buying green bags you don't need.

      OP: $0.00 = free

    • +4

      There was a promotion in 2021, when you scanned your EDR card, you get 5 free bags a week, for 4 weeks.

    • coz they were free and OP is a total bum and needs to take more than they need

  • +2

    I'm still working my way through cartons of Toys r Us disposable shopping bags that I purchased when they closed their doors. 😆

  • Put it on a box, like people do at Aldi

    • +6

      So what your saying is 'if you're too lazy to wash bags, try some petty theft instead'? I'm not sure a 5-finger discount is the kind of bargain we should be encouraging.

      • I don’t know, I would look at it as payment for services rendered- I worked for them scanning and bagging my own groceries, they paid in kind with bags. Simples

    • +7

      stealing<>free (not legally)

      why scan your food, that be free too then

      f… it why not just eat it in the shop, no need for bags, and all free

      • +3

        Why go to the shop at all? Your neighbour probably has food and it's way closer, just go into their house and take that!

        • -4

          Come on, now. I think they might notice. Plus they have a limited selection. The bags are freely available in the self-checkout area — even the insulated ones that I use on occasion — and after hitting the “using my own bags” button you’re home free

    • +3

      I pity the school system that made a person that does not realize the difference between free and stolen… Actually, scratch that…. that should be taught at home.

      • +1

        You must have seen the fights over… toilet paper — of all things. It’s a jungle out there

      • Population density too high now. Public shaming doesn't work anymore, everyone is a stranger.

        • Nah, it’s simply a sign of insufficient shaming. It’s far, far more damaging to be publicly known in a high density setting. Unless we’re talking about a small country town, then life is over lol

  • +1

    Just use a box

    • yup say that to a family, who are already fedup with amount of amazon boxes they get.

    • Ya mums box?

  • We had someone bitching about a 28 cent charge on a credit card. Now we have another that thinks he/she is entitled to a free Woolworth's 99 cent shopping bag because it wore out or busted.

    I'm sure you would be a ball of fun around a campfire.

    • -3

      No, we're entitled to a plastic bag. But some turtle nostril straw inserter whined and stamped their feet, so we wound up with an EVEN WORSE solution. ;-p

    • Woolies doea actually have a policy for replacing the broken 99c bags for free irrespective of reason… what i dont get is the sense of entitlement from the OP. Probably reckons Woolies should have someone push the trolley around for them too!

      • +3

        I don't think the OP is entitled. As you stated Woolies undertook to replace the bags for free but now, they are not doing it.

        • 99c for a bag mate. Had it good for many years. For 99c the OP is expecting a bit too much.

        • They're still replacing all of the bags they undertook to replace.

      • +2

        When trolleys were initially introduced customers were resistant to using them because it was emasculating or felt more like work. Just goes to show people hate change whether it be for the better or worse

  • I always take my 99c nylon bags originally purchased at woolies because they roll up small and fit in your pocket. Easy to keep a bunch in the car centre console too.

    Why you'd take/get those bigger 'bags for good' even at zero cost is astounding.

    • +1

      I grabbed a few when they were 3 for $1.98
      I love them, They are great for small items.
      But they are too small for large items or hard package, e.g. cereal box, 3L milk etc.
      I leave a few different types of bags in my car: 15c bag, 99c nylon bags, 99c free replacement green bags, $1.50 IKEA bags, also some Coles/WW grey single use bags I bought from ebay before they first ban them a years ago.
      So I do always have the perfect bag for whatever items. lol

  • +1

    I wish the Woolies checkouts were more usable for supermarket trolley bags. I use them for Aldi and they are great - you can hang them folded up while you load your trolley with groceries, and then at the check out unload the groceries on the conveyor belt. Go to the other side of the checkout, open up the trolley bags and sit them in the trolley, and then load everything into the bags after the check out person scans them.

    This doesn't work at Woolies because their self checkout area is too small and at the manned checkouts, the conveyor belt is too small. I can't start bagging anything until I have the trolley bag open in the trolley, and I can't open the bags in the trolley until I have all the groceries out. I can't get all the groceries out if there is not enough space to put it all, and more space can't be provided until I can start bagging from the other end….

    First world problem I know, but it would make doing large shops at Woolies a lot easier. I've had the trolley bags a couple of years and they're still fine.I've had broken Woolies bags though.

  • +1

    Ididn't know they would replace them, they are not really built to last, I have had to sew up a couple of them and they are just poor quality material that fails after about 50 odd shops.

    • +4

      Have a look, on the bag it tells you everything - replace for free

      • That is the issue they are not replacing them because they do not have stock. I have had to mend mine too.

        • +1

          Forgot to tell all those who are fooled by words - like Voters and buyers.

          It says

          Use this bag again and again. If it gets damaged we'll replace it for free.

          Now no where does it say

          replace it with the same type of bag

          So they replace it with another and that other bag doesnt have the words that were found on the original bag.

          Everyone assumed - you know the one politicans and marketers want you to do - that you would get exactly the same bag with the same words, therefore meaning for "life".

          And in the beginning because they wanted everyone to continue to assume, they replaced old bags with new bags with the same words.

          Party's over just like it will be with the Pollies. 😀

  • +1

    "5000 bags for ~$50 on eBay" link?

  • Its alright. I have deep pockets.

  • +2

    Yeah I tried to redeem a new bag when i noticed I had two that were torn up about 2 weeks ago. The guy at syd town hall woolies told me they didn't have these bags for good anymore but I said I really needed a replacement to do my shopping (lol) and he offered a chiller bag and I agreed. They're not great but better than nothing.

    The ikea bag would be better than these sh!tty colesworth bags, thanks for that idea.

  • +1

    Order via click and collect and get free bags

    :)

  • They printed a guarantee to swap on the bags. Oh well, so much for my hanging tomato bag plans.

  • +3

    We haven't used bags for ages.

    We load our shopping back into trolley, and then put it into stackable tubs in the car. We can then carry the tubs inside - if a small shop - or use our P-handle trolley to bring in a stack of them.

    The tubs we have are collapsible, so don't take up much room in the car when not being used.

    Having said that, I bought a box of 1000 plastic bags just after the switch, because they are so useful for stuff. Now that so many places don't offer bags at all, it's easy to have 1 in your pocket.

  • +1

    At least the new ones are recyclable

    • +2

      The old ones are also recyclable at the Redcycle bins at Coles and Woolies.

      What to Redcycle

      Green bags (woven polypropylene bags)

      FAQ

      If I want to recycle my old polypropylene bags, do I need to remove the rigid plastic base first?
      No, you can leave the rigid plastic base inside as it’s made of high-density polyethylene which is also fully recyclable via the program.

  • +1

    Op: the original bag lady. I'm sure I've seen you at Woolies with your 50 bags hanging off you, screaming at the staff.

  • +5

    they will no longer replace the new one for free if damaged.

    Ludicrous entitlement. Buy another bag or bring your own. Or don't use bags and have crates or tubs ready in your car.

    I just don't like how supermarkets are shifting bag costs on me. It should never be.

    Boohoo. They start at 15 cents.

  • +1

    I personally I have been using Envirosax since long before single use plastic bags were originally removed from supermarkets. They are a superior bag to use in all respects, larger, carry heavier things, last almost forever, and even stylish.

    Invest in some reusable bags. Each plastic bag you don’t use is another plastic bag which will not end up in landfill, or in the gullet of wildlife.
    https://envirosax.com.au/

    • Most of the pelicans I see tend to have fishing line/hooks stuck in their gullet. One also had a scrunchy. Beyond that most wildlife that needs care comes in as a result of an animal (e.g cat or dog) attack

      The main problem is people being so lazy and selfish that they see no problem in littering. By the time they see the impacts it has on the environment around them, they've convinced themselves they're a good person and wouldn't have contributed to the problem in the first place. This proclivity to thinking oneself as a saint extends to mining operations that dump hazardous chemicals in to surrounding habitats

  • I just don't like how supermarkets are shifting bag costs on me. It should never be.

    serenity now, serenity now.

  • +5

    Seriously, I think we should all take a minutes silence for the op to shed a tear that there life is so inconvenienced over having to do something themselves and not have it done for them.

  • -2

    The plastic bags were not free, they were included in the price of the goods…. duh. So why do you want ME to pay for YOUR inability to carry around a reusable bag? You do not like the quality or the price of the bag? GET YOUR OWN BAG THEN.

    Stop expecting handouts. I bet if it was up to you, you would expect to get a free reusable bag every time. Things change…. stop bitching and move with the times.

    • +2

      The plastic bags were not free, they were included in the price of the goods…. duh

      Did the prices go down when the plastic bags were banned? Nope.

      • Of course not. Just more profit.

      • That does not make them free. Even if you could just go and take some without shopping…. free just for you… their cost would still be in what Woolies charges. I agree Woolies should have lowered something…. that still does not mean they were free. They were not free for Wollies… Wollies made a profit… somebody paid for them… aka NOT free.

      • Free bags increased the amount people purchased, they weren't forced to include them. When they were banned they had to basically pay a person for months to guide people through the fact that bags weren't free. Their costs went up and profits down!

        If they could give away free cheap bags without consequence forever they'd have kept doing it. Now most people have their own reusable bags it probably has less downwards impact on sales (but still not non existent). Would anyone really notice if grocery prices now went down a cent or two? Vs how much they've gone up in the last few months alone?

        Ultimately businesses decide what to offer to get the most customers from competitors, more bags, lower prices, rewards schemes etc.

  • +6

    Supermarkets are a PROFIT MAKING BUSINESS. They are not a charity, nor are they funded by taxpayer dollars, so you as a consumer have zero say about what you think is fair.

    You are welcome to spend your money in their in their business, under their rules, or you are welcome to go somewhere else.

    All this uproar about;
    1. supermarket bags
    2. self checkouts
    3. prices going up

    Yes it is all for the supermarket to make more money. And no, you can't do anything about it

    • Absolutely! In general, consumers are pretty dumb. They fail to grasp that when you walk into a Woolies it’s on their terms, and their laws apply upon the premises. Don’t like it? Then leave! If you shop there you must accept their rules and their jurisdiction. That’s why supermarkets can get away with murder these days

  • +2

    I grabbed 50+ 99c bags when they were free a year or 2 ago

    … Wtf is wrong with you?

    • +2

      He is a true ozbargain hunter.

    • There's someone on here who fills them with dirt and uses them to grow hanging tomato plants. They said when the bags wear out they would take them back and swap for new ones.

      I was planning to do the same but I can't now. :-(

  • What's wrong with the 15 cent bags? That's all I've been using for the past few years.

  • +1

    they need to do the bunnings thing where they put empty boxes at the front to you.

  • +1

    The 50+ 99cent bags you got for nothing they are not single use bags. They could last you several years so maybe come back in 2024-25 why the issue now.

  • Coles never had a free bag replacement policy. What is your opinion on that OP?

  • +1

    Yea it was inevitable woolworths would not have had kept this going on forever.

    they just wanted to earn reputation of being ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY by giving people free bags (ones that cost environment a lot more to produce)

  • And here we go, after all the people who were saying grocery stores stopped the free bags for the environment and not for their bottom dollar when others complained…

  • +5

    "I just don't like how supermarkets are shifting bag costs on me."

    LMAO. The entitlement generation at its finest.

    • Once again, Woolies customers are left holding the bag

  • how big of a tightar$e do you have to be to create a thread like this one?

    • It's our inalienable right ….. the right to free whinge … isn't it one of our amendments? ;-)

  • +1

    If you buy a new car and it breaks down after using it for a few years and your expect a replacement? It's a 99 cent bag. OMG.

    • +1

      If it was advertised as "In the event of any failure we'll replace it for free for the rest of your life" then absolutely yes

  • +2

    I also find the $1.50 IKEA blue bag more durable. I get them for free when I click and collect small items from them.

    Why don't you use the IKEA bags at the supermarket then? You've got 50+ free reusable bags and these, why the grumpiness with a refund that you won't need ever for years?

  • +3

    It shouldn’t be up to supermarkets to replace a bag that’s left their store and been damaged by the owner. Where else can you take back a good you’ve damaged for a free replacement. I’m sorry car place I banged my car up can I get a free one? My 2 yeae old tshirt has a rip in it, must be time for a free exchange.

    The state of some peoples bags are disgusting. Do they automatically get a free one too cause they’ve left a baby’s nappy in it, or it’s full of cockroaches? The fact you got 50+ for free and are still whinging you can’t get more bags is laughable.

    • +1

      The state of some peoples bags are disgusting. Do they automatically get a free one too cause they’ve left a baby’s nappy in it, or it’s full of cockroaches?

      That's so vomit gross.

  • +7

    You took 50 free bags and now you're complaining about the price increase. Lol cmon dude.

  • +1

    Whilst I dont like the fact that woolies is no longer replacing the bags for life, c'mon OP, those 50 bags should last you years.

  • +2

    I saw the new bags today. They are not going to last longer than the old ones like they claim. They're plastic/nylon - made of the same woven junk like cheap tarps are made of only slightly better.

  • It's a shame that they're going away, but the replacement warranty was always a bonus.

    Coles don't do this, and even stopped with the green bags for quite a while before coming out with the hessian ones. I'm not sure if they're still available as all I remember recently is plastic multi-use and the woven plasticky type bags.

    So Woolies has been better than Coles for ages for this reason.

    But Coles has price-check if something on sale is out of stock - so you can get it in a subsequent week.

    They each have their pros and cons, but they have no obligation to do anything for us.

  • +2

    Shop at ALDI, hurl all items into trolley, go to car and pack items into crates. Make kids take the crates in and tell them it's character-building.

    No bags, and you just got out in half the time.

    • Make kids take the crates in and tell them it's character-building.

      Poor kids🤣LOL

  • +2

    Buy a roll of the cheapest rubbish bags, go through checkout and get them to bag up your items in the garbage bags. When you get home store the bags for rubbish bins.

    • Reusable bags work better mostly because the volume of garbage people throw out tends to be a fraction of the volume they buy in groceries, unless they’re using garbage bags for all their effluent..

    • technically the F&V bags are still free at all major supermarkets. Customer can always use em for smaller shoppings i.e. less than 6 items ish

  • Ultimately free bags were introduced in the first place because people purchased more as a result, obviously people only purchase a few cents more, not enough to justify giving away reusable bags, especially now most people already have them.

    Supermarkets never gave out bags as a community service so I don’t see why people are shocked. You’re just as valid complaining they don’t give out free bread….

    • Car Manufacturer: "Buy our car once and if it breaks down we'll replace it for free, forever."
      jkart: Buys their car instead of another was planning on buying.
      Car breaks down.

      jkart: "See that tow truck out there? It's the car I bought here that broke down. Can I have my replacement please."
      Car Manufacturer: Sure. :-) Oh, just to let you know, we made a new model so we changed our policy. But don't worry, you still get a replacement today but it will be your only replacement.
      jkart: "Wth!?"

      And no, the value of the item makes no difference. Make excuses for them all you like, make cheap versus expensive comparisons to say I should be content because I swapped two bags so far, that I shouldn't have expected it would last… the fact is Woolworths LIED. They printed certain statements on their bags, and now they're no longer going to honor them.

      Not that I'm surprised. EVERY business exaggerates, baits & switches, lies, gets to make any misleading statement they like then just gets to wipe it away later without repercussions using some weak excuse or policy change. They may have even had some clause in the original wording to cover this, but that's just as bad, because they KNEW from day one they were being deceptive - saying one thing on every bag, knowing full well a few years from now they would change it and point back to the fine print and say, "See? it never meant what we put on the bags and what you thought it said because we hid half the info over here. So it's YOUR fault for taking us at our word on the bags."

      • They’re still honouring the replacements and it’s 99c…. Yes absolutely under the law the value does make a difference.

        • +2

          Are they honouring future replacements? I get my bag for life replaced with a non bag for life. That bag is no longer entitled to replacement

          • @Davo1111: Exactly. They're NOT honouring replacements indefinitely as the bags state. They're now giving one. Obviously there must have been some fine print clause, or, WW will now say something like, "Your bag had printing that said that, but the replacement bags don't - so the forever replacement guarantee ends once you receive a bag without the printing."

            And while I never said it was "law", his claim because an item is low in value means laws don't apply, would mean businesses could promise anything they like but not provide it - that's nonsense.

            • @[Deactivated]: Low value doesn't mean laws don't apply (nice strawman) consumer guarantees take into account the value of the item with respect to the expected life of the item. You're basically at the mercy of what a 'reasonable person' could expect, unfortunately for you, their opinion likely differs.

            • @[Deactivated]: Read my earlier post and also Jkarts below. The bags dont say for life. The bag will be replaced for free. The new bag doesnt have to have the same words on it, or even be of the same material.

              Early on they did use the same bag and it had the words on it. so we believed it was for life. But it never said for life etc

              It only says

              Use this bag again and again. If it gets damaged we'll replace it for free.

              Now I am with the OP - it should get replaced, but again to repeat, only for another bag. If that bag has no guarantee of replacement or not exactly the same, then too bad. If it does have same words - bonus!

          • +2

            @Davo1111: The damaged bag was still replaced, the printing on the bag is pretty clear, it never said they'd replace them infinitely, it only ever said they'd replace that bag. The fact they ever did more than once was both weird (who has seriously damaged them non maliciously twice already in the time they've been around) and above and beyond the guarantee.

  • +3

    I actually see OPs point. they’ve offered unlimited replacement bags and are now exchanging them for bags without the replacement guarantee - meaning the primary benefit to buying the bag is now gone.

    • As a matter of principle perhaps, but on a 99c bag - and the offer has been running for many years?

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