SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — It may be harder to find a hand basket at New Jersey supermarkets these days. After the state’s plastic bag ban went into effect in May, store operators say customers have been walking off with them.
Because New Jersey food stores are no longer allowed to give out plastic or paper bags, employees say many customers who didn’t bring their own bags have been taking their purchases home in hand baskets.
The New Jersey Food Council has seen an increase in basket theft since the bag ban took effect.
“While most customers have adapted, unfortunately our members have seen an uptick in customers taking the store baskets and not returning them,” NJFC Vice President Mary Ellen Peppard told KYW Newsradio in a statement. “These baskets are expensive and some stores have decided not to replace the baskets.”
Store baskets can cost around $8 apiece.
ACME Markets declined to provide a comment to KYW Newsradio. Target, ShopRite and WholeFoods operators didn’t respond to requests for comment.
“I would never walk off with someone’s basket,” said shopper Melissa Benenfeld of Cherry Hill outside the Marlton Target store. “I do find them to be a little awkward, but I do use it when I’m only buying a few items.”
It’s also easy to forget to bring your own bags, admitted Nancy Hutchinson of Haddon Heights.
“I think it’s kind of a learning curve that we’re in,” she said, “and hopefully people will stop stealing things from the store that make it harder to shop.”
She thinks these basket-stealers may just be lazy.
“Hopefully they’re reusing them, which is the whole point, is to not create more waste,” she added. “The shame would be if people are stealing them and then throwing them in the trash, which kind of defeats the purpose.”
Related
