Forgetful of reusable bags? Get a pinch at checkouts!

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.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.