The beloved bullseye store —Target — has implemented a single-use bag policy that automatically charges online Drive Up and Pickup customers for plastic bags. Walmart also does this.
Customers will have ten bags pre-authorized once they place their order (typically for larger orders). If an order doesn’t require all ten bags, Target will only charge customers for the specific amount of bags used.
The store charges $1 per ten bags, making each bag cost 10 cents. The surcharge won’t show up on your receipt but will show on the final invoice, and the refund if all ten bags weren’t used.
Not every Walmart or Target enacted the policy. The bag fee only applies to states with a ban on single-use plastic bags. The approach is to comply with those bans.
California, Delaware, Hawaii, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, Oregon and Maine banned single-use plastic bags. Other states like Florida, Arizona, Michigan, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Indiana banned cities from enacting the single-use plastic ban.
There are ways to avoid a bag fee. One method is to shop in-store since the bag fee doesn’t apply. Target also rewards customers with a five-cent discount if reusable bags are used at checkout.
While there isn’t a “no bags” option for the online Drive Up or PickUp orders, customers can decline the bags at the time of pickup, and they will be refunded.
Walmart and Target implemented the single-use plastic bag policy to combat marine and land pollution and ensure sustainability. While plastic is recyclable and biodegradable, decomposing takes up to 500 years, depending on environmental factors.
There are thousands of Walmart and Target stores worldwide, which means millions of grocery bags going to customers that many don’t recycle. They end up in landfills, roadsides, waterways and oceans, endangering the planet and wildlife, according to the World Wildlife Fund website.
