# Dunnes stores help hard pressed consumers avoid the "Plastic Bag Tax"



## Binomial (24 May 2010)

Dunnes Stores help hard pressed consumers avoid the "Plastic Bag Tax".

Yes, Dunnes Stores now place packs of 20 plastic "kileen brand" shopping bags for only 99c at their check out and you don't have to pay the plastic bag levy on them!


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## z107 (24 May 2010)

I thought the plastic bag tax was a good idea. 
I can't remember the last time I bought a plastic bag, here or on holiday. That's got to be good for the environment. A shame that people will try to circumvent it.


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## pudds (24 May 2010)

Well we've seen what the golden circle have done to this country so anything that helps the lower paid or unemployed...I have to welcome.


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## Emma1980 (24 May 2010)

i saw them at the counter in dunnes yesterday and it did make me think what they were doing there - makes sense i suppose but most people bring their "bags for life" with them instead anyway!


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## z107 (24 May 2010)

Why are these exempt from the plastic bag levy anyway?
Shouldn't the levy be charged at 20 x levy amount? (For twenty plastic bags)


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## Arabella (25 May 2010)

Is this not similiar to the carbon tax on petrol? ie. ludicrous.


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## papervalue (25 May 2010)

[broken link removed]

The bag issue in Dunnes might not be solved till they conclude tax case on link


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## Moral Ethos (25 May 2010)

> Tuesday, January 26, 2010


Is this ongoing?


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## allthedoyles (25 May 2010)

Binomial said:


> Dunnes Stores help hard pressed consumers avoid the "Plastic Bag Tax".
> !


 
Hard pressed consumers they may be - but some shoppers are so lazy that they leave their shopping bags in the boot of the car and they end up buying more ''bags for life'' , neary every time they go shopping .


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## chrisboy (25 May 2010)

allthedoyles said:


> Hard pressed consumers they may be - but some shoppers are so lazy that they leave their shopping bags in the boot of the car and they end up buying more ''bags for life'' , neary every time they go shopping .




On the rare occasion, i have been that soldier..


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## Ancutza (25 May 2010)

Me too!  I now have 12 'bags for life' stuffed behind the fridge freezer.  Is this a record!?


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## pudds (25 May 2010)

There is no such thing as a  bag for life...trust me


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## Moral Ethos (25 May 2010)

Those cloth ones from Tesco are the only good long life bags.


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## CatherineB (25 May 2010)

Probably to stop people abusing till staff about the fact that the bags for life doubled to 70cent.


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## Graham_07 (26 May 2010)

umop3p!sdn said:


> Why are these exempt from the plastic bag levy anyway?
> Shouldn't the levy be charged at 20 x levy amount? (For twenty plastic bags)



Presumably you purchase the pack of 20 bags for 99c along with your groceries. You then use the bags you've paid for to pack your groceries in. I suppose not much different to buying a pack of bin liners as you go around the supermarket then using them.


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## MANTO (26 May 2010)

Ancutza said:


> Me too! I now have 12 'bags for life' stuffed behind the fridge freezer. Is this a record!?


 
I have about 10, catching up on you


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## ajapale (31 May 2010)

I use the fold-able crates. They are very handy for storage around the house as well.

€5 in Dunnes and €3 in Tescos.


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## z107 (31 May 2010)

> Presumably you purchase the pack of 20 bags for 99c along with your groceries. You then use the bags you've paid for to pack your groceries in. I suppose not much different to buying a pack of bin liners as you go around the supermarket then using them.


I can understand the idea, but I still can't see how this circumvents the levy.
I thought the levy was on plastic bags, regardless how they are purchased. The levy isn't on bin liners, just plastic carrier bags.

Are these bags actually just bin liners? - or are they a pack of ten 'real' carrier bags?


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## ajapale (31 May 2010)

What Ive seen in Dunnes is a crate of Killeen small binliners with handles on display in the front of all the checkouts.

I assume you buy a pack, crack it open and then bag your groceries. You pay 99c for the pack of 20 bin liners/ bags. You dont pay the levy and you go home with the 15 or so excess bags.


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## MANTO (31 May 2010)

Just logged onto tesco.ie and they are advertised as Swing Bin Liners (very small swing bins at that)


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## z107 (31 May 2010)

It reminds me a bit of selling bath salts/legal high thing.

How about gin flavour shower gel? - It's not really gin, it's just juniper shower gel with a high alcohol content.


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## pansyflower (31 May 2010)

> gin flavour shower gel


 
Where?  Where?


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## gillarosa (1 Jun 2010)

I wonder if this is related to the difference they have with Revenue re the amount they are due to pay for the bag levy collected, as far as I know Revenue base their estimated levy payable on the number of plastic bags Dunnes purchase from their suppliers while Dunnes maintain a portion of the bags are used in Vegetable / Bakery dept's where levy isn't charged and also in NI. If so its quite cynical rather than aiming to help the hard pressed Consumer.


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## Noor77 (15 Jun 2010)

MANTO said:


> I have about 10, catching up on you


 
I have 19! 

I must say I agree with the plastic bag levy on an environmental level though (says the Imelda Marcos of "long life bags! )

The M & S black canvas ones are the best I find.


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## JoeB (30 Jun 2010)

It seems the charge only applies to bags given away.. if you purchase a bag the charge doesn't apply.

So why don't some shops charge 5c for bags?, and not pay the 15c tax?, that would seem to circumvent the legislation. (These 5c bags would be normal plastic bags, not designed for re-use)

Legislation at
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2001/en/si/0605.html


Hmmm, I'm not so sure now.. I think even if you pay for a bag the tax still applies... but if this is the case then why isn't the tax applied on bin liners?

The wording from the act (some detail removed)
3. (1) On and from the 4th day of March 2002 there shall be charged ... a levy ...  in respect of the supply to customers....  of plastic bags in or at any shop, supermarket, service station or other sales outlet.


Does the phrase 'supply to customers' indicate that no charge is applied?, or not?


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## ajapale (24 Jul 2010)

The Joe Duffy Show on RTÉ R1 dealt with this issue in passing yesterday 23rd July.

A lady caller had purchased over €100 worth of groceries. She looked for four or five plastic bags and was told that Dunnes did not do the regular 22c bags any more and that she would have to pay 70c each for the medium duty ones.

She objected to the manager who was pleasant but unable to help.

She left the entire shopping on the belt and went over to Tesco's and did her shop there!


No mention was made of the kileen 20pack bags prominently displayed at all Dunnes Stores checkouts.


ajapale said:


> What Ive seen in Dunnes is a crate of Killeen  small binliners with handles on display in the front of all the  checkouts.
> 
> I assume you buy a pack, crack it open and then bag your groceries. You  pay 99c for the pack of 20 bin liners/ bags. You dont pay the levy and  you go home with the 15 or so excess bags.


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## CatherineB (24 Jul 2010)

More fool her, so she spent double the time shopping to 'make a statement'. Ie. Dunnes staff have to put back all her shopping because head office are operating a policy stores can do nothing about. Nice. The key phrase there is 'unable to help'. Exactly. It stems from higher up obviously, individual stores are not personally hiding bags from customers.


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## Moral Ethos (24 Jul 2010)

It sends a message to head office. More power to her. 

The manager could have given her the bags.


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## Crunchie (24 Jul 2010)

I'm with Dunnes on this one. Unless she hasn't shopped in Dunnes in a very long time she would have known they no longer sell the 22c bags. I spend €100+ in Dunnes every week and wouldn't expect to be given reusable bags for free. While I can't speak for the branch the woman was in I know you can't miss the Killeen bags in the branches of Dunnes I use. I would also have been mightily annoyed if I was in the queue behind her and had to wait for the checkout to be cleared. We don't all have the luxury of having enough time to go and start again in Tesco.


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## irishmoss (24 Jul 2010)

Fair play to the woman. If Dunnes stores don't want to supply the 22c plastic bags fine but they should have paper bags, she shouldn't be bullied into buying the dearer option of which Dunnes is making a profit.


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## Moral Ethos (24 Jul 2010)

They do have paper bags which are only given for non grocery purposes.


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## CatherineB (24 Jul 2010)

irishmoss said:


> Fair play to the woman. If Dunnes stores don't want to supply the 22c plastic bags fine but they should have paper bags, she shouldn't be bullied into buying the dearer option of which Dunnes is making a profit.




Individual stores do not have the option of supplying 22cent bags, they do not have any and won't have any until the dispute is settled. Not only that but here's the new policy- all paper bags currently at tills will be counted tomorrow, ready for scanning (will show up as free) on Monday. Not allowed to give them out for someone for groceries/broken bag/someone wanting a bag/storing hangers. Nothing but for drapery purchases. All of this stuff is not the stores trying to alienate customers, they don't have any choice. Breaking thses policies puts your job on the line.


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## ajapale (10 Jan 2012)

ajapale said:


> I use the fold-able crates. They are very handy for storage around the house as well.
> 
> €5 in Dunnes and €3 in Tescos.




The Tesco foldable crates are now €1.75!


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## rayn (10 Jan 2012)

Just asking the Government to start taxing plastic bin liners.
By the way anyone know where I can get biodegradable bin liners!


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## ajapale (10 Jan 2012)

rayn said:


> By the way anyone know where I can get biodegradable bin liners!



I get mine in Dunnes! I heard someone mention here that they get them on line.


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## becky (10 Jan 2012)

irishmoss said:


> Fair play to the woman. If Dunnes stores don't want to supply the 22c plastic bags fine but they should have paper bags, she shouldn't be bullied into buying the dearer option of which Dunnes is making a profit.


 

She was lucky as my local tesco don't have the plastic bags more often than not.  Also the quality is rubbish.


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