Shoppers determined not to pay for plastic bags are 'now stealing supermarket baskets'

In the wake of a plastic bag ban, shoppers at one supermarket are avoiding purchasing reusable bags by stealing supermarket baskets, shop staff claim.

After the US state of New Jersey put the ban in place three months ago, employees at the Aberdeen ShopRite noticed the store’s handheld plastic shopping baskets were vanishing.

Brazen shoppers who didn’t bring their own bags and didn’t want to buy 33-cent reusable bags were reportedly leaving the store with their groceries stuffed in the shopping baskets.

“They were taking them out and never returned,” said an Aberdeen ShopRite employee who wanted to remain anonymous.

“We went down to no hand baskets at all.”

The US state of New Jersey put a plastic bag ban in place three months ago (AFP via Getty Images)

The store would not be buying new shopping baskets, as the employee said that if they bought more, they suspected people would simply steal them again, reports Jersey’s Best .

Single-use plastic bags were banned at all store registers in addition to paper bags at large grocery stores in New Jersey on May 4.

It followed the signing of the bag ban bill in November 2020.

Despite the lengthy preparation period, several grocery stores across New Jersey have reported unprepared customers stealing handheld baskets.

Shoppers in the state were allegedly leaving the store with their groceries stuffed in the shopping baskets (Getty Images)

Mary Ellen Peppard, the vice president of the New Jersey Food Council, said that while most customers had adapted, there had been a notable trend of customers taking the baskets and not returning them.

“These baskets are expensive and some stores have decided not to replace the baskets,” she added.

The baskets typically costed $8, but may have risen in price due to inflation.

An employee at one branch of ShopRite said his store’s baskets were removed on May 1, in advance of the plastic bag ban starting a few days later.

A spokeswoman for ShopRite could not say how many locations have removed the baskets entirely.

She went on to say that hand basket thefts were “a larger industry issue”.

This sentiment was echoed by an employee at another New Jersey grocery store chain, Acme.

An employee at one branch of the store said they did not currently have any baskets available, because “everybody steals them”.