If you’ve been grocery shopping lately, you might have noticed reusable bags are being allowed at some stores, meaning the 10 cent charge is back for single-use bags. But policies are not the same across the board.
“It’s hard to keep track!” Beth Perrine, a shopper said.
In April, Governor Newsom signed an executive order putting a 60-day pause on California’s ban on single-use plastic bags.
The concern was spreading coronavirus with reusable bags. Most stores were not letting customers bring them in.
From the end of April to the end of June, the executive order forbid grocers from charging 10 cents per bag.
The order has now expired, and grocery stores are making their own policies.
Local
NBC 7 called major stores in San Diego and found a patchwork of rules and policies when it comes to grocery bags.
Stores that are allowing reusable bags and are charging for single-use:
Vons
Albertsons
Walmart
Target
Sprouts (not charging for single-use)
Stores that are not allowing reusable bags and are not charging for single-use:
Ralphs
Food 4 Less
Trader Joe's (charging for single-use)
One caregiver and frequent shopper said there’s a lot of confusion, on top of not knowing if bringing in bags is entirely safe.
“I’m not sure, it’s debatable because you don’t know where everyone’s bags have been. Like mine have been sitting in my car for how many months now and I open one up and I go ‘oh I’m not gonna use this again’. So I have to go through them,” Perrine said.
