Before Marks and Spencer started their massive drive to help save the planet by not giving away plastic bags with your shopping, even hinting at the merest suggestion that you might like one of their 'free' carrier bags was met with looks liek you were a naked leper, rubbing your scab infested nether regions upon the cashier's faces.
Now that they have started charging for them, though, it is a different matter. going in for a couple of items: "do you want a carrier bag with that (hands over two bags) they are five pence each". If you say no, you don't need one, they look at you shiftily again (what I was buying had it's own handle, it didn't need a bag) "so you're just going to carry it like that, are you?. They are so determined to flog you one of their air-thin carrier bags now (or a bag for life, which split the first time I put a box of biscuits in it, last time I used one) that they try and push them on you every time you go in there.
I do not mind them actually charging for carriers if they are good quality bags and it is for the reasons of genuinely trying to help the environment, but it's just sheer hypocrisy for them to claim that to be the case when they know that they are charging five pence for a bag thinner than a cheap condom which must cost a fraction of a penny for them to manufacture, and as the prices of their produce has not been lowered, is already factored into your shopping, anyway, and they are so desperate for you to take a bag. "Oh, forgotten a bag have you? These are five pence now, take them, take them!"
I like the Sainsbury's bags for life best, they actually have the ability to contain shopping for a few consecutive trips.
Also, I agree with whoever mentioned using old carrier bags for household waste. I use them to line my bin at home and take the rubbish out every couple of days. The kitchen in my flat is far too small for a large bin and these bags are just fine. To me it makes far more sense than actually spending money on specially manufactured bags just for the purpose of holding household waste. I know for a big family they must be very handy, but for me the small carriers are just fine.
Kalmar, the delivery people (from any supermarkets we have used) have never attempted to bring our shopping into the house for us, so they'd have to empty it into the street if we never had bags, and let us carry it all in, an item at a time. I think the service varies greatly from area to area