Why has the ban on the plastic bag failed?



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With Coles and Woolworths caught off guard by the outpouring of "plastic bag rage" from dissatisfied customers, they probably wonder, "What did not work? "

Woolworths last week pedaled and offered the 15 Coles opted to open all his cash lanes and recruit additional staff on Sunday.

But still the complaints of the customers have flowed.

"Please do not say that not providing plastic bags is a way to be environmentally friendly when all vegetables are unnecessarily packed in plastic," Vanessa Paola wrote. on the Coles Facebook page. "Do you really need to wrap four tomatoes or a lettuce head?"

Michelle Goodman wrote: "So you replace them with even thicker plastic bags than people will still throw.

Nikki Withington added, "Can you explain why your plastic bags have been replaced by other plastic bags? Do not tell me it's better because they're reusable because we all know that not everyone will reuse them and that they all end up in landfills and in our courtyards. water afterwards! It's a shame. "

The ban on plastic bags was implemented by all state governments across Australia except NSW – where major supermarkets took charge of removing bags from their homes. stores – in response to the fact that single-use bags cause major environmental problems.

In response to the growing reaction, supermarkets have adopted a defensive tone.Woolworths has repeatedly mentioned a survey of 12,000 customers showing 75 per cent supported the ban A survey of 2,200 clients by research firm Canstar found a support rate of 71 per cent

Paul Harrison, researcher on the behavior of staff and consumers Deakin University, describing the difference between an attitude and a behavior 19659010] "People can say:" I like the idea of ​​having to bring my own bags ", but people have trouble with these things. You can say you'll do something, but if you're going to do that, it's two different parts of the brain, "says Dr. Harrison.

"In neuroscience, the prefrontal cortex says," Yes, of course I can do that, "but the prehistoric brain says," I will continue to do what I've always done. "

Dr. Harrison said the fiasco showed why the survey as a means of making business decisions was "so problematic"

. "It always surprises me that these multinationals with sophisticated sales techniques do not really understand consumers," he said.

"A good researcher or marketer would never ask people their opinion, because often we do not really know what our opinion is until we are asked. you have to do is to test – do an experiment and see how many people get angry. "

Psychologist and founder of the Thinkerbell advertising agency Adam Ferrier said the reaction was" a bit scary. Mr. Ferrier said, "I think the humble plastic bag has become a symbol for people who knock at home. If we want to change things, we will all have to make changes. Dr. Harrison said that Woolworths and Coles had underestimated the magnitude of the reaction and had probably hoped that the signaling informing the customers of the upcoming change would be sufficient, but the research still has "If you drive by car and that you see a sign saying "slow down", you do not slow down, but if you see a police car, you do it, "he said. "It's because there is a direct link between your behavior and action." A sign does not give you a fine. "

The inconvenience that many customers now experience when they arrive at the supermarket without their own bag would do much more to change the behavior. "People do not like change, and people do not like the effort," said Dr. Harrison.

"Research in this area shows that no matter how you try to train people before a major change, people will find it difficult. People do not like to be recycled. Removing the bags, which makes it more awkward, changes the behavior. "

The other big problem with customers planning to plan and bring their own reusable bags, is to fly directly to a key industry. trend – convenience. For years, supermarkets tell us that customers are more and more spontaneous purchases, for example by returning home.

"Customers buy more frequently, buy small baskets of goods and," said a Woolworths spokesperson in 2016 about the deployment of the Metro store format.

million. Woolworths said the shift to larger convenience store offerings reflected international trends. Writing in The Conversation Louise Grimmer of the University of Tasmania and Gary Mortimer of QUT declare that the trend is here to stay.

"Small stores directly attract a growing number of baby boomers and millennia often with smaller basket sizes," they wrote. "These buyers demand customization, special services and quality products."

Dr. Harrison stated that the conflict was a case of "two different approaches" of a profit motive and a marketing position "collapsing"

"In perspective, getting people to do small shops brings them more profit, "he said.

"Consumers spend more on average all week long when they make small shops than they do at a weekend shop. [But the bag ban] is a marketing and environmental response to the overuse of plastic.

"The problem here is that supermarkets recycle people.It will not take long for people to remember to bring bags when there is no of plastic bags at their disposal.I think what you will probably see is that people will take the bags to work. "

Since Sunday, July 1, single-use plastic bags have been banned in Queensland and Western Australia.State banning the bag in 2009 – ACT, Northern Territory and Tasmania.Victoria will ban plastic bags by the end of the year. 2019.

NSW is the only state-owned company to stay upright, but most major retailers have opted to remove them from all of their store networks. Woolworths and its brand Alcoholic beverages BWS abandoned their bags on June 20, while Coles, IGA and Woolworths Big W department store went out without a bag Sunday.

Kmart and Target, department store chains owned by Wesfarmers refused to apply the ban in NSW and Victoria Sunday, saying only that they would eliminate them "by 2019 ".

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