New Jersey’s single-use bag ban will take effect soon. Are stores and buyers ready?

New Jersey shoppers are in for a major bag alert next week—not from DJ Khaled and Migos, but from their local grocery store.

On May 4, the country’s strictest carryout bag ban will take effect, barring all retailers in the state from offering single-use plastic bags and paper bags to grocery stores larger than 2,500 square feet.

• So no, paper bags from the coveted Trader Joe’s are no exception…

The ban was signed into law in November 2020, but is going into effect after about 18 months to give shops enough time to prepare.

Restriction Help: Joanne Jemenden, executive director of the NJ Clean Communities Council, told Retail Brew that the state is preparing retailers and consumers for the ban through a statewide education campaign called Bag Up NJ, which was introduced in May 2021. It’s dealing with New Jersey. Food Council, a coalition of state food retailers and suppliers, to set up communication initiatives.

• A downloadable kit is available for retailers on its website, which includes imagery for web banners, social media posts and sandwich boards, as well as audio PSAs. (We see you, procrastinators: Traffic to its website has increased nearly 500% since January.)
• The campaign itself is advertising across the state, including on the DMV and New Jersey Transit buses.
• In addition, Bag Up NJ gave away ~4,000 bags at the NJ DPS Earth Day event last week, part of an effort to reach “overloaded communities” who may not have access to reusable bags, or are unable to afford. may not be able to, Gemenden said.

mixed bag: For many multi-state retailers, banning bags is nothing new, as New Jersey is the ninth state to ban them.

• Northeast grocery chain Wegmans announced earlier this month that it would completely phase out plastic bags by the end of 2021, a move thus far at 61 stores. The grocery store found that 20%-25% of shoppers choose paper bags (for which it is charging five cents), while the rest opted for reusable or bagless ones.

But these laws can come at a price, especially for small retailers. After New York banned their bags in 2020, bodega owners shared with the New York Post that they can buy 600 single-use plastic bags for $11, while 200 paper bags cost as much as $50. A yarn-shop owner in New Jersey told the Asbury Park Press this week that a bid for 250 reusable bags was $300.

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There are also some nuances of the law that New Jersey is still questioning. For e-commerce orders, some retailers are charging per bag, while others are charging a standard fee, Gemenden said. Instacart told Retail Brew that it has worked with its New Jersey retail partners to ensure that low-cost reusable bags will be available for purchase, and that the total bag cost is listed on the customer’s receipt for the bag-fee. will be included as a fee.

A handle on this: Stephanie Schuman, external communications manager at Stop & Shop, a supermarket chain owned by Ahold Delhaize, told us that the paper-bag aspect may be one that customers struggle with the most, especially if they’re used to paying a nickel for them in New York. Huh. ,

“Anything new, like any change, is going to be a trial-and-error period,” Schuman said. “So certainly, there are going to be some stumbling blocks with customers, but in general they understand that plastic and paper are going away.”

• A survey released by Monmouth University last week found that only one-third of New Jersey residents say they know “a lot” about the ban, and 28% know it’s covered with paper bags.

In April, Stop & Shop began its efforts to prepare shoppers within its 58 Garden State stores, Schuman said. Reminders can be found on cart corrals and even printed on receipt tape, while associates have been asked to remind customers at checkout.

• ShopRite, which is based in New Jersey and operates 185 stores in the state, launched its “Plan for Ban” campaign last year. While it encourages shoppers to bring their own bags, ShopRite spokeswoman Karen O’Shea said it will have reusable totes available for purchase.

On May 2 and 3, Schuman said that all Stop & Shop locations will distribute one free reusable bag per customer—at least, until they expire. The company also has reusables available for purchase, and is increasing its supply to prepare for the ban. Its most popular option is a $1 bag for two dollars, she said.

+1: What will happen to Stop & Shop’s spare stock of paper and plastic bags? They will go to the food banks. In March, Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill giving him a six-month extension before switching pantries. Schuman said the retailer will also set up in-store bins for shoppers to collect additional reusable items, which will then be donated.

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